By: Ashley Peek
Editor’s Note: Over the past weekend, the Twitter world went crazy over the success of New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin. Many Pacers fans tweeted the @Pacers account asking who he was, so the following blog should help explain. The Pacers play Jeremy Lin and the Knicks three times during the regular season this year. The first two match-ups will be a home-and-home series starting in New York on Friday, March 16. After the game, both teams will travel to Indianapolis to play in Bankers Life Fieldhouse on St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday, March 17. The final regular season game is in Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday, April 3. Tickets for either home game can be purchased by clicking here.
The past four games for the New York Knicks have given the team something they’ve yet to have this season, Linstant gratifiction.
The newest member of the roster, Jeremy Lin, has provided for the team in ways others have yet to figure out a way to do. Linning. Linsanity. The play on words involving his name took over the social media platforms after his 38 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
Lin, a California native who grew up in Palo Alto, made the Ivy League his home when he decided to play basketball at Harvard…without any sort of scholarship. But Harvard did not come as an easy decision. Lin’s dream school of UCLA, where current Pacer Darren Collison and Pacers legend Reggie Miller made their home, wanted him as a walk-on. Harvard guaranteed him a place on their roster.
In 2010, Lin went undrafted, but the Dallas Mavericks extended an invite to the 6’3’’ guard to attend their mini-camp and then later the NBA Summer League. Ultimately, he signed with the Golden State Warriors.
Lin went through multiple ups and down on the Warriors roster including being assigned to the D-League. He was released from his contract with the Warriors on Dec. 9, 2011, the first day of training camp after the NBA Lockout ended.
After a small stint with the Houston Rockets, the Knicks claimed Lin off of waivers. Lin made his debut as the third-string point guard on the road against Golden State where he was given a standing ovation. And after that he would take one last trip to the D-League.
While playing for the Knicks affiliate in the D-League, Lin recorded a triple-double and led the Erie Bayhawks to a 122-113 win over the Maine Red Claws.
Three days later he was back on the Knicks roster.
In the past four games Lin has played with the Knicks they have been undefeated. Lin scored 25 points in his first appearance for the team against the Nets, but the next three games would change the stats indefinitely.
After the win over New Jersey, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said, “He has a rhyme and a reason for what he is doing out there.”
But one of the most amazing statistics you will find about Lin will be that in his first three starts with the Knicks he has scored more points than any one player (89) since the merger in 1976-77. If you look at the numbers, it is 15 more points than Michael Jordan had in his first three starts (74) and 48 more points than recent opponent Kobe Bryant.
“It's a great story,” Bryant said “It's a testament to perseverance and hard work. I am sure he has put in a great deal of work to always have that belief in himself. Now he has the opportunity to show it."
Now we all must play the waiting game to see just how much Lin has up his sleeve.
The Pacers play Jeremy Lin and the Knicks three times during the regular season this year. The first two match-ups will be a home-and-home series starting in New York on Friday, March 16. After the game, both teams will travel to Indianapolis to play in Bankers Life Fieldhouse on St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday, March 17. The final regular season game is in Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday, April 3. Tickets for either home game can be purchased by clicking here.