5 most memorable Jeremy Lin ‘Linsanity’ Knicks moments
By James Ryder
No. 1 – A Linsane Final 2 Minutes
Date: Feb. 14, 2022 (Knicks @ Toronto Raptors)
I get it if you think Jeremy Lin dropping 38 at The Garden was better than this, more power to you. You can’t go wrong when choosing between these final two moments. But this I think was undoubtedly the most memorable. That game-winner is the defining moment of Linsanity to me. Not to mention it allowed for the Knicks to win their sixth-straight game.
I mean, the last two minutes alone are just so cold. It was truly Linsane.
Part of what made this game as a whole so special was the fact that the Knicks trailed throughout. For most of it, New York was down by double digits, but that didn’t faze Lin. He looked as good as ever during the entirety of his 43:10 of playing time, but I will remind you again that it was the end of this game that stands as the quintessential moment from Lin’s amazing stretch with the Knicks.
Lin got some help from his friends during those two minutes. Down five, Iman Shumpert had a huge steal and rewarded himself with a clean lane to the basket. Shump flushed the fast break dunk all alone to make it 87-84. With the Knicks back on defense, Tyson Chandler blocked DeMar DeRozan in the paint and the ball found its way to Lin. Lin pushed up the floor, had a quick back and forth with Shumpert on the perimeter that led to a Lin pump fake three.
Having fooled the defender into jumping, Lin took the ball to the rack and drew contact. His leaning layup seemingly caused the ball to go straight up in the air, where it barely made it a few inches above the rim and fell in. And-1. Lin made the free-throw to tie the game at 87 all.
Toronto called a timeout. With the ball in the hands of the home team, the Knicks needed another stop, and they got it. Chandler had another block, this time out on the perimeter, and New York secured the ball. After several passes, Shumpert got a wide open look on the baseline. He pulled up and missed the bank shot. Thankfully, Chandler grabbed the board and got the ball to Lin. With the shot clock reset and 19 seconds left in the game, Lin had the ball at the center court logo.
He stood there, waving his arm at his coach and at his teammates trying to get them ready for what was coming next. He knew what was next, he wanted it. He didn’t put the ball on the floor for about 13 seconds. He slowly creeped towards the three-point line, taking four steps forward and crossing the ball over three times. Then he shot it.
Final Val-Lin-tine’s Day statline: 27 points, 11 assists
