And the troubles continue for Jeremy Lin ’10 and his New York Knicks. The Knicks dropped their fifth game in eight days on Sunday afternoon, losing further ground in the competition for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot with a 106-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Lin did not come out of the locker room strong, as he began the game shooting only one for five from the field. His play did not pick up from there—he finished 5 for 18 for the day, committing a game-high six turnovers along the way.
The Harvard alum suggested that his recent slump has to do with the adjustments that defenses are making to his style of play.
“I’m getting used to being like the primary, or top one, two, three things on the scouting report and seeing a lot of different people try to take away what I was comfortable with,” Lin said after the game. “I need to make sure I stay aggressive and I don’t change anything in terms of my approach. I can make better decisions, but I can’t change my approach.”
Sunday afternoon marked the fourth time in five games that Lin has shot worse than 50 percent from the field and the third time in that same time range that he has had at least five turnovers.
The point guard’s teammates were not much better though, and, once again, the Knicks were forced to attempt a wild fourth-quarter comeback. And, similar to previous games, this run proved futile.
Coach Mike D’Antoni chose an…interesting style for the final period, as he benched team superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire for the entire twelve minutes. The outcome of this? Well, along with the loss, “Fire D’Antoni” chants were heard in Madison Square Garden for perhaps the first time since Linsanity began.
The Knicks’ schedule does not get any easier from here on out, as they play the leaders of the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls, Monday night. Lin’s competition? None other than reigning MVP Derrick Rose.
In order for this deteriorating New York ball club to get back on track, something other than MSG’s angry yells are going to need to break through and hit the team hard. They need an unexpected player to check into the game and provide a spark. Where have we heard that one before?
