January 31st, Detroit.

After a much-needed day of rest, the Knicks came into Detroit looking sharp. The Pistons had home-court advantage, but that didn't help much—New York's offense came in like a storm.

As the fourth quarter ticked away, Charles Barkley's voice boomed across American living rooms:

"Congratulations to the Knicks! They've just written a new chapter in sports history—21 straight wins to start the season! A record across all four major professional leagues in North America!"

In American sports, there's a saying that goes, "What goes around comes around."

But a 21-game winning streak to open a season? That's not something that comes around very often. It's a milestone that feels almost unreal.

And to do it in a lockout-shortened season, where every game felt like a sprint instead of a marathon—that made it even more impressive. The Knicks weren't just fighting opponents. They were fighting fatigue, travel, and the mental grind.

After the Knicks beat the Pistons 117–88, ESPN's analytics department quickly released the numbers. During this 21-game streak, the Knicks had an average margin of victory of 25.1 points—an all-time NBA record.

They scored at least 100 points in every single game, averaging nearly 120 points per night.

That's not just dominant—that's historic.

And their three-point shooting? Absolutely ridiculous. The Knicks averaged 36.8 attempts per game, hitting 41.7% of them—roughly 15 made threes every night.

They'd sat comfortably atop ESPN's power rankings for weeks. Sure, stats can be misleading sometimes—but not this time. Fans across social media were posting collages of all the records the Knicks had shattered, the sheer number of "No. 1" labels leaving everyone stunned.

After the game, the press conference felt more like a celebration than an interview.

Reporters surrounded Lin Yi, smiling as they congratulated him on the historic streak.

"Lin, do you think you guys can keep this up?" one asked.

Lin thought for a second before replying calmly, "No one dislikes winning streaks. Of course, it'd be nice to go 66–0 or even 82–0," he said with a half-smile, "but for us, it's more about staying focused. Regular-season records don't guarantee anything once the playoffs start."

The reporters pressed on. "So what keeps you going through all this?"

Lin paused for two beats, then grinned. "Winners never quit, and quitters never win."

There was a brief silence before laughter rippled through the room.

One reporter whispered, "Well, he's not wrong."

Lin's answers were calm and measured. He wasn't going to let the media bait him into saying something flashy. He knew exactly what this winning streak meant and how much attention it would draw.

The 73-win Warriors of the future would be showered with praise during their regular season. But this Knicks team? They had become a phenomenon—loved, hated, but impossible to ignore. Lin understood that staying low-key was the smartest move. Less talk, fewer enemies.

Of course, not everyone was impressed.

Larry Brown, ever the traditionalist, scoffed at the Knicks' run. He called the modern NBA too flashy, blaming the No Hand-Check rule for softening defenses. According to him, the league was "turning into a children's game," and the Knicks' three-point barrage was a symptom of decline.

That didn't sit well with most fans—or with David Stern.

"What, do you want basketball to turn into a wrestling match?" Stern reportedly quipped.

The truth is, excitement doesn't always come from brute force. Just look at the 2009–10 Lakers vs. Celtics Finals—defense was still there, just evolved.

Three-pointers changed the game, sure—but they also expanded it. The spacing, the rhythm, the pace—it made basketball more beautiful to watch. People might say dunks are more thrilling, but before the three-point era, there were even fewer dunks. That's why guys like George Gervin became legends with finger rolls instead.

The drop in dunks isn't about rule changes—it's about players being smarter about longevity. In the future, young guys like Wiggins were sipping goji berry tea and doing yoga to preserve their bodies. Talk about old souls.

At the end of the day, the three-point revolution didn't ruin the game—it redefined it.

And as for Larry Brown? Well, let's just say the phone stopped ringing for head coaching gigs after that.

...

Just as the Knicks' historic winning streak was grabbing everyone's attention, the NBA rolled out its January awards for the 2011–12 season.

In the Western Conference, Rookie of the Month went to Kyrie Irving, while in the East, it was Klay Thompson who took home the honor.

Klay averaged 14.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in January, shooting 49.2% from the field and 43.5% from three, knocking down 2.6 threes per game. Solid, efficient, and confident — the consensus was that Klay and Irving were neck and neck as the top contenders for Rookie of the Year.

Over in the West, Kobe Bryant was named Player of the Month.

The Lakers hadn't started the season great, but Kobe was still, well, Kobe — averaging 31.2 points a game in January. The only blemish on his stat line was a rough 27% from beyond the arc.

Then again, when you're scoring that much, people tend to forgive a few missed shots. And Kobe certainly wasn't shy about taking them — about 30 per game, give or take. Still, he hadn't quite caught up to John Havlicek's legendary record for total missed shots… though if anyone had the determination to chase it down, it was definitely the Mamba.

Meanwhile, in the East, there was no debate at all — Lin Yi took home Player of the Month for January. That made it seven straight months with the award, counting back to last season.

Lin's January stat line looked like something out of a video game: 25.6 points, 16.1 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game — all in just 32.4 minutes.

He shot 51.5% from the field, 43.1% from deep, and an absurd 96.2% from the free-throw line.

The All-Star votes came in soon after. Lin Yi and Chris Paul were both named Eastern Conference starters, while Lin once again led the entire league in total votes. Out West, Yao Ming was voted in as a starter, too — a heartwarming moment for Chinese fans everywhere.

Behind the scenes, Lin remembered something interesting from his past life: the league was already planning to remove the traditional center position from All-Star voting the following year.

Even with history taking a few detours because of his own presence, some things still happened just as he remembered. Like Stephen Curry's injury on January 31st.

Curry, who had been battling Russell Westbrook for a starting All-Star spot, went down with another ankle issue — a cruel twist of timing.

When Lin heard the news, he immediately called him.

"Hey, Steph, don't beat yourself up. The All-Star Game will still be there next year. I told you — take care of those ankles. Heal up properly. Don't rush back if you're not ready."

Curry laughed softly, but Lin could tell he was frustrated. Those ankles really were his weak spot. Thankfully, this injury wasn't as serious as the one Lin remembered from before — Curry would be back in about three weeks.

What caught Lin off guard, though, was Klay's reaction. He had expected some teasing — maybe even a smug grin — but instead, Klay looked genuinely concerned.

"Man, how'd he get hurt?" Klay said quietly, shaking his head.

Later, he told Lin, "I wanted to beat him fair and square. That way, he'd have no excuses."

Lin chuckled and reached over to ruffle Klay's hair.

"You and your duelist pride," he said.

He couldn't help but feel it was his job to keep Klay grounded — to pull him back whenever he drifted into those 'main character syndrome' moments.

And just like that, a new chapter was about to be turned.

The Knicks had stunned the world with a 21-game winning streak, Lin Yi had added another Player of the Month trophy to his shelf, and the stage was set for an even more exhilarating February.

...

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