The epic matchup between New York Knicks rising star Jeremy Lin and Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant is already a hot topic on Twitter and we're still hours away from tip-off at Madison Square Garden.

Lin is the talk of the NBA and has the Knicks playing exciting and inspired basketball, while Bryant is trying to get his Lakers back on the winning track with another win against a quality Eastern Conference opponent after they beat the Celtics in Boston on Thursday night.

Let's look at some of the best tweets surrounding the Lin vs. Kobe matchup on Friday, and be sure to check back later tonight for the best post-game tweets.

Did you find a good Lin vs. Kobe tweet? If so, send it to me on Twitter @NicholasGoss35.

Even Phoenix Suns star point guard Steve Nash is excited about Lin's recent play.

ESPN's Skip Bayless makes another bold prediction. Is he crazy or do you agree?

In case you didn't know, Kobe makes a bit more than Lin, and CNBC's Darren Rovell kindly broke it down for us.

Steve Kyler of Hoopsworld shares a Kobe quote on Lin.

If you are a Knicks fan and have a birthday coming up, get a Jeremy Lin Fathead.

InsideHoops shared a funny tweet with us today.

Prince Amukamara makes an interesting comparison with a New York Giants star.

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Nicholas Goss is an NBA Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report