Linsanity Rocks the Garden & the Lakers

The Black Mamba encountered Linsanity for the first time Friday evening and the budding star did not disappoint as the New York Knicks stunned the Los Angeles Lakers with a 92-85 win at Madison Square Gardens. Jeremy Lin has been the NBA’s latest media sensation ever since he was thrown into the Knicks rotation as a last resort by coach Mike D’Antoni. His meteoric rise to instant stardom has him being compared to Tim Tebow while others downplay his unheralded emergence as only temporary. GMs at Golden State and Houston are shaking their heads in disbelief after both waived him to make room for other, more valuable players.

Palo Alto native Jeremy Lin continues to shine in NY after getting his first taste of the Black Mamba. Copyrights may apply. All rights reserved.

Lin’s pre-NBA credentials does not warrant the firing of front offices for allowing him to go unnoticed for so long, but those familiar with CIF basketball in California are not surprised by his recent rise to success. In his senior year of high school, Lin led Palo Alto HS to a 32-1 record capped by a stellar performance to defeat nationally ranked Mater Dei in the State II Finals. Overlooked by Pac-10 schools, the Top-5 senior in CA departed for the Ivy League. In his junior year, Lin led Harvard to upsets over #1 North Carolina followed by a 27-points, 8-assists, 6-rebounds outburst against #17 Boston College. Undrafted, Lin headed to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. In 5-games, Lin drew attention from the NBA scouts in attendance. When he outplayed overall number one pick John Wall, eyes opened across the league.

Lin returned to the Bay Area to play with his hometown Warriors even though more lucrative deals were offered by the Mavericks and Lakers. But there was very little playing time behind Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, and he found himself entrenched deep on the bench as the last guy on the roster. Sent down three times to the D-League, he was an inexpensive asset for the Warriors yet showed good promise. But Golden State waived him right after the lockout in an attempt to sign Clippers center DeAndre Jordan. He was claimed by the Houston Rockets but was waived prior to the start of the season so that they could sign center Samuel Dalembert. New York signed him shortly thereafter but Lin was only an insurance policy until the Knicks backcourt could recover from injury.

Not sure if would stick on the team or not, Jeremy finally got his chance just over a week ago as the Knicks slid deeper and deeper into despair. Since then, the 6’3″, 200-lbs Lin has contributed 25/7, (points/assists) 28/8 and 23/10, earning him the starting point guard spot until a healthy Baron Davis is fit to assume that role. But while Davis continues to be sidelined, the Northern California native and Harvard grad has taken advantage of this unexpected opportunity. Competing against Kobe and the Lakers proved to be no different, although the hype preceding the match-up had Kobe licking his chops for a crack at New York’s Next Best Thing.

Lin responded with a career high 38-points (13-23, 2-4 from deep), 7 assists and 4 rebounds to go along with a pair of steals. His point total tonight is the most points scored by a Knick this season, surpassing Carmelo Anthony in that category. The Lakers had no answer for the quick guard as everyone took their turn trying to slow him down. But once he got off to a good start, there was no turning back. The Lakers looked weary from their overtime battle with Boston last night, and Lin and the Knicks pounced at the opportunity. His 18-first half points led all scorers while the Lakers were mired in another woeful shooting night.

Kobe Bryant (34 points on 11-29, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal) was the only source of offense as the Laker Bigs looked a step slow and a few hours wearier than their opponents. Andrew Bynum (3 points on 1-8, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks) and Pau Gasol (16 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks) and the rest of the Lakers were outscored by their smaller counterparts 38-22 in the paint. Tired players shoot jumpers rather than taking the ball to the hoop, and the Lakers did exactly that. They settled for shots, played with little urgency and in the process, fell to 2-3 on this road trip.

Perhaps the lone bright spot has been the hustle and play of Matt Barnes (11 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal) as Metta World Peace continues to fall deeper and deeper into a funk. This team needs a shot in the arm and perhaps help is on the way. But until the calvary arrives, the Lakers will have to try to regroup again, just to break even before heading home after a Sunday matinee in Toronto. For Jeremy Lin, he’ll have a new legion of fans when he wakes up in the morning, thanks to the nationally televised broadcast and another knock-down performance, this time at the expense of Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.