The Jeremy Lin 'Linsanity' era of the Knicks was revisited over the past week by MSG Networks, bringing back some special memories for Knicks fans across the city.
Lin was the definition of an overnight sensation, taking not just the city, but the NBA by storm as the scrappy underdog who reinvigorated the Knicks back into the playoff hunt over a stretch of 13 games in February.
Because of those games, Lin will always have a soft spot in the hearts of Knicks fans – even if he only played in 35 games with the franchise during his NBA career.
In a recent Q&A with Steve Serby of the New York Post, Lin recalled some of his favorite on-court memories from that time eight years ago.
"The first one is the corner baseline shot against the Lakers, and I always describe this moment is when I hit that 3-pointer, it was the loudest I've ever heard an arena, and I remember it felt like I was hovering like a half a foot off of the arena floor," Lin said, recalling his 38-point performance in a 92-85 win over the Lakers at Madison Square Garden.
"I will never forget that, I've never experienced anything like that on a basketball court. And that was in the fourth quarter, that was a dagger.
"And then of course the game-winner against Toronto for obvious reasons. It was a road game that was a home game, that might be my most significant or more remembered single play in forever, for the rest of my career."
Lin's time in New York did not end on the best of terms. There was reportedly friction between him and star forward Carmelo Anthony, and while Lin recently revealed he tried to get his agent to get the Houston Rockets to lower their offer so the Knicks could match, it was no guarantee owner James Dolan would have been willing to bring him back anyway.
Despite his short-lived tenure with the Knicks, the team still wanted to dedicate a whole week to him and his story, which caught Lin, who now plays for the Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association, a bit off guard.
"My initial reaction was … really? I was just like really shocked, for multiple reasons," he said. "The first thing that kind of shocked me was that in all of Knicks history, they chose this portion. And I'm like, 'Hey, look, I get it, it was a fun time, but I only played 35 games, and I don't even have like 1,000 career points for your organization.' But they chose this stretch of time, and I was just blown away.
"And then secondly, another reason why I was like really? Is because I was just kind of like, 'Wow, the Knicks are treating me so well that they're willing to do this. And I haven't really had much interaction with the organization since everything ended eight, nine years ago, but to be able to be a part of this.'
"…It's not just like they aired the game and that's it. We're in constant communication … for me the only thing that I'm seeing is that the Knicks just want to inspire and help and uplift the entire community, the New York community. And to me it's like so genuine-hearted, and it's such a privilege to be a part of."
