Lin demand

THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO -- Linsanity is beginning to make the New York Knicks feel right at home, even when they are on the road.

And Jeremy Lin has been doing whatever it takes to keep it that way.

It starts during the pre-game introductions. He gets a loud cheer, as he did before Tuesday's game against the Toronto Raptors.

And he knows how to finish off a game, like his electric three-pointer in the 90-87 win.

"It's nice, it's Linsanity," Knicks' shooting guard Landry Fields said after the team had won its sixth in a row, which coincided with Lin taking over at point guard.

"It not only has brought us together closer as a team closer but you see what's going on in other arenas. He gets introduced at away games and the crowd goes nuts. It's almost like a home game for us. If we keep that up with the home court advantage that will be great."

The atmosphere was about as close to the playoffs as the Raptors are likely to have this season, with the game sold out at Air Canada Centre.

The media contingent was playoff sized with about 75 more credentials given out than at a normal game. That included more than 25 Chinese journalists from the Toronto area.

Raptors officials had to turn down requests from journalists to cover a morning availability with Lin to prevent overcrowding.

The crowd's reaction to Lin varied from boos when he didn't generate offence early in the game or was prone to turnovers -- five in the first half alone and eight for the game -- to cheers when he did score.

There were a few T-shirts with Linsanity and No. 17 on the back. But there were also pockets of Knicks fans who cheered loudly no matter who scored for New York and they were jumping up in celebration when the Knicks surged late.

"It's the greatest story in sports right now," forward Jared Jeffries said. "And with it being the greatest story in sports, people are going to want to see it. I don't know a lot of other people that can handle this the way he has. Every game he comes out he gets."

Almost overlooked in the hype was the return of Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire, who scored 21 points. He had not played since Feb. 4 after the death of his older brother, Hazell, in Florida.

Stoudemire was as impressed with Lin as anyone else.

"It's pretty amazing what he's doing," Stoudemire said. "I can't really explain it, he's doing a phenomenal job out there on the basketball court, he's very poised. He reminds me a lot of Steve (Nash) and how Steve plays. It's been fun to watch him and fun to be a part of it."

The feeling is that Lin will help Stoudemire because of his skill in working the pick-and-roll, and there were signs of that as the game progressed.

It was just last week the 23-year-old Harvard grad came off the bench to lead the Knicks to five consecutive victories in his debut as a starter.

"I think this is a miracle from God, the way I would describe it, just because obviously, I don't think anybody expected this to happen the way it happened," Lin said.

A day earlier, the NBA's first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese heritage was named Eastern Conference player of the week after averaging 27.3 points and 8.3 assists in his first four starts.

His sudden arrival in the spotlight comes after he went undrafted, worked out for but was passed over by several teams including the Raptors, then was cut by Golden State and Houston.

Now Lin is getting all the spotlight he could ever hope for.

"Are we in the playoffs now?" Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said after he entered the packed room for the media conference Tuesday morning.

D'Antoni -- whose search for a point guard had been frustrated by injury and poor performance -- called Lin's story, dubbed "Linderella," a great one for the game.

Lin, who is due to make US$789,000 this season, was a hot ticket Saturday in Minnesota as the Timberwolves drew their largest crowd since 2004.

Not only does he show skill in creating plays, his tough side was evident against the Raptors when he took some hard fouls.

"He's resilient," Jeffries said. "No matter how hard he gets hit, no matter what goes on, he keeps coming, he's keeps playing, that's what makes him the player he is. He thinks the game through. He has great basketball feel."