The Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in their first game of March, giving the team a strong start to the month. This victory also boosted the morale of the entire roster, with every Knicks player displaying renewed confidence.
In that game, Lian Dao delivered a stellar performance, recording 42 points, 9 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. His all-around contribution was a showcase of both offense and defense. Most notably, he outplayed the Eastern Conference's dominant force, LeBron James.
James also had an impressive stat line with 36 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, second only to Lian Dao. The Knicks did not effectively shut James down, but they played tactically. Had O'Neal not been ejected early in the fourth quarter, the outcome might have been different.
While the Cavaliers lost the game, James individually did not lose in terms of performance.
Following the win, the league released the updated regular season MVP rankings. Lian Dao made the list, averaging 32.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game. He continued to lead the league in scoring.
Durant, who had previously held the second spot in scoring, dropped to third with an average of 29.7 points per game after James' strong performance in February propelled him ahead.
LeBron James topped the MVP rankings. The Cavaliers held the best record in the league, and James' stats were impressive, averaging 29.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game. His numbers were second only to Lian Dao's.
One of the main reasons Lian Dao ranked behind James was the Knicks' overall record. The Knicks sat third in the East, while the Cavaliers led the entire league. Many media outlets argued that James demonstrated greater leadership.
But what kind of leadership are they talking about?
Lian Dao lifted a team that was second-to-last in the league last season to third in the Eastern Conference. Does that not demonstrate leadership?
And he did it as a rookie.
To put it plainly, the media did not want Lian Dao to win the MVP, and their biases were evident. However, there was reportedly another force working behind the scenes. According to rumors Lian Dao heard, Nike played a key role in influencing the narrative.
But shaking the power of such large corporations was not realistic for Lian Dao at this stage.
For now, the best approach was to conserve energy and stay focused.
Beyond James and Lian Dao, the top ten in the MVP rankings were:
LeBron James
Lian Dao
Dwight Howard
Kobe Bryant
Dwyane Wade
Dirk Nowitzki
Carmelo Anthony
Chris Bosh
Kevin Durant
Amare Stoudemire
Lian Dao, as a first-year rookie, being ranked second in the MVP race, demonstrated his exceptional strength. Among the players listed, Durant was the youngest aside from Lian Dao, and even he had already been in the league for three years.
What set Lian Dao apart was that his individual stats led the league. More importantly, in his rookie season, he helped the Knicks climb from the bottom of the standings to third in the East and fourth in the league overall.
Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic played on March 1 against the 76ers and defeated them easily, 126 to 105. With that win, the Magic reached 41 victories, one more than the Knicks.
In the Western Conference, the Lakers led with a record of 45 wins and 15 losses, ranking first in the West and second in the league. The Dallas Mavericks held second place in the West with 40 wins and 21 losses, ranking fifth overall.
The Mavericks had the same number of wins as the Knicks but had lost two more games.
This was part of the reason why no major players publicly questioned Lian Dao's All-Star selection. His leadership was evident, making it hard for others to criticize him openly.
And the same applied to the MVP rankings. Although Lian Dao was ranked second, none of the stars openly objected to it.
In fact, many believed that if Lian Dao were not a rookie and had signed with Nike, he might have been the top MVP candidate.
Why? Because he led the Knicks from the league's bottom two last season to fourth place overall.
This kind of performance already indicated that Lian Dao was becoming a true star.
Throughout NBA history, rookies with such explosive starts often became superstars.
Players like David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson, Shaquille O'Neal, David Thompson, and others paved that path.
After defeating the Cavaliers, the Knicks continued their strong form by defeating the Detroit Pistons 128 to 104.
On March 5, they beat the Toronto Raptors 102 to 96.
On March 6, they faced the New Jersey Nets and won again, 113 to 93, completing a 4 to 0 sweep over the Nets for the season.
However, in that game, Yi Jianlian sustained an injury. With 2 minutes and 27 seconds left in the first quarter, David Lee posted up Chris Humphries while Yi Jianlian followed Wilson Chandler to provide help defense. In the process of retreating, Yi Jianlian accidentally stepped on Chandler's foot and fell awkwardly.
He was helped into the locker room by trainers and assistant coaches.
The final diagnosis revealed a sprained left ankle.
After the game, Lian Dao visited Yi Jianlian. Seeing that the injury was only a mild sprain, he felt relieved. However, it was clear that Yi Jianlian would be sidelined for a while.
Yi Jianlian smiled wryly, and Lian Dao understood the reason behind it. Still, he found it hard to say anything comforting, as the usual words of encouragement felt hollow.
So, he said nothing. Instead, they simply hugged, and Lian Dao gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
Yi Jianlian had not been performing well recently. His numbers had dropped sharply in February, averaging just 9 points and 7.6 rebounds.
While those stats would be acceptable on a strong team, they were disappointing for a player on the league-worst Nets, who had clearly entered a rebuilding phase.
Starters on struggling teams usually have more opportunities to boost their numbers, yet Yi Jianlian was shooting just 40 percent from the field.
There was already stiff competition for the power forward position in New Jersey. Now with the injury, Yi Jianlian would likely have to fight to regain his spot.
Worse still, his relationship with head coach Kiki Vandeweghe was not strong.
Due to personality differences and language barriers, Yi Jianlian had struggled to integrate into the team's system. Despite his poor shooting percentage, the coach was "forced" to give him 32 minutes per game, mainly due to the influence of the Chinese market.
With the Knicks profiting significantly from their Chinese player this season, the Nets' management hoped Yi Jianlian would help improve the team's market value.
Additionally, some fans constantly compared Yi Jianlian to Lian Dao, placing even more pressure on him. But the Nets were clearly building their future around Brook Lopez, as shown by the focus on getting him the ball inside.
For these reasons, the Nets were expected to trade Yi Jianlian at the end of the season to clear cap space for rebuilding.
However, for the quiet and reserved Yi Jianlian, being traded meant having to readjust to a new team and system all over again.
This was definitely not good news. Historically, after being traded to the Wizards, his performance dropped significantly. Injuries and limited minutes were part of it, but having to adapt to a new environment likely played a major role too.