Ten days ago at Boston’s TD Garden, Jeremy Lin entered the Knicks’ game against the Celtics late in the first quarter and crickets were heard all the way to Harvard Square. The Beantown faithful had no idea who this Lin kid was, no idea he had starred for four years at Harvard across the Charles River.
Late Saturday night in Minneapolis, during a bad second-half stretch when Lin’s forays to the basket were repeatedly rejected, the giddy fans at Target Center started a chant: “Overrated!’’
Could he have imagined that chant when he was in Boston 10 nights ago?
“Uh, no, but thank you to them for doing that,’’ Lin said.
Where this “Linderella’’ Story goes is anyone’s guess, but Lin is handling the hysteria with grace.
“I feel I’m in a dream right now,’’ said Lin, who was certainly recognized by students yesterday on the Knicks’ off day after driving with family to western New York to watch his little brother, Joseph, play his final regular-season game as a freshman point guard for Hamilton College of the past nine days of “Linsanity.’’ “It’s been pretty surreal. I’m trying to wake up every day and enjoy it and soak it all in. Stay focused on what we’re doing: playing basketball games. I’m really enjoying the whole experience.”
Despite shooting 1-of-12 in the second half, Lin had the last laugh Saturday night, making the key pass on Steve Novak’s game-tying last-minute 3-pointer and then drawing a foul with 4.9 seconds left and hitting the go-ahead free throw to send the Knicks to a five-game winning streak.
Tyson Chandler was asked if it was strange fans consider it an off night for Lin when the undrafted point guard finished with 20 points and eight assists to become the first player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starts, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
“We got to let off the guy a little bit,’’ Chandler said. “Expectations are starting to fly around. But there’ll be nights like this. The win is the most important thing. I don’t care if he scored two points.’’
It was nine days ago when Lin first got major minutes and busted out with a 23-point, seven-assist showing, outplaying Nets star Deron Williams and hearing “Jer-e-my!’’ and even some “MVP’’ chants that first night at the Garden.
He excelled Monday night against the Jazz, after which a reporter jokingly asked D’Antoni if Lin was a bigger story than the Giants winning the Super Bowl. Then Lin posted a double-double against John Wall in Washington Wednesday and trumped Kobe Bryant Friday night with a 38-point, eight-assist showing before surviving the Minnesota game despite looking worn down and beat up in the second half.
“I would cheer for him too if I was going to a game,’’ Chandler said.“He’s a feel-good story. He gets the same [adulation] from his teammates. We want to see a guy like him succeed.’’
Lin gives unsolicited shoutouts to teammates in his postgame remarks. After the Minnesota win, he raved about Jared Jeffries (“He gets everyone prepared mentally,” Lin said), called Tyson Chander “our anchor,’’ saluted Iman Shumpert’s “swag,’’ and praised Landry Fields for being “quiet but plays his [butt] off.’’
And after his first breakout game, Lin went out of his way to mention assistant coach Kenny Atkinson and has done so repeatedly.
“Because I have one good shooting game, other people don’t get talked about,” Lin said. “It happens every single night and something that everybody needs to be aware.’’