Despite all of David Stern's precautions — as if preparing for another Linquake — nothing could've braced him for what came next.
Because this time, it wasn't an earthquake. It was a flood.
The tidal wave of public reaction to Lin Yi's 86-point explosion crashed through every barrier — from the U.S. to China, flooding social media platforms within minutes.
For Chinese fans, even crashing Weibo wasn't enough anymore. VPNs were spinning at full speed as armies of Lin Yi supporters poured into YouTube and Twitter comment sections, leaving scorched earth wherever they went.
And on the internet battlefield that night, the haters never stood a chance.
@BallDontLie23:
Lin Yi's just stat-padding, man. Empty numbers.
@NYKnicksFaithful:
Bro, my Lin's got a ring. Try harder.
@SimpleMemphisFan:
Yeah, but his teammates are stacked! CP3 carried half that game.
@LinGodMode86:
He also dropped 86 points. In one night. Against the Grizzlies.
@BasketballNerd:
No free throws stat-padding either. 77 from field goals. Wrap your head around that.
@LinFan_China:
我的林!🔥🔥🔥 86分!谁能做到? (My Lin! 86 points! Who else could do that?)
@NBA_Insider:
"Lin Yi scored 86 points" — that's the whole tweet.
It was relentless. Every insult was met with the same devastating counterpunch:
"Eighty. Six. Points."
At some point, even the haters gave up. What could they possibly say? The Grizzlies were one of the league's best defensive teams, and Lin Yi torched them with a level of efficiency that defied logic.
Eighty-six points, only nine of them from the free throw line.
Who said jump shots couldn't kill?
If someone dared to repeat that line around Memphis, Coach Hollins might personally send a couple of grizzly bears to your doorstep.
Normal shooting accuracy couldn't do this.
This was something else — something supernatural.
Even the Splash Brothers, not yet fully formed, hadn't reached this level of absurdity.
Kobe Bryant immediately tweeted:
"Congrats @LinYi — the 81-point spirit now has company. 86!"
Kobe had just watched the Lakers get steamrolled by the Heat, and he wasn't in the best mood. But when he saw Lin Yi's highlights, the competitor in him couldn't help but smile.
During a postgame interview, Kobe said, "Right now, LeBron's the hardest to guard, Curry's the best to build a team around… but Lin Yi? He's the one who reminds me the most of myself."
And he meant it.
Because Kobe had seen that look before — that cold-blooded focus — and it felt eerily familiar.
Meanwhile, LeBron couldn't catch a break. Just as media praise for the Heat had quieted the criticism, Rudy Gay — bless his honesty — decided to say after the Grizzlies' loss:
"I'd rather guard LeBron than Lin Yi."
The internet pounced.
Memes. Headlines. Hot takes.
Suddenly, people were debating whether Rudy Gay had just implied Lin Yi was better than LeBron.
To his credit, LeBron handled it with grace, tweeting:
"Cool! 86 points. That's epic stuff. Congrats @LinYi."
King James was gracious like that.
If there's one thing everyone learned that night, it's that Lin Yi's fans didn't sleep.
Even the 2009 draft class group chat blew up.
"Eighty-six? I need to lie down," said DeRozan.
"Still think that move we worked on was a travel? Without it, he wouldn't even have hit 70!"
Harden posted, while trying to fend off Westbrook's defense in practice.
Curry chimed in, "Where's Blake? He was calling Lin his rival last month."
But Griffin didn't respond.
And somewhere between the chaos of fans, players, and memes, one truth echoed louder than anything else that night:
The league had just witnessed something historic.
And the name on everyone's lips was Lin Yi.
...
By the time the Knicks landed in Oklahoma City for their back-to-back against the Thunder, the entire basketball world was buzzing. Former players, coaches, and analysts all chimed in on Lin Yi's 86-point explosion. Most sent their congratulations, praising not just his numbers but the poise and humility he'd shown afterward.
Of course, not everyone agreed.
On TNT's postgame show, things got heated—fast.
Barkley and O'Neal were deep into their usual back-and-forth about Lin's place in history when Scottie Pippen, a guest, suddenly jumped in.
"Let's not get carried away," Pippen cut in. "Lin's good, but he's not Michael or Kobe. He's not even LeBron—at least not yet."
It wasn't an unfair point. Lin Yi was only in his third season, and Barkley was already pushing him into all-time conversations. For someone like Pippen—who'd spent years proving himself in Jordan's shadow—it didn't sit right.
But he picked the wrong show to say it on. TNT practically ran on Lin Yi hype these days.
Barkley smirked, leaned forward, and fired back.
"Michael never dropped 86, Scottie. And LeBron? Still waitin' on that ring. What are we even talkin' about?"
O'Neal burst out laughing, slapping the desk. "Tell 'em, Chuck! You might be crazy, but that's a fact."
Pippen went red. "That's not the point—"
Barkley cut him off. "The point is, kid's special. You don't gotta like it, but 86 is 86."
The debate went nowhere, as usual. But the question was out there now, and fans ran with it: Could Lin Yi actually surpass Jordan one day?
Even being mentioned in that breath said everything about how far he'd come.
...
Back in the Knicks' hotel, Klay Thompson was watching the glaze from ESPN's First Take and TNT's NBA Insider shows. His face soured when Jordan's name came up.
He turned to Lin, who was scrolling through highlights on his phone.
"Lin, no matter what they say, you're the best player in the league this season. Period."
Lin smiled. "You're just saying that because I pass you the ball."
Klay chuckled. "Hey, it helps."
Chris Paul, sitting across the room, rolled his eyes. "You two done flirting yet? I'm trying to nap before we play OKC."
Klay laughed. "Go ahead, old man. We'll handle the Thunder."
...
Meanwhile, somewhere in Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant was doom-scrolling on one of his burner accounts. Every timeline was filled with Lin Yi highlights, and fans were already drawing comparisons.
"Lin > KD," one post said.
"Imagine scoring 86 while KD argues with fans on socials," said another.
Durant's jaw tightened. He tossed his phone onto the bed and muttered under his breath,
"Eighty-six points... so what? Let's see how he does tonight."
The Thunder star cracked his knuckles. If Lin Yi wanted another show, OKC was ready to host it.
...
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