National Basketball Association

Lin becomes one-man economic stimulus

Published Feb. 16, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

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New York Knicks fans waited almost a decade for a night like this.

They watched the legend of Jeremy Lin continue to unfold in a 100-85 romp over the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden.

They also symbolically said goodbye to an era of futility, booing Kings guard Isaiah Thomas every time he scored or was announced, simply because he was named after former Knicks head coach and general manager Isiah Thomas, whose moves kept New Yorkers long-suffering.

Before the easy victory, New York put its money where its loud mouth is.

Fans shelled out for $54 Lin jerseys, $28 T-shirts and $10 foam fingers with “Linsanity” printed on them.

Those with deep pockets threw down stacks of cash to watch the Lin show in person.

They put in the time and energy to outdo each other — and the tabloids — with Lin-themed puns on signs. One featured a giant photo of Lin as a member of “The Incredibles,” parodying the 2004 film.

Another sign, which was designed by a group of Asian-American design students and was at least eight feet in length, spelled out a Mandarin phrase that loosely translated to, “Keep going, Jeremy Lin.”

Along with much of the Garden party, the students paid the price for their fandom, purchasing tickets for $200 apiece.

Rich Yao, a Port Washington, NY, resident working in aviation, invested heavily in his first Knicks game in 10 years.

He paid $250 for his ticket, $20 for a Lin T-shirt (a relative bargain purshased off-site at a sporting goods shop) and $50 for a barber to cut Lin’s name, the point guard’s No. 17 and the Knicks’ logo into his hair.

“You’ve got to be part of it, right? That’s part of the magic,” Yao, 29, said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

He wasn’t the only fan who felt compelled to buy in. According to search engine SeatGeek.com, ticket prices jumped from an average of $202 to $317 after Lin’s thrilling last-second game-winner against the Raptors on Tuesday night in Toronto.

But Yao and others may not have felt they got their money’s worth.

With the Knicks up by 26 early in the fourth quarter and Lin getting much-needed rest on the bench, cheers of “We want Lin!” began.

With less than six minutes to go, some even began heading for the exits.

They did get to see some Lin history — he set a career-high with 13 assists — but in only 26 minutes, his lowest total since before his breakout game against the Nets on Feb. 4 (the last game which he did not start).

That unselfish play may be a preview for how Lin plans to integrate Carmelo Anthony into the offense when the forward returns.

“As a point guard, my field-goal attempts have been really high. I don’t think that’s necessarily good,” he said. “It’s more my job to distribute, to get people in rhythm. Especially when ’Melo comes back, my shots will go down and my assists (will) go up.”

Head coach Mike D’Antoni didn’t mind.

“I’m really happy with 10 points and 13 assists,” he said. “Whatever we need to win, I think he’ll do it.”

That includes keeping the glaring spotlight at bay, even as the city clamors for more and exorcises some recent demons like it did with Thomas.

“Playing in New York is a big stage and that’s obviously a temptation and a danger,” Lin said. “When we put our egos aside and really buy into Coach D’Antoni’s system, we’re going to win games.”

There was one moment that seem to faze the nearly-unflappable Lin.

When he heard a White House spokesman said the First Fan, President Obama, talked about Lin while aboard Marine One, he was finally stunned.

“Very humbled. I mean, wow, the president,” Lin said. “Nothing better than that.”
 

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