Lin and Knicks Bury the Cavaliers.

     After the long All-Star break, the New York Knicks came back tonight in a thrilling 120-103 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, at Madison Square Garden. At halftime, the Knicks trailed the Cavaliers with the score of 61-49. They came out of the locker room as a new team with extreme motivation to take over and win the game. This was quite possibly the most well-rounded team performance seen from the Knicks ever since superstar Carmelo Anthony returned. There were six Knicks players with double digit scores, including double-doubles by both Jeremy Lin and Tyson Chandler.

     Chandler finished the game with an impressive 15 rebounds,13 points and 4 blocks, and Steve Novak shot the lights out from beyond the arch, going 5-8 with three pointers giving him 17 points to help lead the Knicks to a win. Carmelo Anthony even had an impressive game after a weak start coming back from injury. Anthony, being the highest scorer for his team tonight, left his mark with 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

     Once again, one of the biggest sensations of the night was Jeremy Lin. Despite his weak performance against the Miami Heat, he brought back Linsanity to Knicks fans by contributing 19 points and 13 assists, giving him a double-double. Now wait; how many turnovers did he have for the night? Only 1 turnover! WOW that is a big improvement since turnovers have been his greatest flaw. Many analysts on sports center and different sports articles were predicting the downfall of Lin since the Heat game. Coaches would want to imitate the swarming defense that the Heat played on Lin, but it did not work tonight against the young New York star. Through this game against the Cavaliers, it is shown that Jeremy Lin is not finished displaying his explosive and impressive playing to fans and critics. THE LINSANITY CONTINUES IN NEW YORK!!!

CHECK IN TONIGHT!

HEY EVERYONE! PLEASE CHECK IN LATER TONIGHT FOR A RECAP OF TONIGHT'S UPCOMING GAME: THE KNICKS VS. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS!

Is It All Over for Jeremy Lin?

     After all the hype for the Knicks vs. Heat game, New York fans were left with disappointment. Jeremy Lin and the Knicks fell to Lebron James and the Heat by the score of 102-88. The Knicks were able to overcome many challenging teams, such as the Los Angeles Lakers, but they were not able to prove themselves against the Heat. The key to success for Miami was taking away the Knicks current most valuable player, Jeremy Lin.

     The swarming defense of the Heat was able to keep Lin to only 8 steals, 3 assists, and forced him to commit 8 turnovers. Well, those numbers were clearly the opposite of his outstanding average of 23.9 points and 9 assists in his first 11 starts. This was the worst start for the young point guard as a starter for the Knicks. What this game exposed to other teams and curious fans in the NBA, is a way to stop Lin from picking apart opposing defenses. The Heat came out with a smart strategic way to play defense on Lin and the Knicks. Of course, at this point the main threat on the Knicks is Jeremy Lin rather than Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. The Heat came into the game playing a man to man defense, but Lin was picked up by his defender instantly at half court. This forced instant and constant pressure which he has not experienced in previous games. By picking up Lin at half court it also took away any chance he had of setting up an organized offense. His court vision was interfered with by the superb defense which forced the 8 turnovers by Lin. Most of the defensive credit goes to Heat point guards Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole.

     To all Knicks fans out there, this may be a problem. The Heat discovered how to pressure Lin and force him into poor performance. It is obvious that other teams will want to use the same game-plan the Heat used. Then again, this may have just been an "off game" by Lin, which will show in their next game. There will also need to be more effectiveness from Anthony and Stoudemire to help the team improve. Luckily, the Knicks have a somewhat easy game ahead of them as they prepare to host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday evening.  Let's see if the Knicks can redeem themselves and make their way closer to a playoff spot.

The Test

  
     With the return of New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony and veteran point guard Baron Davis, the team suffered a 100-92 loss to the New Jersey Nets. Many analysts were unsure as to how Anthony would fit in with the new structure of the team revolving around Jeremy Lin. After watching that game, fans saw the effective ball movement within the team, but still a lot of questioning on whether Anthony will fit in the new lineup. Despite this performance, the Knicks had no answer for the hot hand of Deron Williams, as he finished the game with 38 points and went 8-14 with three pointers.

     The Knicks showed that they are a playoff contending team by their performance against teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Now the real test approaches Lin and the Knicks, and that is the matchup against Lebron James and the Miami Heat tomorrow night. Can the Knicks keep up with athleticism of the big three? Lately, the Heat have been playing well with a record of 26 wins and 7 losses. Also, the chemistry between Wade, James, and Bosh has been nothing but a problem for other teams. It is a struggle to keep up with such talent being on the court at the same time. Despite that, it is very possible that Lin, Anthony, Stoudemire, and the Knicks can defeat the Heat and make a statement that they are contenders with superstar teams.

Victory at Madison Square Gard-LIN!

     Just as the New Orleans Hornets ended the Knick's outstanding winning streak, New York was able to redeem themselves this afternoon. This time the Knicks also had the help of the deadly 3 point shooter, J.R. Smith. He was signed to New York after playing for a professional team in China. Despite Friday nights loss, the Knicks were able to beat the Dallas Mavericks with a 104-97 victory this afternoon. Of course, the main hype of the game, the newest star of the New York Knicks, JEREMY LIN.

     Lin finished the game against the Mavericks with an amazing 28 points and new career high, 14 assists. It is unbelievable to watch this young point guard improve as his success continues. He brings a great amount of excitement to his teammates and fans with his game play and outstanding leadership. Many sports analysts continue to question if this "All Star" style of play will become consistent for Lin, and so far he has been keeping it up.

     Tyson Chandler has been a beneficiary of the LIN-SANITY, by receiving a number of open looks from Lin, giving him 14 points. He also grabbed 10 rebounds giving him another double-double. J.R. Smith had 15 points and went 3 for 9 with three pointers in his debut as a New York Knicks player. It is amazing though how Jeremy Lin has continued to shock fans with his skill to lead the Knicks to another win. This young man, alone, re-energized fans after being upset with a number of losses before his starting role. Let's see if this win today will start another winning streak for the Knicks.

The Linning Streak Continues!

     Make that seven games won in a row for the red hot New York Knicks. Jeremy Lin and the Knicks defeated the young and undersized Sacramento Kings, with the score being 100-85, still without Carmelo Anthony. This game evened out the Knick's record with 15 wins and 15 losses. Once again, Lin left all the fans in amazement by his outstanding performance.

     In tonight's game Lin did not light up the court with amazing three point shots or attacking the basket, but he acted more as a distributor for the team. Lin had a double-double, earning 10 points and 13 assists to lead the Knicks to their seventh straight win. The Knick's shooting guard, Landry Fields contributed a helpful 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Unfortunately, I hear a lot of people saying how this streak of Linsanity will come to end, but do not give up Knick's fans.

     If you actually follow each game and focus on his style of play, you can see how this is not just a lucky hot streak, but the result of athleticism, skill, and good decision making. The reason I say that is because of his ability to split through defenders and attack the basket as well as spreading the floor and breaking down defenses with his accurate passing ability. One of those passes being an alley oop thrown to Tyson Chandler in between two defenders in the second quarter. 

     Now, what I enjoy more than anything about this young point guard is not only his outstanding performance in the past seven games. It is more the fact that he came from being a no-name, to the hot topic of conversation in New York City. He went from being cut by the Golden State Warriors, to sleeping on his brother's couch, to  impressing Knick's fans by leading them to a seven game winning streak. With every great achievement, comes a reward; Jeremy Lin was rewarded a $762,195 contract for the 2011-2012 season and the glorious fame, in New York City, as a hero. 

LIN-SANITY

     Just as fans were at the peak of their excitement, there was more LIN-SANITY at tonight's game against the Toronto Raptors. The New York Knicks pulled a win off the Raptors, beating them 90-87. What better way to welcome back the Knick's power forward, Amar'e Stoudemire, after being inactive for five games due to the death of his brother.

     Ok, now let's get to the real reason why this was such an exciting game. Just one name can sum it up and that is, Jeremy Lin. In tonight's game, Lin had 27 points and 11 assists, giving him a double-double.In tonight's game, Lin had 27 points and 11 assists, giving him a double-double for the game. Three of those 27 points came from the most exciting play of the game. There were 14 seconds left on the clock. now I thought the play would be to get the ball to their superstar, Stoudemire, for a clutch basket, but Coach Mike D'Antoni had another play in mind. The ball was in-bounded to Lin and as the clock ran down to 3 seconds he shot a three pointer and... SWISH; the shot was good! Thanks to Jeremy Lin, the Knicks extended their winning streak to six games.

     Knicks fans, no need to wait for Baron Davis to heal from injury, because I think the missing piece to the team was found. In the past five games, Lin has averaged 27 points, along with 8 assists and 2 steals. Those are numbers basketball fans expect from players like Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Kobe Bryant. If Lin is able to keep up this impressive outburst, we may possibly see the birth of a new and elite point guard.