NBA: Journey To Become Unplayable.

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...

May 16.

In the press room, Qi Jun let out a long sigh as he adjusted his notes. The Knicks had been out of the playoffs for four days now, but the Eastern Conference Finals still had everyone talking.

Wu Xiaolei gave him a teasing look. "What's wrong, Qi Jun? Don't tell me you've come down with a bad case of Lin-fever too."

Qi Jun slouched back, shaking his head with a wry smile. "Sister Xiaolei… my season's already over. Might as well admit it."

Wu Xiaolei chuckled softly. She didn't mock him — how could she? The truth was, she felt the same emptiness inside.

Everywhere she turned, now — Weibo, TV, even the streets — it was the same refrain:

"The playoffs without Lin Yi. Day one — miss him already."

"Day two — still miss him."

"Day three — no Lin Yi, still miss him."

They even had a name for it now: Lin-fever.

Wu Xiaolei looked out at the court wistfully. "I just hope… he shakes off the loss soon and keeps moving forward. That series was brutal."

...

Sure — at first, Lin Yi had felt crushed by the loss. But as he said during the postgame interview after Game 6:

"What matters isn't the days people only cheer for you. It's also the days when you get back up after a tough loss and keep at it."

He wouldn't sulk for long. The series had exposed his flaws, but also strengthened his resolve.

...

Game 3 was his crowning moment. That buzzer-beater sent the Garden into chaos, putting the Knicks up 2–1.

The media went wild the next day. Headlines glorified Lin in every possible way, hailing his Game 2 and 3 heroics as the stuff of legend.

But Game 4? Paul Pierce reminded everyone why they called him The Truth, dropping 38 to even the series.

Then came Game 5. Down the stretch, Ray Allen drained three straight daggers to steal the pivotal game for Boston.

By Game 6, the Knicks fought desperately to force a seventh, with Lin putting up a heroic 56 points on 40 shots… but Boston's experience and steady hands carried them through.

As the final buzzer sounded, Boston's Big Three embraced midcourt, emotionally spent.

...

Even Garnett had enough respect afterward to hug Lin and tell him quietly: "The future's yours, kid."

Garnett didn't sugarcoat it. He could barely keep up with Lin in Game 6 — and if the Knicks had just a little more help around him…

But that's basketball. There's always a what if.

Lin felt disappointed, of course. But also determined.

His rookie season had already exceeded every expectation. And he knew: next year, those Boston vets would only be a year older.

...

The other Eastern semi-final ended with more heartbreak for David Stern. The Cavaliers — and LeBron James — once again fell to Orlando in seven games.

Cleveland's lack of shooting made them easy prey once they fell behind, and hacking Dwight didn't work this time — his free throws were, for once, passable.

The much-hyped

23 vs. 24 Finals dream was dead.

Out West? It was a snooze fest. The Suns swept the Spurs 4–0, and the Lakers swept the Jazz 4–0.

Stern could only hope for a Lakers-Celtics Finals now to salvage his PR plans. Every spring, the playoffs seemed to age him another year.

...

Lin's rookie postseason stats:

10 games started.

Averaged: 36.7 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 2.8 BPG, 1.4 SPG.

On paper? A monster performance. But Lin knew his shooting efficiency dropped to 45.7%, and his three-point clip to 37.5%. Against Boston's intensity, he felt his lack of strength exposed.

He vowed to bulk up 3–5 kg in the summer. His core skills were leveling up, and his role was growing — he had to be ready for the grind.

...

The morning after elimination, he was back in the gym at 4 AM.

His agent, Zhong Muchen, looked more heartbroken than Lin himself.

"Lin… you think we can win the title next year?" Zhong asked.

Lin just shook his head with a faint smile. "Step by step. Summer's gonna be interesting."

Deep down, though, he was sure: within two or three years, the Knicks would be title contenders.

And he'd keep leveling up.

...

Later that night, Zhong sighed as he watched playoff highlights. "If we'd just gotten past Boston, I swear… Cavs, Magic — none of them could've stopped us."

Lin nodded faintly. Many analysts said the same thing — the Knicks' grit might've carried them to the Finals.

But Lin didn't dwell on hypotheticals. In truth, taking Boston to six was already remarkable for this Knicks roster.

He also couldn't help chuckling to himself: Doc Rivers needs help from his staff with his rotations. That was a mess.

"I'm still not strong enough," he muttered, making a mental note to clean up his fundamentals before the summer heat rolled in.

"Who do you think wins it all this year?" Xiao Zhong finally asked.

Lin answered without hesitation: "Lakers."

Xiao Zhong's expression said: Well duh.

After all, everyone knew Lin idolized Kobe.

Lin smiled and shook his head — he already knew the Lakers would win. And Boston's legs were shot after the Knicks series. The Suns couldn't handle crunch time, and the Lakers now had Gasol playing at an elite level.

Besides… if the Lakers won, it would only strengthen his own Kobe-fanboy reputation.

The sting of defeat? Already fading.

Lin could hardly wait for next season to start.

...

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