NBA: Journey To Become Unplayable.

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...

After the final regular season game, Lin Yi could finally let his body — and his mind — relax. For the first time in months, he felt himself loosen up. That constant tension, that edge, finally gave way to a quiet sense of accomplishment.

Dinner with teammates was celebratory but low-key. Back at his villa, Lin Yi couldn't help himself — he pulled up the Knicks' internal stats portal to take it all in.

The numbers told quite the story: 82 starts in 82 games, averaging 35.1 minutes. Per game: 24.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 2.7 blocks, 1.3 steals, 2.3 turnovers. His shooting splits were elite — 51.1% from the field, 40.2% from three, and a sparkling 91.1% at the line. Even his layup efficiency sat at nearly 70%, and his true shooting was an impressive 65%.

The totals were eye-popping: 2,025 points, 960 rebounds, 689 assists, 221 blocks, and 107 steals. No rookie in NBA history — at least since comprehensive stat-tracking began — had ever posted a rookie season like this. Lin was the first rookie to join the vaunted 180 Club. The first rookie with a 2,000+ / 900+ / 600+ / 200+ / 100+ stat line. Even the I don't watch games, just stats pundits couldn't ignore his Defensive Player of the Year–worthy résumé.

He even finished second among rookies in made three-pointers — his 140 trailing only Curry's 166.

Elsewhere, the league leaders: Kevin Durant took the scoring crown with 30.1 points per game.

Nash, ageless and efficient, won his fourth assists title while shooting his way into the 180 Club yet again with 50.7% from the field this season, 42.6% for his three-point field goal percentage, and 93.8% free-throw percentage.

Dwight Howard led the league in rebounds and blocks, while Rajon Rondo claimed the steals title.

Lin couldn't help but chuckle — his points, assists, rebounds, and blocks all ranked in the league's top ten. Even some of his harshest critics had to admit it now: Lin Yi wasn't just the best rookie in the league — he was already one of its brightest stars.

He'd even briefly overtaken LeBron James in the MVP ladder during his triple-double streak. James had pushed back hard, racking up a pair of late-season triple-doubles himself to remind everyone who still reigned supreme.

Lin understood. In MVP debates, narrative mattered. James had carried Cleveland to the league's best record, and Shaq's veteran presence only made him look better. Although New York leaned heavily on Lin's shine, the regular-season MVP was still a trophy steeped in prestige and narrative. It will be hard for a rookie to win it off the bat, plus LeBron had a better point average, 29.7. Lin Yi, though, had a better assist and rebound average.

Lin smiled, closed his laptop, and drifted off into a deep, well-earned sleep.

The Knicks had April 16 off before returning to practice on the 17th. Then it would be Game 1 at the Garden on the 18th against Miami.

New York had taken three of four from the Heat in the regular season, dropping only one game when Wade caught fire. Both Lin and D'Antoni believed that as long as the Knicks played their game, Miami wouldn't have enough to keep up.

Even better, Douglas was back from injury, and the Knicks had already submitted their 13-man playoff roster:

Centers: Lin Yi, Darko Milicic, Earl Barron

Power Forwards: David Lee, Al Harrington

Small Forwards: Danilo Gallinari, Danny Green

Shooting Guards: Wilson Chandler, Marco Belinelli

Point Guards: Toney Douglas, Lou Williams, Pat Ewing Jr.

Inactive: Jared Jeffries

D'Antoni's toughest cut had been Eddie House. In the end, he chose defense over streaky shooting — House had hit just 25% from deep since joining New York, and at 6'1", he was a liability on that end.

After his disappointing run with the Suns, D'Antoni knew better than anyone: if the Knicks wanted to go further, they needed a smarter, more balanced lineup.

Sure, the team's goal this year was modest — win a playoff round, gain some experience, keep building. But what if… just maybe… they could make it to the Eastern Conference Finals?

Against teams like the Celtics, Cavaliers, or Magic, it was clear to D'Antoni that bringing in another big man was the sensible move.

Even Danny Green was caught off guard. He hadn't expected to see playoff minutes this year, and the moment he got the news, he started furiously texting his family and friends.

Pat and Earl Barron were also listed on the playoff roster, and the two of them were over the moon. They hugged Lin Yi's arm, laughing and crying like kids.

"Man," Pat sniffled, half-joking, "whoever made this call deserves a damn medal."

When Lin saw the Knicks' finalized playoff list, he couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. I really dragged this squad to third in the East?

"What the hell were the rest of the East even doing this year…" he muttered under his breath.

...

On the 16th, Elizabeth Olsen dropped by to visit, bringing along Sakazuki and Mr. Wiggles. Lin almost didn't recognize Sakazuki— he'd packed on some pounds — and Mr. Wiggles? Well, the little guy looked like he'd doubled in size.

Lin squinted at him, then picked up a pair of chopsticks and tried to pinch him like a dumpling.

"Way too fat," he sighed.

Mr. Wiggles squeaked furiously, kicking his tiny legs as if to say: You're fat! Your whole family's fat!

Then Lin's eyes drifted back to Olsen, and he noticed… she'd filled out a bit too.

Damn he thought.

...

Later that day, Alexander came by to give his usual report. Business at the company was booming — users were up, the European launch had gone smoothly, and League of Legends was finally hitting its stride.

With celebrities promoting the game, Lin wasn't worried about growth.

The Chinese market, though, was still tricky. He was in talks to partner with Penguin — after all, it would be a while before they secured NBA streaming rights, but if you wanted to win in China, you had to work with them.

Zhong Muchen was also busy on his end. Lin's popularity had dipped slightly since the end of the regular season, and he couldn't help but think: If only I'd waited to sign that Nike deal now… the money would've been insane by now.

But he didn't dwell on it. His current contract already included a cut of the exclusive sneaker line, and Nike was pushing hard for him to return to China in the summer. They were confident that his Death Series would sell well in the Chinese market.

His career was on fire. And yet… watching Olsen laugh and scold the squirming hamster, Lin reminded himself: She's really just a girl. A beautiful girl.

...

On the 17th, the Knicks gathered as a team. Ahead of their matchup with the Heat, the coaches drilled them on defense and fast-break execution.

And on the 18th… Lin Yi finally stepped onto the court for his very first playoff game.

....

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