Jeremy Lin: Top Opinions Around the Web on Knicks Star Today

New York Knicks star point guard Jeremy Lin dominated the Los Angeles Lakers last night by scoring 38 points, the most of any player on the Knicks this season.

Lin's heroics held off a late rally by Lakers star Kobe Bryant and now the Knicks appear headed in the right direction after a disappointing start to the season.

NBA experts have shared some interesting opinions on the Knicks' rising star since Friday night's big win, including the Black Mamba himself, so let's take a look at some of the best.

Lin Is Winning the Praise of Everyone, Even Kobe Bryant

USA Today's Tom Pedulla had a very good story on Jeremy Lin following the Knicks' victory over the Lakers on Friday night, with a spectacular mixture of opinion and quotes from players.

Though Kobe Bryant was not quick to praise Lin before Friday's game, he certainly realized what all the fuss was about afterwards:

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"He has been phenomenal," Bryant said. "We have watched some tape on him. We came up with a strategy that we thought would be effective, but he was knocking down his jump shot, penetrating and he got around our guards. …

"Players don't usually come out of nowhere. If you can go back and take a look, his skill level was probably there from the beginning, but no one ever noticed. … It is a great story. It is a testament to perseverance and hard work. It is a good example to kids everywhere."

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Lin is giving everyone hope with his hard work and tremendous determination to succeed, even in the face of adversity.

ESPN's J.A. Adande on Knicks Fans' New Hope

J.A. Adande of ESPN wrote a brilliant piece on how Jeremy Lin is giving New York Knicks fans a new reason to be optimistic this season.

As many of you know, Lin was cut by the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors before the Knicks claimed him off waivers.

The Knicks signed Baron Davis to solve their massive need at point guard after they amnestied Chauncey Billups after the lockout, but I'm sure they never imagined that Lin would be their savior in the backcourt.

Here is an excerpt from Adande's story, which can be read in its entirety here:

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The ball, the accolades, the back pages of the New York tabloids, they all belong to Lin right now. He just did the impossible: He exceeded all the hype the New York media (and, uh, conspiratory national networks) could muster.

The buildup provided by his 76 points in his previous three games...Lin topped himself with 38 points and seven assists in the Knicks' 92-85 victory Friday night.

Against the Los Angeles Lakers.

On ESPN.

In Madison Square Garden.

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Lin is giving Knicks fans hope when it seemed much of the hope that was built up prior to the season was lost.

CBS Sports' Ken Berger on Why the NBA Is Fun Again

Ken Berger of CBS Sports makes a fantastic point about the excitement surrounding Jeremy Lin and that is he is giving excitement to a city and a league that has seriously lacked fun for a while.

Here is an excerpt from Berger's piece, which can be read in its entirety here:

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Fun is what the Garden has been lacking for so long, the mere scent of it being sucked out of the place this season just when it seemed that the long basketball nightmare was over. And yes, in case you hadn't noticed, fun has been missing from the NBA, too.

The 149-day lockout, the perpetual angst over which stars want to be traded, who wants to play with whom, who wants a bigger market or a stage more conducive to selling stuff...and themselves.

Enough of that, please, for however long this Linsanity lasts.

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Berger is right. The NBA lockout sucked a lot of fun out of the sport and with all of the trades (and killed ones, too) that have upset fans, the sport needed a boost of fun.

That is exactly what Lin has given the league and the Knicks, who came into the season with so much hype, yet started off the season in disappointing fashion, thanks to underperforming stars and multiple injuries.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated on Lin Saving Knicks' Season

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated makes an interesting observation that Lin, a player making the league minimum on a team of multimillion-dollar stars, may be the reason the Knicks save their season.

Here is an excerpt from Mannix's article, which can be read in its entirety here:

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For all of their star power, for all of their wealth, the man who may save the Knicks' season earns the NBA minimum, sleeps on his brother's couch and less than a month ago wore a uniform with "Erie" across the chest.

Jeremy Lin pumped in 38 points in New York's 92-85 win over the Lakers on Friday night, the fourth straight game he has tallied 23 or more.

A Madison Square Garden crowd that has stood behind Willis Reed, Clyde Frazier and Patrick Ewing has united behind Lin, a four-time D-Leaguer and a two-time waiver casualty who has breathed new life into a doomed season.

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Lin is a tremendous player and even though the return of Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire will likely lessen his production, there is no question that Lin will play a major role in the team's success this season.

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle Offers a Rockets Angle to Lin's Story

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle offered an interesting story on the success of Jeremy Lin from a Houston Rockets perspective (the team cut Lin earlier this season).

Feigen writes:

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For the Rockets, however, the lament that they let Lin get away might be more about him landing with the Knicks than losing him from their own roster.

He could have ended up anywhere, but is now the starting point guard for the team sending the Rockets a first-round pick.

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Lin wasn't going to play a large role at point guard for the Rockets with multiple players ahead of him on the depth chart, but it still hurts to see him having success when the Rockets could use another solid scorer from the guard positions.

Adrian Wojnarowski Highlights Lin's Phenomenal Story

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote a brilliant piece on Jeremy Lin's amazing story to the top of the New York City sports scene.

Here is an excerpt from his article:

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So rare, so improbable. Everyone stayed inside the Garden, listened to Lin’s on-court interview over the Garden sound system. M-V-P, they chanted. M-V-P.

People stayed in seats, screaming, yelling, snapping photos. Out there, all alone, those gangly arms, that baby face...well, Lin hardly looks the part.

That’s the beauty of him, of this story. That nothing is how it’s supposed to be, how we’ve ever witnessed a star burst onto the scene.

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Lin's improbable climb to NBA stardom is an awesome story and it's only going to get better as the season continues to unfold.

Lin is a star and he will be a legitimate star for a long time.