Nets vs. Knicks: Jeremy Lin Leads Desperate New York to Win over New Jersey

"Je-re-my! Je-re-my! Je-re-my!"

The relentless chants of the jam-packed Madison Square Garden crowd resonated throughout the arena, as the disgruntled fans finally had a reason to cheer.

Coming into Saturday night, the New York Knicks were desperate for a win.

Coach Mike D'Antoni's job security was shaky, Carmelo Anthony's jumper's been raggedy and Amar'e Stoudemire's been the focal point of several trade rumors.

But things were bound to change, and from an unlikely source.

Harvard graduate and second-year PG, Jeremy Lin, had career-highs all across the board, putting up 25 points (10-of-19, 5-of-7 FT), seven assists, five rebounds and two steals in 36 minutes of play, leading the Knicks to a 99-92 home victory in the third game of a back-to-back-to-back, Saturday night.

Lin entered the game with just over eight minutes remaining in the third quarter and never saw the bench again.

Anthony, who played with a wrist injury, shot a poor 3-of-15 from the field for 11 points. Stoudemire, meanwhile, got into early foul trouble, but it was Lin's ability to penetrate the lane and finish at the basket that helped the Knicks get a desperately needed victory.

With Lin on the floor, the Knicks looked like a completely different basketball team. No longer were they pushing the tempo and taking early, ill-advised shots.

Lin ran the Knicks offense beautifully. He moved the ball around, sliced and diced to get into the lane and even ran the extremely rare pick-and-roll with STAT and Tyson Chandler...successfully!

Even more importantly, Lin only turned the ball over once and held Deron Williams scoreless in the fourth quarter, limiting him to 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting from the field, along with 11 assists.

Jared Jeffries also had his best game of the season—nine points and 11 rebounds—as well as playing physical defense and taking charges when his team needed them.

The New York Knicks (9-15) are still searching for answers, but this kind of production from a bench player is a ray of sunlight on a cloudy day.

While anything done to the Nets defense should be taken with a grain of salt, seeing someone finally step into the limelight that is New York City is a breath of fresh air for Knick fans.