Video highlight of Jeremy Lin’s career night: 25 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds in 30 minutes

 

NEW YORK – This was partly about Jeremy Lin and his own personal party at Madison Square Garden Saturday night. It was about Lin, the first NBA player from Harvard in 58 years and only the fourth American-born Asian to play in the league, putting on a show with 25 points, seven assists with the crowd chanting his name.  He had toiled in the D-League, been tossed aside by the Warrios and Rockets, and wasn’t sure he’d be long for this part of the basketball world, either. How unsure was he? Lin had been crashing at his brother’s place when coming home late from road games, as the Knicks did after a crushing loss in Boston Friday night. But there was no room at the inn – his brother had ample house guests, Lin said – so he slept on teammate Landry Fields’ couch the night before the best game of his life.

“I think I may just go move in with him,” Lin said. Or get his own place. It’s only one game, but it was precisely the spark the Knicks needed after losing 11 of their previous 13 with an offense predicated on quality point-guard play “grasping at straws” without one, coach Mike D’Antoni said.  “The biggest thing is, he’s got a point guard mentality,” D’Antoni said. “He has a rhyme or reason to what he’s doing and players can kind of play off that. Whereas when you don’t know, you’re just grasping at straws. He gives us a good feel. Again, it’s one game, so let’s not get too excited. But he gives us what we sorely need.”

And this is where the story of Lin having a career night turns into a story that is really about something else. Having a point-guard play the way Lin did Saturday night – attacking and beating pick-and-roll double teams, aggressively getting into the paint and scoring – only underscored how lost the Knicks were without that.  And how lost they will continue to be if they don’t keep getting it.

Was it a fluke that Lin made 10 of 19 from the field – jumpers, floaters, reverse layups – on his dream night? Yeah, that’s not going to happen again. But the way Lin directed the Knicks’ directionless offense? The way he gave it purpose and an actual method of attack? Having seen him a time or two in the D-League, where he was the best player on the floor of every game I’ve seen in person, Lin can do that.

But the fact that D’Antoni already said he was thinking seriously about starting Lin Monday night against the Jazz? That speaks more to the Knicks’ state of desperation than anything else. They’re going nowhere without a point guard to run the offense, and who knows when Baron Davis is going to be ready. And when he’s ready, who knows how much of Baron Davis is going to show up.

So for now, for this snapshot in time, the Knicks have a point guard. Dare I say it was the best a point guard has played for D’Antoni since a gentleman named Steve Nash was doing stuff like this every night for him. So Jeremy Lin saved the Knicks from their 12th loss in 14 games, saved D’Antoni from another day of speculation that he’ll be fired, and generally just took a tense, desperate situation and let everyone breathe a little.

“I’m just thankful to be here right now for this team,” Lin said. Believe me, the team feels the same way.

Jeremy Lin scores 8 points, 4 assists and a nice crossover dribble

Fresh off his triple double game for Erie Bayhawks, Jeremy Lin had his best game yet as a New York Knick.  In 5 minutes of play, Lin shot 2/2 FG and 4/4 FTs.  Lin also added 4 assists and 2 rebounds and a steal/block.  Watch his minutes here,

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Jeremy Lin plays in first game as a New York Knick

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Oakland – Jeremy Lin entered the game with 1:27 minutes left to an ovation in his hometown crowd. Except this time, Lin played for the other team – New York Knicks. Lin had a nice drive and dish that almost led to an assist but Jerome Jordan was fouled on the dunk attempt. Lin finished the game 0/1 shooting. Here is the video clip of Lin making his New York Knicks debut,

Jeremy Lin returns to Oracle Arena tonight on NBATV

Golden State Warriors cheerleaders

Jeremy Lin is returning to Oracle Arena tonight, but it will be as a Knick. The former Warrior was claimed off waivers by New York on Tuesday and confirmed he will be on the visiting sideline for the first time Wednesday. The Palo Alto native had something of a cult following since signing with the Warriors in October 2010. The second-year guard out of Harvard said his return to Oracle will be emotional. “I’m so thankful for the Warriors fans, I have no way I can even express it,” Lin said.

December has been a long, difficult month for Lin. The second-year guard was pulled from the first day of Warriors training camp Dec. 9 and told he was being waived. Golden State did it to create salary cap space for an offer to Los Angeles Clippers restricted free-agent center DeAndre Jordan.

The Warriors’ offer was matched by the Clippers, meaning Golden State gave up Lin for nothing. But he said he remains in good spirits and is taking a positive approach. “That’s what I’m understanding through all this — it’s a business,” Lin said in a phone interview. “It was a calculated business decision they made to benefit the team. I have no hard feelings.”

After being waived by the Warriors, Lin was picked up by Houston. But on Christmas Day, the Rockets waived Lin, making him available for the Knicks to grab. So Tuesday night, Lin joined his third team in less than three weeks. “God is teaching me to control what I can control and be thankful for what I have,” Lin said. “Everything I expected coming into the season has been flipped upside down.”

Golden State was not able to claim Lin off waivers per league rules. A team source did say the Warriors would have signed Lin if he had cleared waivers. But the Knicks are in need of a guard after Iman Shumpert sprained his right knee Christmas Day.

“I’m thankful that people want me,” Lin said. “I understand my position: I’m competing for a backup spot, and people see me as the 12th to 15th guy on the roster. It’s a numbers game.”

via Golden State Warriors notebook: Stephen Curry misses practice with bad ankle – San Jose Mercury News.

Jeremy Lin is going to New York

New York Knicks cheerleader

The New York Knicks have picked up Jeremy Lin. Houston had to release Lin on Christmas day to make roster space for the signing of center Samuel Dalembert. The Knicks have been hurting at the point guard position. Iman Shumpert could miss four weeks with a knee injury, Baron Davis might still be weeks away because of his bulging back disc and Mike Bibby missed the opener with a sore lower back.

Lin, a Bay Area native and Harvard graduate, will join the Knicks in Oakland when they meet Mark Jackson‘s Golden State Warriors in the first game of a three-game West Coast road trip beginning Wednesday night.

“Yeah we picked up Jeremy Lin off of waivers (as) a backup point (guard) in case,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We’ve always liked him as a player so we’ll see where we go with it. He went to Harvard so he might be the smartest guy we have. But he’s very quick, he defends pretty well and he can really get in the lane and distribute the basketball. We haven’t seen him for a couple of years but when we worked him out we liked him.” Lin will likely be the Knicks third point guard behind Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby, but D’Antoni said he could find some playing time in short order. “If somebody wakes up with a cold he’s playing a lot,” D’Antoni said. “If not, then we’ll see.”

Lin became the first American-born player of Chinese descent to play in the NBA. Before Lin the last Asian-American to play in the NBA was University of Utah guard Wataru Misaka who played in three games with the Knicks during the 1947-48 season.