Jeremy Lin's Postgame Interview - Kings vs Knicks - 02.15.2012

Jeremy Lin never had it this easy when the opposition was Cornell and Princeton.

Or maybe Lin, just like the Knicks, keeps getting better and there is nothing anyone, especially the dreadful Sacramento Kings, can do about it.

There was no need for a last-second miracle or a fourth quarter rescue Wednesday night because Lin did most of his damage before halftime and he did it with his vision and smarts.

Yes, the Knicks have a point guard.

Lin improved his perfect record to 6-0 as a starter as the Knicks crushed the Kings from start to finish, beating them 100-85 to extend their winning streak to seven straight games. The Knicks (15-15) are back to being a .500 team but nothing about them seems mediocre.

They’ve become a different team since Lin became the full-time point guard and in his seventh game as the NBA’s biggest story Lin recorded a career-high in assists for the second straight night.

Lin finished with 13 assists which included four lob passes that led to dunks; two apiece for Tyson Chandler and Landry Fields. Lin was turning heads all night with his passing and made the Kings, a lifeless team, look silly on several occasions.

“We tried to play faster today,” Lin said. “I just threw it up and watched them go get it.”

One night after beating the Toronto Raptors with a 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left, Lin showed that he can be a playmaker and not just a shooter. He had averaged 20 shots per game in his previous six games but Wednesday night he attempted only six, making four and finishing with 10 points and five rebounds.

“He’s light years ahead of most guys in their second season,” Mike D’Antoni said.

The blowout win allowed D’Antoni to give Lin much needed rest. Lin played just 27 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter much to the dismay of the crowd, which began chanting “We Want Lin.” Early, they had chanted “M-V-P” when Lin went to the foul line and again during his post-game interview.

The crowd even had some fun at the expense of poor Isaiah Thomas, the Kings rookie. Although he is no relation to and Thomas’ first name is spelled differently than the former Knicks president and head coach, that didn’t stop the crowd from booing Thomas every time his name was announced and every time he scored. Thomas finished with 12 points on 6-for-13 shooting.