Too Hot To Touch

After beating the Grizzlies, the Knicks flew straight to Dallas for a back-to-back against the Mavericks.

Dallas had always been a bit of a lucky charm for Lin Yi. After all, it was here that his popularity exploded onto the national stage.

As the Knicks prepared to face the Mavs, Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle made a swift decision—he gave Dirk Nowitzki the night off. Lin remembered that in previous timelines, Dirk rarely sat out games. But in this altered path, Carlisle didn't want to risk his aging superstar.

The Mavericks were in solid shape, sitting fourth in the Western Conference standings. The playoff picture in the West had already split: the top eight were pulling away, and it was just a matter of seeding now.

Carlisle, a coach who knew how to play the long game, wasn't going to burn out his best player for one regular-season matchup. Especially not against a red-hot Lin Yi, whose All-Star performance had only increased his threat level around the league.

Without Dirk, the Mavs' firepower took a major hit. And considering how the Knicks had been reeling during their recent losing streak, this game was pegged by Knicks haters as a potential upset. But Dallas wasn't prepared for what Lin had in store.

Funny enough, playing in Dallas felt like a home game for Lin. Fans here adored him ever since his All-Star breakout, and even though he wore Knicks blue, he'd become a fan favorite in Texas.

By the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard already told the story: Knicks 41, Mavericks 24.

Carlisle assumed Lin's extended minutes against Memphis were a one-off—a desperate move to stop the Knicks' losing skid. But now, seeing Lin still on the floor deep into the second quarter, he was baffled.

He glanced across the court at D'Antoni, exasperated. The Knicks were playoff-bound—why run Lin into the ground like this?

Was it because of his popularity here in Dallas? Carlisle could only speculate.

By halftime, the game was basically over. Some Mavericks fans started heading for the exits early, but there was no bitterness. If you've been a Mavericks fan long enough, you've seen it all: Finals collapses, miraculous comebacks, the infamous We Believe Warriors upset. Losing to Lin Yi didn't break their spirits. Everything is big in Texas, so were their spirits.

But Carlisle wasn't done stressing. Coming into the third quarter, the Knicks were up by over 30. And Lin? Still on the floor, still active.

Carlisle sighed. "Are you guys trying to beat us by 60?"

Then came the highlight of the night.

With 7:11 left in the third, Lin Yi ran a smooth pick-and-roll and found himself isolated against Brendan Haywood.

Haywood's eyes widened. He didn't want this smoke.

Lin exploded toward the lane, and to Haywood's surprise, he managed to keep up, sort of.

But it was a lie.

It was all set up.

In a flash, Lin planted, pivoted, and faked a shoulder shake. Haywood bit hard—too hard.

Lin was gone.

Death in sneakers.

Reaping another soul.

And Haywood?

He hit the deck, sprawled flat on the hardwood as Lin floated in the layup.

It wasn't just a bucket—it was a statement. The kind that made highlight shows, got replayed in slow motion on YouTube, and made opposing big men double-check the scouting report.

Dallas fans, ever gracious, rose to their feet. They weren't cheering for the Knicks—they were applauding greatness.

It wasn't about team colors anymore. Lin Yi had just brought a little bit of magic back to the Southwest, and the building knew it.

On the Mavericks' bench, Dampier shook his head and muttered, "Welcome to the club, Haywood."

Haywood, still dazed, looked up at the rafters like they might give him answers. The only thing echoing in his head was: How the hell did I fall for that?

...

In the TNT booth, Barkley let out a booming laugh.

"Kenny, that boy just tied Magic Johnson for rookie triple-doubles. And he's doing it with style."

Kenny Smith nodded. "Two straight triple-doubles. Back-to-back games. The kid can rewrite the rookie handbook. I mean, what do you even call a guy like that? Record shredder?"

...

Final score: Knicks 112, Mavericks 96. A blowout on paper, but a classic in the making for Lin Yi fans.

Lin clocked out after 36 minutes with another loaded stat line: 27 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.

Three-quarters of dominance. No fluff. Just efficiency and control.

Fans, pundits, even the haters—everyone agreed. The Knicks were the weirdest team in the league. They could lose to bottom-dwellers like the Wizards one night, then turn around and dominate playoff-bound teams like Dallas the next.

And just when Lin Yi's media buzz had cooled a bit, he was suddenly front and center again. Headlines lit up. Clips circulated. Twitter was chaos.

Over in China, Weibo servers were under pressure from the weight of a single update: Lin Yi's new official account, set up by his agent, Zhong Muchen.

Within just 24 hours of opening his Weibo account, Lin Yi had already attracted over 2 million followers, crashing the site's servers briefly.

He wasn't just a rising NBA star—he was becoming a national icon.

Even established stars had to tip their hats. Lin Yi wasn't just putting up numbers—he was building a global empire, one triple-double at a time.

Lin also made headlines.

Bleacher Report (Push Notification)

📱 "Lin Yi, Breaking Records and Ankles."

In a late-night tweet that quickly went viral, Bleacher Report called Lin's devastating up-and-under move on Brendan Haywood "the coldest highlight of the month," attaching a 10-second clip that racked up 900K views within hours.

Yahoo! Sports (Social Post)

📸 "Just Lin Things"

A montage of Lin's highlights set to a Kanye West track was captioned simply:

"When you've got Haywood looking for his ankles in the rafters…"

...

March 15th, the Knicks landed in Philly to face the 76ers. No Iverson, no resistance.

The Sixers were in full rebuild mode, and it showed.

Lin, who had quietly circled this game on his calendar, delivered another clinic. He played just 33 minutes, but that was more than enough: 26 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 blocks, 1 steal.

Triple-double number three in a row.

Twitter melted. Again.

And just like that, the headlines wrote themselves again:

New York Post (Back Page Headline)

📰 "TRIPLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE!"

Lin Yi torched the Sixers with another monster stat line, notching his third consecutive triple-double and surpassing Magic Johnson rookie record of six for the most triple doubles in a rookie season . "Lin's not just back—he's rewriting the rookie blueprint," the Post wrote in its Wednesday edition.

ESPN SportsCenter Segment

🎙️ "THE RETURN OF THE TRIPLE-DOUBLE MACHINE"

"He's doing it again, folks," said Scott Van Pelt during the 11 p.m. SportsCenter recap. "Lin Yi has become must-watch TV. That's four triple-doubles in a row. And he's making it look easy."

The Ringer (Game Column Headline)

📝 "Death in Sneakers: Lin Yi's Stardom Grows"

"There are stat-stuffers, and then there are players who make stats feel like art," wrote The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor. "Lin isn't just filling up the box score—he's performing on hardwood like it's a Broadway stage."

...

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