'Lin-sanity' takes hold

Kobe Bryant said he had no idea about Jeremy Lin or the "Lin-sanity" craze that has taken over New York City. After Lin put the finishing touches on a stunning 92-85 win over Bryant's Lakers with yet another career-high performance (38 points and seven assists), it's safe to presume Kobe knows all about it now.

Eventually, this will no longer be a novelty. That's where Mike D'Antoni is hoping to get sooner rather than later. But in his last four games, three of them as the starting point guard, Lin is averaging 28.5 points and eight assists per game. And the Knicks have won each game.

He has opened eyes -- and drawn a great deal of attention -- during what has been an amazing week for the undrafted Harvard grad who was twice waived in December only to land at the bottom of the Knicks' roster. With each passing game, Lin has New Yorkers, and many around the NBA, shaking their heads at his sudden and meteoric rise.

His No. 17 jersey hit the stores on Thursday and were already the hottest item on the racks. His Twitter account exploded to almost a half-million followers. And the media coverage, which includes many from Asia, has been overwhelming.

But it's quite clear now that this isn't a flash in the pan. This is real.

"The surprising factor is gone," teammate Landry Fields said. "Now it's just... incredible. I really can't describe it. I hope he does this the rest of his career."

D'Antoni certainly hopes so. Lin's emergence literally saved the Knicks' season and, quite possibly, D'Antoni's future with the team. What he became is exactly what the coach needed to prove his system works when you have the right point guard.

But this amazing story isn't as much about the player as it is about how the player and the system got together. It was almost by chance. And his opportunity came through desperation, as the team was floundering with 11 losses in 12 games and the offense looked awful.

Now, Lin has the offense running the way Steve Nash used to run it in Phoenix. Against the Lakers, Lin even did like Nash and hit from the perimeter -- which was supposed to be his weakness.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing," D'Antoni said. "I don't know what to tell you. I've never seen it."

He has now. And he hopes to keep seeing it.

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