Linsanity made a full-blown re-appearance in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night's New York Knicks-Philadelphia 76ers game, and it was just in time for the Knicks. In a tightly contested, critical game against Atlantic Division leading Philadelphia it was Jeremy Lin, not Carmelo Anthony or Amar'e Stoudemire, who led the Knicks to an 82-79 victory,
Lin entered the final quarter having scored just two points on 1-for-11 shooting. He poured in 16 fourth-quarter points, however, to end the night with 18 points as New York won its fifth straight game since Mike Woodson took over as head coach following the resignation of Mike D'Antoni.
Lin's role has been the subject of scrutiny since Woodson took over, as the new coach wants more offense from Anthony and Stoudemire and generally less scoring from Lin. Wednesday night, though, the young point guard showed once again that when the pressure is on he is more than willing to step into the limelight and lead, even with highly-paid superstars around him.
The victory moved the Knicks (23-24) within three games of the 76ers in the Atlantic Division. The Knicks currently own the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot, one game ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Wednesday night Lin made it obvious that he will be a critical part of the team's charge toward the NBA playoffs.