Lin's Second-Half Performance Not Enough for Knicks in Overtime Loss to Celtics

The last time New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin ’10 and Boston Celtics Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce shared a court was in November, at Lin’s collegiate home hardwood during the Boston Charity Classic. Lin and the Celtics stars joined other NBA players at Lavietes Pavilion in a charity contest for a friendly game at the height of the NBA lockout.

Sunday’s meeting was less amicable. Rondo guarded Lin in an overtime 115-111 win for the Celtics, and the Boston point guard posted a triple-double. The Harvard alum ran into foul trouble early and shot poorly in the first half but still scored 14 points.

Lin’s introduction to the crowd at TD Garden was met with a loud but mixed reaction. Even with the hype coming in, Lin was taken out after just three minutes after two quick fould.

Lin managed only two points in the first half, turning the ball over four times in that span. But the Harvard grad put together a much better performance in the third and fourth quarters, tallying 12 after halftime, including a three-pointer with two minutes remaining in the game to pull the Knicks within a point of the lead.

In overtime, Lin had difficulty driving to the basket, missing two layups and having a third blocked by Celtics big man Brandon Bass.

A handful of Harvard-clad fans were in attendance to complement the increasingly popular blue No. 17 Jeremy Lin jerseys. But despite Linsanity, some Celtics fans from Harvard had little trouble staying loyal.

Asked if he found himself rooting for Crimson legend Lin at Sunday’s matchup, self-described diehard Celtics fan Jon Rosenthal ’15 left no doubt as to his loyalty.

“Of course not. He’s a Knick,” Rosenthal said. “I’m not a sellout.”