While still in awe of all the LINsanity surrounding not just New York City, but all of the NBA nation, many have pondered how long LINsanity will last. How long can Jeremy Lin continue to carry the Knicks with his heroics and remarkable play? How much longer will the Knicks' winning streak continue?
On Friday night, certain questions were answered, as the Knicks fell to the lowly Hornets, 89-85.
The Hornets ended up snapping the Knicks' exhilarating streak at seven games, delivering them a lost that coincidentally, got the struggling Hornets their seventh victory overall this season.
The Hornets simply looked like a team prepared to cope with LINsanity, swarming Jeremy Lin early. They played tight defense on the Harvard grad, not only preventing him from penetrating to the basket, but also throwing off his court vision. New Orleans forced eight turnovers from Lin in the first half alone.
Landry Fields, Steve Novak, and even Iman Shumpert all had off games for the Knicks, which obviously contributed to their downfall. The question is, did they all struggle due to Lin's own difficulties, or vice versa? Lin has truly elevated almost all of his teammates during this winning streak, showcasing their abilities to make them look like starring attractions. With Lin unable to find his teammates effectively Friday, everyone came back down to Earth just a little bit.
Amar'e Stoudemire did lead the Knicks with 26 points of his own, as did Lin. Many who have jumped on the LINsanity bandwagon may say that it's all coming to a close, but really, perhaps it just came to a halt last night with the team unable to adjust to the Hornets defense. Lin and Stoudemire both led a charge as the Knicks looked to soar back Friday, but it was simply too little too long. Winning seven of eight still just isn't that bad, either, though. All things considered, the Knicks played hard, but a win alluded them in this one.
Trevor Ariza led the Hornets with 25 points. The former Knick connected on an array of shots from long-range, displaying the shooting ability the Knicks had oh so desired from him during his tenure in New York.
The Knicks will look to bounce back and resume LINsanity Sunday afternoon vs. the defending NBA champion Mavericks at home.
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