Jeremy Lin and New York Knicks Head to Boston
Lin Returns to Boston for First Time Since Reviving the Knicks' Season
Today Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks head north to Boston to Face a team that, like the Knicks, are positioning themselves for a playoff berth.
Both teams are striving to stay above .500 which makes Lin's return to the Boston area that much more important. Lin will have to continue to provide that spark that has ignited the Knicks for the past several weeks.
"They're playing at a high level. Lin is obviously taking over the world. That's dope. You always like to see someone succeed at what they love," the Celtics' Kevin Garnett said.
Garnett continued: "He plays with a lot of passion; he's (giving) them, not just the city, but that team, life. ... He's definitely put a spark into the city, and there's no better city to spark up than New York. So that's perfect. I think it's cool."
The Knicks who hit the TD Garden floor at 1:00 p.m. have gone through a transformation since losing to the Celtics more than a month ago. Lin has been the most prominent change, but he is not the only new face helping the Knicks to victory.
The Knicks have also added J.R. Smith, who signed as a free agent after playing in China. They have added Baron Davis, who has been a big help since returning to play after being out several weeks with a back injury.
They are also getting a big offensive boost from Steve Novak who has been shooting 48 percent from behind the arc.
"They have a heck of a lot of pieces," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "So they're impressive. When you look at their roster on paper, you think, 'Man, that's an impressive amount of talent on one basketball team.'"
The Knicks will be trying to end a 10-game losing streak in Boston since last winning at TD Garden Nov. 24, 2006.