By Raymond Williams
Silencing all critics who called him a one-week wonder kid, Jeremy Lin outplayed Kobe Bryant, as the Knicks finally defeated the Lakers on Friday night.
In fact, Lin portrayed his best performance so far in the week by scoring a career-high 38 points as the New York Knicks thwarted the Los Angeles Lakers, 92-85 yesterday.
Lin, who had been warming the bench till a week ago, helped the Knicks score their fourth straight victory- tying their longest streak of the season. His two free throws with 5 seconds on the clock stopped the Lakers' final rally, with which the undrafted Harvard fellow passed Carmelo Anthony for the highest-scoring game by a Knicks player in this season.
A modest Lin quipped after the game, "I didn't try to see this game as any different. I just try to make sure that when I get there on the floor, I play as hard as I can and try to do everything I can to help the team win. The only thing we established tonight is four in a row. Now we try to go for five tomorrow. I'm not too worried about proving anything to anybody. As a team we're growing and trying to build on the momentum."
Knicks' Iman Shumpert scored 12 points for the team, who are still playing sans Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. But the opportunity came up to the point guard Lin, who had two other teams hive up on in December, and who did not get to play for the Knicks until three other players couldn't rise up to the job.
Bryant added 34 points, after starting badly but finishing just 11 of 29 from the field. Pau Gasol added another 16 points and 10 rebounds, while All-Star Andrew Bynum was only 1 of 8 for three points with 13 rebounds in the game that broke the Lakers' nine-game winning streak against New York.
Four out of the nine wins were achieved at Madison Square Garden, where Bryant fans had roared before. But Bryant seems to have been replaced as the fan favorite with Lin. "I think it's a great story," said Bryant. "I think it's a testament to perseverance and hard work. Good example for kids everywhere.
Bryant said that until a night ago, Bryant wasn't familiar with Lin's game. "Enjoy it," Bryant said. "They'll receive judgment next season."
With 9:25 left in the game when the Knicks' lead was down to three, Shumpert hit a jumper and flew by Bryant for a dunk before Lin pushed on a jumper to make the score 76-69 with about 8 minutes to go. With an eight lead, Lin conduced on a long jumper, leaving a wide open after an offensive rebound for a 3-pointer from the wing, and then made the score 84-71 with which the fans were up in roars.
Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said, "What he's doing is amazing. He answered a lot of questions tonight. Can he make an outside shot? Can he pull the trigger in a big moment? He hit two 3s that just broke the game open. There's so much stuff that he's doing."
Following his 28-point, eight-assist with which he started his career on Monday, Lin scored 23 points and handing out 10 on assists Wednesday against Washington, he became the first player since LeBron James in 2003 to have at least 20 points and eight assists in his first two starts, the Knicks said.
Lin became an instant New York sensation with his brilliant performances, as he pulled up the Knicks at a time when they seemed to fall too far behind in the standings to salvage the season. He is already being compared to Tim Tebow for his impact on teammates and the way he speaks after the game.
The four field goals by Lin in the first quarter matched the Lakers' total of 18 attempts.
Gasol added, "I think that you can stop a player from not getting 38 points on you any night. I don't care how good he is, but I guess we didn't step up to the challenge as a team. (We) overlooked him I guess. Obviously, he made big plays. Made big shots. You've got to give him credit."
Late in the half, the Lakers narrowed their 14-point deficit to five before Lin led the Knicks back. After a turnaround jumper, he spun around to leave Derek Fisher behind on his way to a layup, making the score 47-38 with less than three minutes remaining. The score at half-time was 49-41.
Bryant started 1 of 11 before he went on to hit five of his next six shots. He is the record holder at the current arena with 61 points, as Bryant also grabbed ten rebounds.
