Lin '10 Sets Another Personal Best in Win Over Kings

After Jeremy Lin’s clutch buzzer beater in Toronto on Tuesday night, the Knicks were gel-lin (cheap, I know, but it’s too tempting) on Wednesday, capturing a 100-85 win over the Sacramento Kings in front of a raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden. With seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Knicks had a 30-point lead, but the fans, gripped by Linsanity, were still glued to their seats.

Tonight was a true illustration of what Lin has been saying repeatedly since he burst on the scene: success is a team effort. But that’s not to say the former Harvard standout didn’t do his part, as he dished out a barrage of alley-oops and Nash-like passes to his teammates in the first five minutes en route to a 25-17 New York lead after one quarter.

New York never looked back and by half time, the Knicks (15-15) had managed to extend the lead to 18 points over the lifeless Kings (10-19). Seven different Knicks tallied at least 10 points, and in an impressive display of depth, the bench added 39. The Kings struggled to guard the plethora of options Lin had at his disposal.

While tonight’s action may not have had the nail-biting finish of last night’s game against Toronto, Lin played an effective game. Shooting four for six from the field, scoring 10 points, and dishing out a career-high13 assists, Lin earned a double-double on the way to the dominant victory and the continuation of his undefeated status as a starter. He also showed some impressive displays of defensive grit when he stood strong to take a charge early in the first quarter and wrestled with Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins in order to earn a jump ball and a change of possession.

However, Lin also turned the ball over six times. Though that's better than his eight the previous night, turnovers remains an issue for the point guard.

Meanwhile, naysayers who claimed Lin would be relegated when the other Knicks stars returned to the lineup were silenced for at least the time being. Amare Stoudemire fit well into the Lin-led system, fighting his way to 11 points and five rebounds and keeping the ball moving in a display of unselfish play.

Fields and Chandler also added strong physical play on the defensive end to back the team’s high-paced offense.

There still remains the question of how Carmelo Anthony will fit into Lin’s offense when he returns from injury, but Knick superfan Spike Lee seems to have no concerns. When one Knicks fan tweeted, “if Melo's return slows down #linsanity , knicks fans will be calling for his head," Lee responded, "This Will Not Happen. Melo Is Cool”.

But tonight’s win should be taken at face value. A victory over the Sacramento Kings should hardly be something that is sensational. With home games against the tough Mavericks and Hawks and an away tilt against the Heat on the horizon, Lin and company will need to continue their strong, unselfish play to stay on their winning streak.

For me, one play from the sea of awesome Lin assists characterizes the night. Lin drove towards the basket with :04 left on the clock for the first half. After successfully weaving through defenders, he dished a perfect no look pass to Tyson Chandler who dunked the ball as time expired. And it is this simple and unselfish play by the Knicks that’s earning them win after win. #Linning.