By Sam Perley, hornets.com
INSIDE THE HIVE: Jeremy Lin Part 1 | Jeremy Lin Part 2
In his mind, its just another early-season road game, although Jeremy Lin knows the trip such as the one the Hornets are making to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night will always hold some special meaning with regards to his basketball career.
It’s been over three years since Lin exploded onto the NBA scene as a New York Knick in February of 2012. Prior to his coming out, Lin was widely regarded as no more than any other journeyman player just trying to find his place in the league. After being claimed off waivers by the Knicks in December 2011, Lin spent most of his time in either the D-League or at the end of the New York bench. Injuries in the Knicks’ lineup along with poor play convinced New York head coach, Mike D’Antoni, to soon give Lin the shot he had been craving since going undrafted out of Harvard University less than two years earlier.
His first game was a matchup against the New Jersey Nets and their All-Star point guard, Deron Williams. Lin came off the bench and finished with career highs in points (25), rebounds (five) and assists (seven), leading the Knicks to a 99-92 victory. He made his way into the starting lineup in the next game against the Utah Jazz, this time tallying 28 points and eight assists in a 99-88 Knicks victory.
New York starters, Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, would then miss the next three and seven games, respectively, but Lin and the Knicks didn’t miss a beat as the team’s newest star helped lead the team on a string of seven-consecutive victories, which brought the team back to .500 after a 8-15 start. Along this stretch, Lin racked up spectacular performances against some of the league’s best including Washington’s John Wall (23 points, 10 assists) and the Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant (career-high 38 points and seven assists). Lin would also hit a game-winning three-pointer with less than a second remaining on the road against the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 14 and racked up 28 points and career highs in assists (14) and steals (five) in a win against the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 19. During this time, Lin also garnered Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 6-12, 2012 after posting averages of 27.3 points, 8.3 assists and and 2.0 steals in his first four starts for the Knicks. Lin’s unexpected strong play transformed him overnight into the NBA’s most popular player and the primary talking point of New York and national media outlets for weeks to come.
Lin continued to light it up in New York for a handful of weeks afterwards but his season would come to a screeching halt after he opted to undergo season-ending surgery on a then-undisclosed knee injury in late March. Lin’s season was suddenly over as quickly as it had begun and alas so were his days in New York as he signed a three-year deal with the Houston Rockets in the offseason. After two seasons in Houston, he was on the move again, this time via trade to the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2014. Unfortunately for Lin, differentiating circumstances in both of these situations made it difficult for him to recapture the success he had experienced with the Knicks.
With his contract expiring at the end of the 2014-15 NBA season, Lin signed a new two-year deal with the Hornets in July and from the look of things so far, he seems to have found a comfortable niche here in Charlotte that was lacking in both Houston and Los Angeles. Lin readily admitted at the Hornets’ media day back in September how excited he was to begin a fresh start with a new organization, which included taking on the biggest role of his career since his time with the Knicks.
“As a player, I just turned 27 and the last three years, if I were to be very honest, weren’t the easiest years for me,” said Lin. “I feel like I have a lot to give to the game and a lot to give to the team and hopefully it materializes here.”
When asked about his subsequent trips to Madison Square Garden since leaving the Knicks, Lin is clearly focused on the here and now.
“For me I’ve been back so many times and it’s so far removed,” Lin acknowledged. “I’m obviously thankful for the time I had there and thankful for the fans. At this point, its back to business.”
Although it may be a distant memory as this point, Lin seems aware that his short and spectacular run with the Knicks will always be a significant part of his career yet doesn’t shy way from talking about it. Moving forward, Charlotte fans can surely expect to see more shades of that superstar magic that once catapulted Lin from the relatively unknown to the talk of the NBA just a few seasons ago.
Key Matchup vs. the Knicks: Marvin Williams vs. Kristaps Porzingis:
Marvin Williams will have another big challenge on his hands when the Hornets head to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night to take on the New York Knicks and their dynamic rookie, Kristaps Porzingis… Williams has continued his impressive start to the season with averages of 10.4 points on 45.3 percent shooting from the field (39.5 percent from three-point range) and team highs in both rebounds (7.8) and blocks (1.3)… the 11-year NBA veteran will likely match up against one of the league’s youngest and most promising players in New York’s Kristaps Porzingis… Although widely regarded prior to June’s draft as not “NBA-ready”, the lengthy Latvian as surprised the league with averages of 11.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks through the first 11 games of his rookie season… Looks for both Williams and Porzingis to space the floor offensively and crash the boards on defense when the Hornets take on the Knicks on Tuesday night in New York.
Key Matchup vs. the Nets: Al Jefferson vs. Brook Lopez
Al Jefferson and the Hornets will head back home for a Wednesday night showdown as they taking on Brook Lopez and the visiting Brooklyn Nets… Following a three-game stretch from Nov. 10-13 when he failed to score in double figures, Jefferson snapped out of his mini-slump with a dominant 29-point performance (13-of-17 shooting) in Charlotte’s 106-94 home win over Portland on Nov. 15… The Hornets’ big man should expect another tough battle with Brooklyn’s seven-footer, Brook Lopez, who exploded for 34 points and ten rebounds in his most recent game against Charlotte on Mar. 25, which ended in a 91-88 Nets win… Lopez has been one of the lone bright spots for the struggling Nets this season, leading the team in points (19.2), rebounds (8.5) and blocks (2.4)… Look for the matchup between Jefferson and Lopez to be a pivotal factor in whether or not the Hornets or Nets walk out of Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday night with a win.
Key Matchup vs. the 76ers: Kemba Walker vs. T.J. McConnell
Charlotte's Kemba Walker will be looking to take advantage of a favorable matchup when he and the Hornets square off against T.J. McConnell and the Philadelphia 76ers at Time Warner Cable Arena on Friday night... Walker is currently second on the team in scoring with 14.9 points per game this season and leads the Hornets in both assists (5.3) and steals (1.6)... The Hornets' speedy point guard could be in line for a big performance against Philadelphia although shouldn't sleep on 76ers' point guard, T.J. McConnell, who is quietly having an impressive start to his rookie season after going undrafted in June... the former Arizona Wildcat is averaging 6.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.9 assists this season, the later of which is currently ranked ninth in the NBA... Although its another rebuilding season in Philadelphia, Kemba Walker and the Hornets would be wise to not look too far past the young, but talented and hungry 76ers when they square off in Charlotte on Friday night.