“Impressive, most impressive.” – Darth Vader
Even the ultimate villain had to be impressed with Jeremy Lin’s breakout performance Friday night. Lin finished the Knicks-Nets game with 25 points and seven assists, immediately becoming the latest hope for Knicks fans to cling to. Ken Berger with CBS Sports writes that it was only one game, but Lin’s play was exactly what the Knicks have been looking for.
“It’s only one game, but it was precisely the spark the Knicks needed after losing 11 of their previous 13 with an offense predicated on quality point-guard play “grasping at straws” without one, coach Mike D’Antoni said.
‘The biggest thing is, he’s got a point guard mentality,” D’Antoni said. “He has a rhyme or reason to what he’s doing and players can kind of play off that. Whereas when you don’t know, you’re just grasping at straws. He gives us a good feel. Again, it’s one game, so let’s not get too excited. But he gives us what we sorely need.”
Lin was great and, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times, his play has earned him the start in tonight’s game. The larger question is how will his play influence the team’s use of Baron Davis. I think Davis is still going to be the starter when he is healthy, but if Lin continues to play at a high level, he could become the first guard off the bench. So really it is a question of how Toney Douglas, Bill Walker and Iman Shumpert feel about getting their minutes reduced.
