Every time the regular season wrapped up, Lin Yi felt like he'd just cleared a big dungeon in a video game.
Looking back on the shortened 2011–12 season, he realized he'd packed in quite a few unforgettable moments—like that 86-point explosion, the highest since Wilt Chamberlain. When his shot pushed him past Kobe's 81, Lin Yi genuinely wondered if he was dreaming. Even in video games, you wouldn't dare script something that wild.
And the single-quarter triple-double? That one happened almost by accident. As for DeRozan assisting him into a quadruple-double… Lin Yi still believed that was rarer than dropping 86. Yet somehow, it all came together, as if the basketball gods had penciled it into the calendar.
But at long last, the curtain on the 2011–12 regular season fell.
In the villa, Tijana and Olsen watched him with the same expression you'd give someone who was clearly on something.
"How long has he been grinning like that?" Olsen asked.
"Feels like half an hour," Tijana sighed.
Chris Paul had originally suggested the whole team should grab dinner after the finale—but Lin Yi bolted for home the second the buzzer sounded. "Rest first, we'll hang out later!" he shouted on the way out.
If Paul knew Lin Yi rushed home just to sit on the couch and admire his own season stats, he'd probably schedule him for a mental checkup.
Lin Yi didn't deny it either.
"If being a basketball genius counts as a disease," he thought, "then yeah, I'm definitely sick."
Anyway—back to reality.
The Knicks finished the season 60–6, sitting at the top of the league. For a franchise that once seemed allergic to success, the transformation under Lin Yi's leadership was remarkable.
He didn't manage a "30+ triple-double" this season, but he accepted it. In his mind, he still needed more training—after all, life doesn't stop, learning doesn't stop.
Lin Yi appeared in all 66 games this season—his third straight year without missing a single matchup. Durability had become part of his brand.
He averaged a career-low 33.5 minutes, thanks to constantly being benched early by teammates and coaches determined not to run him into the ground.
His season averages:
26.4 points, 15.9 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 2.2 blocks, 1.6 steals, 2.4 fouls, 2.3 turnovers.
Shooting splits:
54.5% FG, 44.8% 3PT, 95.8% FT.
Another entry into the 180 Club—his third, just one shy of Steve Nash's record of four.
His true shooting percentage reached a career-high 67.8%, and he converted 72.5% at the rim. ESPN ranked him among the league's top five scoring machines simply because his "stat-padding" was absurdly efficient.
A 26–15–10 season wasn't far off from a 30–10–10 one. And whether you looked at record, box score stats, or advanced metrics, ESPN agreed: Lin Yi's back-to-back MVP was a lock.
Totals for the year:
1742 points, 1049 rebounds, 693 assists, 145 blocks, 106 steals.
He swept every Eastern Conference Player of the Month except when James and Chris Paul won one.
Lin Yi's career scoring had climbed to 6530, inching closer to that five-digit milestone.
The scoring title went to Carmelo Anthony—moved up in the timeline thanks to Lin Yi's butterfly effect. Durant desperately padded his numbers in the final game… but with Lin Yi hyping Melo up, Melo went berserk too and secured the crown at 30.5 PPG.
Rondo claimed the assist title at 11.7 per game, and Lin Yi took the rebounding crown without argument.
The steals leader was CP3, who put together a season of 25.5 points, 7.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 steals on 51.2/38.8/88.5 shooting—dangerously close to joining the 180 Club himself.
What made the Lin-Paul duo terrifying wasn't just the numbers—it was the efficiency. They fed each other advantages, constantly creating cleaner looks for one another.
Mid-season, when D'Antoni was asked about the Knicks' offensive system, he laughed and said:
"Haven't we already released the whole playbook to the public?"
To be honest, the Knicks' offense this season was terrifying. If you really wanted to simplify it, you could say the playbook was "give it to the guy who's feeling it."
Now, back to business — the blocks leader for the 2011–12 season ended up being Ibaka, swatting an absurd 3.7 shots per game.
Lin Yi couldn't help but envy those numbers. The problem? The stronger his reputation became, the fewer players were willing to challenge him head-on. DeRozan's infamous "quadruple-double assist" was pure luck — nobody was lining up to contribute to Lin Yi's highlight reels anymore.
Ibaka's defensive eruption was both a blessing and a headache for the Thunder. Because once Fisher's miracle shot landed in the playoffs, Harden would begin his journey toward becoming a franchise pillar.
The 2011–12 regular-season standings looked completely different from what Lin Yi remembered. In the East, the Knicks sat comfortably at the top, followed by the Heat, Bulls, Pacers, Celtics, Hawks, Magic, and 76ers. From the ninth to the fifteenth were the Bucks, Pistons, Raptors, Wizards, Nets, Bobcats, and Cavaliers.
The Knicks would meet the 76ers in the first round — a team they beat by almost 25 points per game during the season. Even with Iguodala shouting, "We must defend Philadelphia," nobody outside the 76ers locker room believed the series would be competitive.
Meanwhile, the West was in absolute chaos. The Spurs surged to first on the final stretch, with the Thunder, Grizzlies, Mavericks, Jazz, Lakers, Nuggets, and Hornets following. The Rockets narrowly missed out.
History had completely shifted. The Nuggets, rebuilt through a three-team draft-day trade, returned to the playoffs led by Ellis and Jamison. The Hornets, powered by Gallinari and Lou Williams, slipped into the postseason by a single win — a move that derailed the original timeline where they were supposed to receive the top overall pick.
And Gallinari? He'd become New Orleans' new fan favorite — the handsome Italian forward even snagged an All-Star spot in the West.
First-round matchups out West were Spurs vs. Hornets, Thunder vs. Nuggets, Grizzlies vs. Lakers, and Mavericks vs. Jazz.
Thanks to some late-season load management that backfired, the Mavericks dropped to fourth and were now staring at a likely second-round rematch with their longtime rivals, the Spurs.
Lin Yi could only sigh. Last season felt like following a script — this year was pure free play. The entire Western Conference looked like someone had thrown the bracket into a washing machine.
Luckily, the East was much more straightforward. With the gap between contenders and pretenders so obvious, the Knicks' mission was simple: finish the first two rounds fast, stay healthy, and walk into the Eastern Conference Finals fresh for the Heat.
And if the Heat somehow failed to reach the conference finals?
Lin Yi wouldn't hesitate — he'd go home, buy firecrackers, and celebrate immediately.
...
Please do leave a review and powerstones, helps with the book's exposure.
Feel like joining a Patreon for free and subscribing to advanced chapters?
Visit the link:
[email protected]/GRANDMAESTA_30
Change @ to a