Knicks legends Carmelo Anthony and Amare’e Stoudamire explain Jeremy Lin’s meteoric ‘Linsanity’ run in their absence

New York Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony’s time in the Big Apple was filled with memorable moments. Perhaps a very important one in them was Jeremy Lin’s historic stint with the NYC franchise.

During Saturday’s episode of “7 pm in Brooklyn”, Melo and former Knicks star Amar’e Stoudemire shared their perspective on missing Jeremy Lin’s remarkable ‘Linsanity’ run.

“There was no scouting report for Jeremy Lin…He took advantage of it…He was scoring like 30 points, 35 points, and then it really hit when he played the Lakers against [Kobe Bryant], but then he had 35 or something like that,” Amar’e Stoudemire said.

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"I'm in Florida...at the crib and I'm watching the games. And I'm like, 'What the...' I get back to New York, I'm seeing the whole city is in an uproar. I'm like, 'Man what's going' ... every game it was like the crowd was going crazy and Lisanity happened," Stoudemire added.

Stoudemire admitted that he was surprised to see so many Lin jerseys in NYC after his return. There was no looking back from there. The Linsanity wave caught on as Lin continued to deliver night in and night out.

Stoudemire explained how both his and Carmelo Anthony's absence provided Lin with a golden opportunity to lead the Knicks' scoring. And he seized it with open arms.

Jeremy Lin was an undrafted point guard and played for the Knicks during the 2011-2012 season. Lin had impressive performances, particularly in February 2012, which catapulted him to stardom. He made 13 consecutive starts and performed in notable games against top teams.

His performances skyrocketed his jersey sales and had his name trend on social media. He was hailed as an underdog story as his success drew widespread media attention. He was featured in major publications and made appearances on popular TV shows as well.

Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony reveals key career decisions that kept him from a championship

Carmelo Anthony might be a Hall of Famer but his career was marked by two pivotal decisions that ultimately led to him retiring without a championship ring.

On his podcast, Anthony explained the reasoning behind these choices.

"The reason why I wanted to come to New York and the reason why I didn't take that deal is because, for one, I was a little uneducated on how the business of basketball worked, so I'll own up to that. But for two, I wanted my own sh**. I was in Denver with my own team, my own organization. Like I didn't to go be third, fourth fiddle with somebody else," explained Melo. ( from 57:45)

Carmelo led the Knicks to a 54-win season in 2012-13, the team's best regular season since 1997. However, injuries to Stoudemire limited their playoff success, and they never advanced past the second round.

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About the author

Ubong Richard Archibong

Ubong Richard Archibong is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over a year's experience in the field with FirstSportz.

Ubong is an LA Lakers fan, and he grew up watching Kobe Bryant taking on everyone with his Mamba mentality. Ubong's love for the Lakers hit another level when his favorite player, LeBron James, joined LA from the Cavs. Other than LeBron, Ubong likes Anthony Edwards, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and Phil Jackson.

Beyond the court, Ubong is a traveler at heart and a Chelsea fan, always ready for the thrill and tension they bring. When not working, Ubong likes traveling and volunteering.

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