The Jeremy Lin craze has fizzled about as quickly as it took over the NBA.
After leading New York to seven straight wins, the Knicks are currently on a six-game skid.
So what has happened?
The schedule » During the winning streak, six of the seven teams the Knicks beat are outside the playoff picture. During their skid, all six teams they lost to are in playoff position — including the Bucks, who have the same record as the Knicks but now hold the tiebreaker. Five of those six losses also were on the road.
Not meshing with Melo » The return of All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony has coincided with the struggles of the Knicks. Since Anthony came back from a groin injury, New York has gone 2-8. Anthony is having his worst season in his career — averaging the fewest points per game (21.3) since his 2004-05 season and shooting a career-low 40 percent from the field.
Shooting woes » When the Knicks were winning, Lin was smart with his shot selection, and he made over 50 percent of his shots in five of the seven wins during their streak. But in the six straight losses, he has shot over 50 percent in just one game.
On the defense » Point guards have gone off against the Knicks. During their losing streak, the Mavericks’ Jason Kidd and 76ers’ Lou Williams had season highs in points. The Celtics’ Rajon Rondo had a historic triple-double — 18 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assists. The Spurs’ Tony Parker had 32 points on 12 of 19 shooting. The Bucks’ Brandon Jennings went for 25 points and 10 assists. And the Bulls’ Derrick Rose had 32 points, seven assists and six rebounds. So maybe Lin is a little suspect defensively.
– Jeffrey Tomik
