5 most memorable Jeremy Lin ‘Linsanity’ Knicks moments

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 20: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Jeremy Lin #17 of the New York Knicks in action against the Toronto Raptors on March 20, 2012 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Raptors 106-87. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 20: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Jeremy Lin #17 of the New York Knicks in action against the Toronto Raptors on March 20, 2012 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Raptors 106-87. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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No. 4 – A Dagger in Utah

Date: Feb. 6th, 2012 (Utah Jazz @ Knicks)

Jeremy Lin’s performance against the New Jersey Nets earned him the starting spot in the following game, a matchup against the Utah Jazz, which was played once again on The Garden floor. Just as he did in the previous game, Lin made his presence felt early.

In the first five minutes of action, Lin recorded four points, two assists, and a steal, which led to a 10-5 Knicks lead. Lin and (roommate) Landry Fields continued to be a damaging duo to their opponent.

In fact, Lin was playing so well, he should’ve had an even better game than he did. As you can hear Mike Breen point out in the video, Lin’s passing was great early, but his big men struggled at first to finish around the rim.

One player who had no problem scoring off Lin’s passes was Steve Novak. An iconic Knick in his own right, the three-point specialist went off with 19 bench points. Five of Novak’s buckets were assisted by Lin, four of which came in the second quarter alone.

Multiple assists and and-1’s later, Lin led the Knicks to a comfortable lead in the fourth. They led by 10 with 4:29 left, but the Jazz closed in just moments later. With two minutes left and New York up by six, Iman Shumpert missed a layup and the ball was swatted out to the perimeter by Tyson Chandler. The ball landed right in Lin’s hands and he hoisted up a three-pointer to beat the shot clock. Splash.

Lin trotted backward to the other end of the floor, grinning and nodding at Chandler. He then stuck out that oddly charming blue tongue (Gatorade?) in celebration. Lin’s first career start was a success.

Final statline: 28 points, 8.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 8.0 turnovers (TOV’s didn’t matter somehow, I guess, because “all he does is Lin, Lin, Lin, no matter what”)