Second Quarter
The Bulls tried to adjust their tactics in the second quarter. Coach Vinny Del Negro wasn't ready to throw in the towel—not with how hyped up this game had been. Getting blown out would be a PR disaster, especially for Derrick Rose's image.
You might say the NBA doesn't buy into the whole one-game theory, but let's be real, plenty of media outlets love to jump on that train. Remember when Brandon Jennings dropped 55 points? It wasn't just Chinese media calling him the next big thing—even American outlets slapped headlines like Brandon Jennings: Dominance Incarnated? on their front pages.
Too bad for Coach Del Negro—his adjustments just didn't work.
Lin Yi led the Knicks' squad straight into a demolition mission.
Tactically, the Bulls were outclassed. Slowing the pace, reducing possessions, relying on outdated iso-heavy plays—Del Negro's playbook was stuck in the past. Meanwhile, the Knicks were running modern, fluid basketball. It wasn't even close.
And the Knicks were weirdly good that night. At halftime, the scoreboard read:
Knicks 68, Bulls 33.
During the break, Charles Barkley didn't hold back.
"Four words," he said on the broadcast, " Total. And. Absolute. Domination."
Kenny Smith added, "At this point, the Bulls just need to focus on not letting this get worse."
...
Third Quarter
Then came the third quarter. Lin Yi wasn't done yet.
With 8:14 left in the quarter, Lin and David Lee ran a pick-and-roll. Lin exploded off the screen, drove into the paint, and—BOOM—dunked right over Taj Gibson. One arm. Straight up posterized him.
The crowd at United Center went ice cold.
"Since he announced he's entering the dunk contest," Barkley said, "Lin's been showing off those hops every chance he gets."
Gibson tried to act like he wasn't rattled, but you could see it—he wasn't buying what Lin was selling, but he also wasn't signing up for another one of those.
Preseason or not, Lin's Knicks had shown up. After the dunk, Lin's teammates swarmed him in celebration. Meanwhile, Gibson's teammates were nowhere in sight—miles away emotionally and physically. You could see it in Gibson's face. That hit different.
Lin knows how to use his vertical. His hang-time is unreal. With that wingspan, even when Gibson hit the ground, Lin was still floating midair. They could've landed at the same time, and Lin still would've been dunking over him.
It was Durant-esque. That whole long-limbed elevation—same vibes.
The thing is, this dunk wasn't just athletic. Lin had been working with Eli Manning on some sneaky midair moves. On the way up, he threw in a subtle push-off, basically a stiff arm from the NFL—just enough to clear space, and the refs didn't even notice. All eyes were on the ball. Gibson ate that one, and yeah, he wasn't happy.
That dunk lit up living rooms across the country. Fans couldn't wait to see Lin in the dunk contest now. It wasn't just Chinese fans voting him in—American fans were sending him love too.
There's a reason legends like Jordan stuck in people's memories. Winning dunk contests. Soaring from the free throw line and being so clutch in tough moments. They made moments.
If the NBA's a movie, then stars need to make their storylines.
King James,Air Jordan, Magic Johnson—these guys became legends because they gave us highlight after highlight. Stories that stick.
If Lin Yi wants to be one of the greatest, he's gotta build his legend, one big moment at a time.
...
Post-Third Quarter
After three quarters, Lin clocked out. Job done.
Fans at home? Kind of devastated. They wanted more.
They wanted more blood.
Big Oof.
...
Final Score: 139-81.
Absolute Carnage.
By the end of the game, the Knicks had absolutely steamrolled the Bulls—final margin: 58 points. That tied the biggest win in Knicks history ( same 58-point gap they dropped on the Nets late November) and, for the Bulls, set a brutal new low: the worst loss in franchise history.
When the buzzer sounded, the Bulls looked shell-shocked. You could see it in their body language. Derrick Rose stood on the sideline, dazed, like he couldn't believe what just happened. He was supposed to be Chicago's chosen one. The Bulls were supposed to be building something new this season. Instead, this loss dragged them right back to square one.
Rose played 33 minutes—shot 7-for-19, finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists. Not terrible, but definitely not enough.
Lin Yi? Different story. In 31 minutes, he went 10-for-18 from the field, 3-of-7 from deep, and a perfect 5-of-5 at the line. Final line: 28 points, 12 boards, 6 dimes, 2 blocks. A casual demolition job.
Statistically? The 2009 No. 1 pick just outplayed the 2008 No. 1 pick. On the scoreboard? The Knicks didn't just beat the Bulls—they embarrassed them.
The media, of course, had a field day.
Some couldn't resist poking fun at Rose:
Others took jabs at the 2009 draft class being a weak year.
Weak? Look at what Lin just did to last year's top pick.
Suddenly, everyone was thinking: Who said 2009 was a down year?!
The takes got spicy, but honestly, Lin Yi's performance gave them ammo. He was a beast out there. Fans were joking online that Lin's cruelty rating just got boosted by +9000. Ah, a Dragon Ball reference, don't you love them
Sure, Lin was the star, but the Knicks' shooters were flamethrowers too. They were on fire. Two huge wins to start the season, both by blowouts. Of course, they'd also had some ugly shooting nights, but people were starting to whisper—is this team the real deal?
Lin wasn't surprised. To him, this was all just part of the plan.
The way he saw it, the league was still adjusting. Tactics were evolving, but some teams were stuck in the past. On paper, a lot of squads looked strong, but in practice? Not so much.
The Knicks, though? Lin was creating mismatch hell every night. And with D'Antoni cooking up schemes, things were clicking—at least when the ingredients didn't burn.
Both the Bulls and Knicks were technically rebuilding, but thanks to Lin, New York was a few hundred blocks ahead. Fifth Avenue style.
Ironically, in the future, both teams would be led by mad tacticians—Thibodeau and D'Antoni—mirror images of each other. One is obsessed with defense, the other with offense. But they shared one thing: a love for playing their starters to death.
...
Postgame Presser
After the game, reporters swarmed Lin Yi. Most of the questions focused on the Knicks' strong start and what kind of goals he had in mind.
This time, the American media came prepared. Last time they asked him about his ceiling, and Lin, deadpan as ever, gave them his actual height.
So now they tried a different angle. They were fishing for a headline, waiting for Lin to throw out a bold prediction. Maybe something dramatic.
They didn't get it.
"Our goal?" Lin said with a smile. "Hopefully, we can make the playoffs."
The reporters groaned a little. That was not the spicy quote they wanted.
"And your personal goal?"
Lin kept the same straight face. "World peace."
Mic drop.
...
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