Jeremy Lin and Linsanity Remembered: Unchecked

Jeremy Lin's Linsanity games are being replayed by the New York Knicks and MSG Networks. Linsanity was a great moment for the NBA and the Knicks.

Remember Linsanity? That was awesome.

And I’m really glad the New York Knicks finally decided to recognize Jeremy Lin again as watching the initial breakout game on MSG Network felt particularly good during these current times. It was nice to experience something SO PURE.

“New York, you guys will always have a special place in my heart …” @JLin7 with a message to New York. #LinsanityWeek pic.twitter.com/DvIMeKFrbW

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 27, 2020

Linsanity really was one of the coolest stories in NBA and sports history because it came out of nowhere and captured the hearts of New York, the nation and a whole lot of basketball fans around the world.

As someone who spent many years working in the New York market, it was easily the best it ever felt to talk about and cover the Knicks for me. And those couple weeks are the reason many fans probably still recall names like Landry Fields and Steve Novak fondly. It’s a shame it ended so abruptly and ugly as there were many factors involved including the tumultuous situation with coach Mike D'Antoni and Carmelo Anthony.

I always thought Lin was a better player than he was given credit for and a combination of injury and circumstances prevented him from reaching those same heights in other places. (He did average over 16 points and 6 assists per 36 minutes over the entirety of his career.) While I also wonder how beloved he and that team could’ve been had Lin remained at Madison Square Garden. 

But instead of thinking about what might've been, I’ll focus on what was because by golly Linsanity was a lot of fun. So thank you Jeremy Lin, and you know what, thank you to the New York Knicks. 

As during this trying moment in history, Linsanity is something that felt really good to relive.