Stern, who was currently teaching Silver the finer points of being a commissioner, was on the verge of a breakdown.
The league had prepared itself for the possibility of another earthquake caused by Lin Yi's Birthday Phenomenon.
But 31 assists in three quarters?
Even Stern, who had seen Jordan, Magic, Bird, and Kobe up close, wanted to grab Lin Yi by the shoulders and ask:
"Are you human?"
Stern specifically watched the replay of the Knicks-Spurs game from beginning to end, and when it was over, he found himself feeling something he rarely experienced.
Regret.
"This kid might actually make Michael number two."
Stern had always believed that certain people were simply born for basketball. Years ago, he could not understand how Jordan repeatedly produced impossible shots. Now, years later, Lin Yi was making him feel that same confusion.
His passing challenged people's understanding of what basketball was supposed to look like.
Football(Soccer) fans yearn for artistic football.
Basketball fans yearn for dazzling crossovers, impossible passes, and plays that make people leap out of their seats.
This was why style often attracted more fans than efficiency.
Yes, Lin Yi was padding his stats.
But to pad stats this beautifully?
He might have been the first player in NBA history.
The 2013-14 season had become unbelievably lively.
Lin Yi was rewriting records.
Curry was raining three-pointers.
LeBron was still going strong in the league.
Durant was scoring at will.
Every superstar seemed determined to leave his own mark on the season.
Stern knew that if this continued, fans would remember this season for decades.
So, with a battered heart, the soon-to-retire commissioner made his next decision.
Promote it.
Market it.
Turn up the heat.
Stern was happy to see challengers emerge around Lin Yi, because only competition could make fans invest emotionally in the NBA.
After all, dynasties attracted attention.
But rivalries created legends.
. . .
After dismantling the Spurs, the Knicks departed for Los Angeles on November 16.
Their next opponent was the Lakers.
Ironically, because of Lin Yi's rise, the Lakers, who were originally supposed to enter the Nick Young Era this season, had somehow started the year 5-2.
Los Angeles had completely turned against Dwight Howard. Lakers fans flooded the internet with criticism, blaming Howard for abandoning the franchise.
Just as Lin Yi remembered from his previous life, the entire city seemed to hate the Superman in his first stint at the Lakers.
Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant, who had officially entered health preservation mode, completely ignored Jim Buss's suggestion that he chase another scoring title.
Lin Yi, who had been advocating heavily for Kobe's reduced minutes, still found this version of Kobe somewhat unfamiliar.
Through the first several games, Bryant was averaging 24.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists.
Nearly eight assists per game.
Only seventeen shot attempts.
The noise of the past gradually faded away.
The championships, the scoring titles, the criticism, the endless comparisons, they all became distant echoes carried away by time.
Standing at thirty-four years old, Kobe looked back toward where everything had started.
He remembered the eighteen-year-old boy who arrived in Los Angeles with nothing but confidence, ambition, and an impossible dream.
The Kobe who had finally made peace with himself had not abandoned his obsession.
He had simply chosen a different way to pursue it.
Without the devastating injuries, while chasing Havlicek's legacy, Kobe had finally become the version of himself that Phil Jackson had always hoped to see.
Less stubborn.
More patient
More willing to trust the players around him.
Perhaps this version of Kobe had arrived a few years late.
But that no longer mattered.
What mattered was that the Black Mamba still stood on the court.
He could still hear the cheers.
He could still inspire an arena.
And for Lakers fans, that was joy.
Simply being able to watch Kobe play every night was enough.
Because sometimes, the greatest victory is not defeating your opponents.
It is making peace with the person you used to be.
This season is really interesting, Lin Yi thought.
Online, fans had already given the 2013-14 season a fitting nickname:
The Golden Season
Night after night, the league's superstars were producing performances that felt almost unreal.
LeBron continued to dominate.
Durant scored as if every basket came naturally.
Curry was changing the geometry of the game.
Lin Yi was rewriting the record books.
And in a season like this, how could the Golden Season be complete without the Kobe himself?
New York and Los Angeles.
The two great cities on opposite coasts had always shared a strange connection. Their teams carried history, glamour, expectations, and countless stars. Because of that, every meeting between the Knicks and the Lakers felt different.
This time, Vanessa no longer stopped Kobe from waking up at four in the morning to train.
Lin Yi also had his own destination waiting in the distance.
Ten thousand career points.
One legend was chasing the marks left behind by time.
Another was racing toward milestones that had yet to be written.
No. 24 versus No. 44.
Kobe Bryant versus Lin Yi.
And when New York met Los Angeles once again, the Golden Season would gain another chapter.
On TNT, after Lin Yi's 31-assist masterpiece, Barkley once again reminded viewers that Lin Yi was very likely to reach the 10,000-point milestone before December.
And when that happened, another NBA record would fall into his collection.
The fewest games needed to reach 10,000 career points.
. . .
The league's other superstars clearly had no intention of allowing Lin Yi to monopolize all the headlines.
If the Grim Reaper wanted to shake the basketball world, then everyone else would answer in kind.
November 17 became a night of explosions across the NBA.
Earlier in the evening, Golden State dismantled the Clippers on the road. The Warriors improved to 7-0, officially announcing the arrival of the Chef Curry Era.
The Baby-Faced Assassin once again erupted for double-digit three-pointers.
Through seven games, Curry was averaging 35 points per game while shooting 55 percent from the field, 60 percent from three, and a perfect 100 percent from the free-throw line.
Although seven games were still a small sample size, Curry's jersey and shoe sales were rising at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In Oklahoma City, the Thunder defeated the Grizzlies.
This time, facing Tony Allen, Durant was not contained.
Westbrook recorded a triple-double, Durant exploded for another 40-point game, and the Thunder faithful once again shouted:
"Thunder for the championship!"
In Miami, LeBron James dismantled the Cavaliers.
The King finished with a triple-double in only three quarters, reminding everyone that his fight for the throne was unwavering.
In Houston, James Harden battled Dwight Howard and the Rockets' old demons.
The Beard earned 25 free throws and poured in 43 points, leading Houston to another victory.
In Toronto, DeRozan and Lowry lit up the scoreboard together, giving Raptors fans hope that the North was finally beginning to rise.
The media nearly lost their minds.
What kind of day was this?
Why were all the superstars exploding at the same time?
Every game seemed worthy of being the front-page headline.
Yet the major networks unanimously chose to wait.
Because the Knicks versus the Lakers had not started yet.
The superstars suddenly understood.
If they didn't explode tonight, they might not even make tomorrow's front page.
. . .
On November 17, Los Angeles glittered beneath the night sky. The city of Angels once again became the center of the basketball world.
Today was a good day for some basketball.
. . .
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