Standing at the old freight elevator at the Garden, Mark Cuban had a chance to complain about the officiating after Jeremy Lin and the Knicks on Sunday afternoon rode emotion, momentum and timely 3-point shooting and even a big whistle to come away with another impressive win in the Lin era.
The Mavs’ owner was even baited when someone said, “I thought your guy was the Finals MVP last June. I didn’t know it was Jeremy Lin.’’
Wearing a blue Mavs T-shirt and holding a bottle of Vitamin Water, Cuban laughed at the line. Before he held the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time in Miami eight months ago, he might have taken the bait and ripped the officials for favoring the home team.
Like when his own player, Jason Terry, was called for a phantom flagrant foul on Lin early in the game, triggering one of the two key Knick runs in their 104-97 win. Bad call, but Cuban has been to the NBA mountaintop and he’s visited the White House when President Obama honored his 2011 champs. So there was no eruption. All Cuban did was smile and say, “What are you gonna do?’’
Cuban won’t send a tape to the league and it’s no use, anyway. When the Knicks are hitting shots and Lin is executing Mike D’Antoni’s pick-and-roll and they’re doing it at the Garden and sometimes getting the benefit of the whistle, the other team better be able to close the game if it expects to get out of New York with a win.
The Mavs couldn’t close out this game the way they closed out Miami last June. It’s not the same team, of course, but they didn’t complain about Dirk Nowitzki getting hit in front of the Knicks’ bench in the final seconds.
The game was over, really, by then, but Nowitzki had hit a four-point play earlier in the day.
“Hey, I do my fair share of complaining during the game,’’ said the MVP from last June’s Finals, standing in an empty locker room. “But it’s not my style to complain after the game. I don’t think it’s necessary to do that.’’
He made his statement by bolting the court faster than anyone after the final buzzer, as several teammates went over to Lin to congratulate him. Lin deserved the adulation, having solved Shawn Marion’s length and quickness as the Knicks never wilted after taking the lead for good with 8:36 left.
Right after he hit the deck on Terry’s foul, Lin told the Mav guard what everyone in the building knew, that it wasn’t worthy of a flagrant call. But the Knicks used it to their advantage during their 17-0 run. In the fourth, the Knicks went small, Steve Novak made like Ray Allen with four threes and the Knicks outplayed the Mavs in the same critical minutes Dallas outplayed the Heat in reeling off three straight wins last June.
“I really like him,’’ Nowitzki said long after he cooled off in the trainers room, sitting on the table next to another future Hall of Famer, Jason Kidd.
Nowitzki credited Lin with being “crafty,’’ which he certainly was in dishing for six of his 14 assists in the Knicks’ 32-point fourth quarter.
“He has shown what you have to do when you get the opportunity — make the most of it,’’ he said. “It’s inspirational.’’
It’s also a little scary. Even if he sometimes makes too many mistakes or forces a shot that isn’t there, you have to remember where he’s come from. But you can tell all the publicity, all the Linsanity, is starting to get to opponents. Before the Knicks posted their best win since they elevated Lin into the starting lineup, Terry called No. 17 little more than a product of D’Antoni’s system and a product of a hype machine gone out of control. “Playing only eight games doesn’t make a career,’’ he said. “We’ll see when he faces the champs.”
He faced them and sent them up to Boston with a loss. And now he’s 8-1 as Knick point guard.
“I still feel that way,’’ Terry said, getting dressed. “He’s going to put up numbers with the ball in his hands. How can he not? But he surprised me by staying aggressive. I’m proud of him, watching his journey and where he’s come from. He’s persevered and he’s shown a lot of toughness.’’
On Sunday, Lin showed he can put up big numbers against one of the NBA’s top defensive teams. And best of all, those numbers led to another win. That’s not just hype, either.
Standing at the old freight elevator at the Garden, Mark Cuban had a c hance to complain about the officiating after Jeremy Lin and the Knicks on Sunday afternoon rode emotion, momentum and timely 3-point shooting and even a big whistle to come away with another impressive win in the Lin era.
The Mavs’ owner was even baited when someone said, “I thought your guy was the Finals MVP last June. I didn’t know it was Jeremy Lin.’’
Wearing a blue Mavs T-shirt and holding a bottle of Vitamin Water, Cuban laughed at the line. Before he held the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time in Miami eight months ago, he might have taken the bait and ripped the officials for favoring the home team.
Like when his own player, Jason Terry, was called for a phantom flagrant foul on Lin early in the game, triggering one of the two key Knick runs in their 104-97 win. Bad call, but Cuban has been to the NBA mountaintop and he’s visited the White House when President Obama honored his 2011 champs. So there was no eruption. All Cuban did was smile and say, “What are you gonna do?’’
Cuban won’t send a tape to the league and it’s no use, anyway. When the Knicks are hitting shots and Lin is executing Mike D’Antoni’s pick-and-roll and they’re doing it at the Garden and sometimes getting the benefit of the whistle, the other team better be able to close the game if it expects to get out of New York with a win.
The Mavs couldn’t close out this game the way they closed out Miami last June. It’s not the same team, of course, but they didn’t complain about Dirk Nowitzki getting hit in front of the Knicks’ bench in the final seconds.
The game was over, really, by then, but Nowitzki had hit a four-point play earlier in the day.
“Hey, I do my fair share of complaining during the game,’’ said the MVP from last June’s Finals, standing in an empty locker room. “But it’s not my style to complain after the game. I don’t think it’s necessary to do that.’’
He made his statement by bolting the court faster than anyone after the final buzzer, as several teammates went over to Lin to congratulate him. Lin deserved the adulation, having solved Shawn Marion’s length and quickness as the Knicks never wilted after taking the lead for good with 8:36 left.
Right after he hit the deck on Terry’s foul, Lin told the Mav guard what everyone in the building knew, that it wasn’t worthy of a flagrant call. But the Knicks used it to their advantage during their 17-0 run. In the fourth, the Knicks went small, Steve Novak made like Ray Allen with four threes and the Knicks outplayed the Mavs in those critical minutes.
“I really like him,’’ Nowitzki said long after he cooled off in the trainers room, sitting on the table next to another future Hall of Famer, Jason Kidd.
Nowitzki credited Lin with being “crafty,’’ which he certainly was in dishing for six of his 14 assists in the Knicks’ 32-point fourth quarter.
“He has shown what you have to do when you get the opportunity — make the most of it,’’ he said. “It’s inspirational.’’
It’s also a little scary. Even if he sometimes makes too many mistakes or forces a shot that isn’t there, you have to remember where he’s come from. But you can tell all the publicity, all the Linsanity, is starting to get to opponents. Before the Knicks posted their best win since they elevated Lin into the starting lineup, Terry called No. 17 little more than a product of D’Antoni’s system and a product of a hype machine gone out of control. “Playing only eight games doesn’t make a career,’’ he said. “We’ll see when he faces the champs.”
He faced them and sent them up to Boston with a loss. And now he’s 8-1 as Knick point guard.
“I still feel that way,’’ Terry said, getting dressed. “He’s going to put up numbers with the ball in his hands. How can he not? But he surprised me by staying aggressive. I’m proud of him, watching his journey and where he’s come from. He’s persevered and he’s shown a lot of toughness.’’
On Sunday, Lin showed he can put up big numbers against one of the NBA’s top defensive teams. And best of all, those numbers led to another win. That’s not just hype, either.
Wright By:kevin,Tags:ed hardy ed hardy clothing Christian Audigier
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