The Celtics' heavy loss in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals felt like a storm cloud settling over the locker room. Head coach Doc Rivers understood the weight of it immediately. Right now, keeping his team's spirit intact mattered more than any tactical tweak.
"No matter how bad tonight looked," Rivers told them, his voice steady, "don't hang your heads. We can get knocked down, but we always stand back up."
He paced the room, eyes moving from veteran to rookie. "Every strong flower grows through rough soil. Every bit of beauty we admire has weathered rain and wind. Success is built on persistence. If we keep moving forward, stay grounded, and refuse to quit, we'll push past our limits."
When he finished, Rivers wrapped an arm around each player in turn, finally stopping at Kevin Garnett. "Kevin, your legs looked like lead tonight," he teased.
Garnett cracked a grin. The words weren't magic, but the mood lifted. The Celtics might be down a game, yet they weren't broken. This was still a proud, dangerous team.
…
Lin Yi knew it too. He'd never planned on breaking the Celtics.
"Just eliminate them," he thought. "This isn't boxing—we don't need a knockout."
He respected their resilience. These veterans could rally on pure will, and mental toughness had carried Boston through plenty of wars.
The Knicks now held a 1-0 lead. In the post-game scrum, Lin Yi stayed cool, almost understated. His poise came from experience.
People saw a career that looked charmed, but Lin Yi's edge had been forged in setbacks. Back in the single-elimination NCAA tournament, he'd learned a hard truth: being the better team doesn't guarantee victory. Upsets happen every night.
Last season's playoff loss to Boston still stung. New York had felt only a step away, but the Celtics' depth and poise proved too much. Neither Lin Yi nor the Knicks were quite ready to challenge for a title then.
This year was different, though he kept a clear head. The Knicks had posted the second-best regular-season record in league history, helped by a shrinking field of contenders—LeBron and Bosh shifting to Miami had thinned the East, while the West lost bite with Denver and Utah fading. But none of that meant New York could coast.
Reality isn't a video game; it's live, every day. Dominance isn't a prerequisite for ambition. Nothing in basketball—or life—is absolute. Constant challenges were how he planned to keep growing.
He'd shaped a careful path for the Knicks, guiding them steadily, but he knew the league doesn't follow anyone's script. Beneath the spectacle, the NBA is still about competition. The strong have to keep strengthening.
After the win, Lin Yi gathered Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Stephen Curry, and DeMarcus Cousins for dinner.
Yao watched Lin Yi work the table with easy charm and thought, This kid's social game is something else.
Curry and Cousins had no idea what the big man was thinking.
Cousins, for his part, was all smiles. He clearly admired Lin Yi's rise and wasn't shy about saying so. Yao and Yi traded a glance—Lin Yi's influence was spreading.
"I hope we see more and more Chinese players in the NBA," Yao mused silently.
He knew the challenge. Plenty of stars in the CBA earned comfortable salaries at home. Why risk becoming an afterthought in the NBA, or worse, never making a roster at all? But Yao believed staying too comfortable was the real trap. Basketball punishes complacency.
He remembered Wang Zhizhi's brief NBA stint. Even limited minutes here sharpened him; when Wang returned to China, his game was clearly on a different level.
In the NBA's world of super-athletes, stand still and you fall behind. Only a few hundred players hold roster spots, and every draft brings a wave of hungry newcomers. Survival alone demands constant improvement.
That's why Yao appreciated Lin Yi's mindset. Yi Jianlian might never be more than a solid rotation player, but that still sets him apart. With his current strength and reliable jumper, few back home could match him. Just ask the Grizzlies—Yi's mid-range game left Haddadi chasing shadows earlier this season.
The dinner wound down with easy laughter. As they said their goodbyes, the group's attention was already turning to the next day's NBA awards ceremony—almost as exciting, for now, as the rest of the Celtics series itself.
...
May 2 finally arrived, the day the league rolled out its annual hardware.
Rookie of the Year went to Blake Griffin, with John Wall joining him on the All-Rookie First Team. DeMarcus Cousins was left off the Second Team and made it clear he wasn't thrilled. Hard to blame him, but after the timeline shifted, Derrick Favors soaked up more touches in Sacramento, and his numbers edged Cousins'—stats rule these votes.
Coach of the Year was a lay-up: Tom Thibodeau. The Bulls leapt from ninth in the East to a 62-win powerhouse and were already up 1-0 on Miami in the semifinals. Thibs looked every bit the coach at the height of his powers.
Sixth Man of the Year went to Lamar Odom, who posted a tidy 14-8-3. Lin Yi had caught some of the Lakers' second-round series and could tell the so-called Second Dynasty was running on fumes.
Defensive Player of the Year was Dwight Howard, and that's where the drama started.
Superman felt slighted and fired back at reporters: "I've never had a reliable teammate."
Orlando's front office winced while the local press sharpened knives. Rather than defend their franchise star, the city's papers piled on, pointing to the Magic's bloated $90 million payroll and asking how Dwight could call anyone unreliable.
Most Improved Player belonged to Kevin Love, who put up a monster 20-15 and quietly joined Lin Yi in the unofficial Stat-Padding Group. If his percentages ticked up, he'd be flirting with the 50-40-90 club.
Lin Yi didn't snag DPOY, but he landed on the All-Defensive First Team again, alongside Howard, LeBron, Kobe, and Rondo.
Second Team: Tyson Chandler, Shane Battier, Tony Allen, Andre Iguodala, and Chris Paul.
Four Knicks across the two squads made the league take notice—New York's defense was no joke.
Team president Donnie Walsh was named Executive of the Year and deflected praise with a grin.
"It's a team effort," he said.
With cap space, a stash of picks—including the Clippers' 2011 first—and a young core, the Knicks looked downright scary.
When the All-NBA teams dropped, Lin Yi collected another headline:
First Team: Lin Yi, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose
Second Team: Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook
Third Team: Amar'e Stoudemire, LaMarcus Aldridge, Zach Randolph, Manu Ginóbili, Chris Paul
Poor Al Horford just missed out again, steady as ever, but without the hype. Carmelo Anthony felt the snub more sharply—30-plus a night, a first-round exit, and not a single accolade to show.
All of it set the stage for the night's headline.
For the first time in league history, the MVP vote was unanimous.
2010-11 NBA Most Valuable Player: Lin Yi, the No. 1 pick from 2009.
Two seasons in, two All-NBA First Teams, two All-Defensive Team nods, and now a unanimous MVP.
The league had its new measuring stick, and everyone knew it.