In the fourth quarter—on a team with two of the league’s top-five scorers last season—it was Lin who took over.
The point guard gave the Knicks the lead with a jumper over Williams early in the fourth, and put the Knicks up four on a pretty reverse layup later in the period.
With 2:02 to go, Lin split two defenders and got to the rim again, capping another and-one with two fist pumps and a bow from Anthony. He scored his 12th point of the quarter moments later as the arena roared with excitement.
“I didn’t do a good job containing Jeremy Lin,” said Williams, an all-star in each of the past two seasons. “Our game plan was to help off him, and he just started knocking down shots and got confidence, and he was relentless taking it to the basket.”
At the game’s conclusion, the Harvard grad could not contain his smile as he was mobbed at center court by his teammates, who looked almost as happy as Lin did.
The point guard could not have chosen a better time to break out, as time had been running out on his chances with the Knicks. Lin’s contract will not become guaranteed until Feb. 10, meaning he was in serious jeopardy of being cut before that date—until now.
“I’m just thankful to God for everything,” Lin explained. “Like the Bible says, ‘God works everything for the good of those who love Him,’ so I’m just thankful I’m able to be here with this team.”
The opportunity to have a night like that was a long time coming for the point guard.
After receiving no Division I scholarship offers coming out of college, going undrafted and receiving just one summer league offer after his four years at Harvard, and then being waived by two NBA teams, Lin has been fighting his whole career just to prove he belongs.
After playing sparingly—mostly in garbage time during blowouts—for the Knicks since he signed with them before the season began, Lin finally got his opportunity thanks to the struggles of the point guards initially ahead of him on the Knicks depth chart.
He moved his way ahead of Mike Bibby first, and after recording nine points and six assists in 20 minutes against the Rockets one week ago, jumped past the struggling Douglas as well.
With his job potentially on the line and the Knicks postseason aspirations in early jeopardy, D’Antoni turned to Lin.
Two hours later, the point guard was the talk of the country, a trending topic in the Twitterverse on the eve of the Super Bowl as Pearl Jam's “Jeremy” was blasted throughout the world's most famous arena. Lin's face was on the front page of the website of the worldwide leader in sports and plastered on the back page of the morning newspapers.
He had become a hero in the city that never sleeps, the place where “if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.”
On one spectacular night, at least, Jeremy Lin finally made it.