In the game against the Cavaliers, Lin Yi made a few new observations about his upgraded skill, Limitless Range.
First, he realized just how many times it could activate. After going full God Mode that night at the All-Star game, he generated three separate chances to trigger it. That alone told him something important: Limitless Range depends entirely on how well he's feeling the game.
Second, he figured out that he could control when to activate it. As long as his rhythm stayed hot within a certain window, he could choose the moment himself.
Of course, after some self-testing, Lin Yi came to one firm conclusion. Betting everything on being in the zone to activate it was a little too optimistic, even for him.
"Does Steph have a cheat like this, too? The kind that only switches on in the third quarter?" Lin muttered jokingly to himself, rubbing his chin while piecing together how this skill worked.
…
After saying goodbye to Cleveland's happy duo, the NBA announced the February award winners on March 2nd. Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving earned Rookie of the Month honors for the East and West, respectively.
Klay's February numbers dipped slightly, mostly because defenses were starting to key in on him. Lin planned to work with him over the summer — especially on post-ups. In his previous life, Klay had a clean fadeaway in his bag, and with his core strength, he could absolutely master some picture-perfect turnarounds.
Irving, meanwhile, was playing even better than Lin remembered. With Dirk Nowitzki and Amar'e Stoudemire stretching the floor, Irving had endless space to go one-on-one.
Realistically speaking, Klay wouldn't be able to compete with Kyrie for Rookie of the Year. Kyrie had the ball in his hands, a flashy style, and a highlight reel that regenerated itself every night. Fans loved players like that — the same way they loved Lin Yi's own electric style.
As for Player of the Month in the West, it went to Kevin Durant. He posted 30.5 points on 51% shooting in February — absurd efficiency. Durant was finally hitting full stride as a pure scoring machine. If it weren't for Lin Yi's overwhelming popularity, Durant would probably be the face of the new generation right now.
Lin decided it was time to nudge Carmelo Anthony a bit. Anthony had full offensive freedom in Cleveland this season, and Durant was his biggest MVP rival. If Melo could steal the scoring title, Durant would lose a major bargaining chip in the MVP race.
The Cavaliers had nothing to chase this season — if Anthony didn't stat-pad now, then when?
At that moment, Durant was likely arguing with fans on a burner account, debating whether he or Lin Yi was better. Meanwhile, Lin was plotting behind the scenes.
And then there was the Eastern Conference Player of the Month — finally, someone other than Lin Yi.
The honor went to LeBron James. The King averaged 28–7–7, and with Miami's winning streak, the award was fully deserved.
Still, Lin Yi's fans weren't having it. Stat-wise, Lin's output was ridiculous this year — 26, 15, and 10 — an ongoing triple-double season. And achieving that triple-double average could become the deciding factor in the MVP race.
Even though the league loved Lin — especially with the revenue and viewership he brought in — they weren't exactly eager to let the East turn into a one-man show. So when LeBron put up numbers close enough to make a case, the league nudged the award his way to keep things balanced. And with LeBron's star power, recognizing him only added more fuel to the rivalry brewing between the two. For the league, it was the perfect outcome on both ends.
...
On the 3rd, before gearing up for their next road trip, Lin Yi decided the team needed to loosen up a bit. So he organized a three-point contest during practice. And believe it or not, the first-ever Knicks Three-Point Contest champion turned out to be… Chris Paul.
Guys usually mess around with shooting drills on their own, but this was the first time they'd had an official contest with all the team's shooters. The results? Lin Yi, Klay, and Green all got wiped out. Even McGrady posted a better score than them.
"Are you sure you two are the Splash Brothers? Because that looked more like the Brick Brothers to me," Paul teased, whistling as he walked past.
Lin Yi, and Klay: "…"
They'd had enough. So under Lin Yi's insistence, he and Paul set up a one-on-one shootout.
Klay and Green looked like they were watching a title fight, praying Lin Yi would restore their dignity.
But… it just wasn't happening.
Paul was on fire, barely touching the rim. Lin Yi, on the other hand, kept clanking everything—his brick-rate was hitting historic levels.
"Oh? The league must be slipping. The MVP's shooting like this? That's rough," Paul said with a dramatic shrug after beating him clean.
Lin Yi genuinely felt cursed. These were shots he normally hit in his sleep—why were they refusing to drop today?
Klay and Green exchanged looks, both silently wondering if it was safer to defect to Paul's camp.
"Chris, again!" Lin Yi refused to back down.
"Sure," Paul said, raising an eyebrow. "But what's on the line this time?"
"Twenty fried chicken meals," Lin Yi declared.
"Done."
A few minutes later:
Clank. Clank. Clank.
Paul beat him again.
Lin Yi: (⊙﹏⊙)
D'Antoni, watching from the side, couldn't help laughing. The vibes around the team couldn't be better, and he knew no one was taking the competition too seriously. Players have cold days—it happens.
He'd long since gotten used to the constant back-and-forth between Paul and Lin Yi. They might look like they were bickering, but D'Antoni knew what it really was: two hyper-competitive guys pushing each other to stay sharp.
McGrady, who'd looked half-asleep earlier, suddenly had a spark in his eyes. Just yesterday, he'd chatted with his cousin, Vince Carter. Carter was thriving in Miami, becoming an unexpected weapon off the Heat's bench.
And apparently, during a recent Heat practice, Carter even threw down a 180-degree reverse slam. LeBron, Wade, Bosh—everyone—lost it.
"Man, our youth just made a comeback!" they told him.
Seeing Lin Yi soar every night, McGrady couldn't help imagining a parallel universe: if the 2000 Dunk Contest had been Lin Yi vs. Carter… who would've owned the night?
Later that evening, the Knicks packed up and flew to Boston. Four games in five days, all on the road. A brutal stretch was waiting for them—but spirits on the plane were still high.
...
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