New York Knicks: 7 Reasons Jeremy Lin Will Lead New York to Playoffs

Jeremy Lin will lead the New York Knicks to the playoffs. Plenty of hard evidence has been provided and that is what the jury has found. Court is now adjourned.

Lin once again propelled the Knicks to victory, their eighth in nine games, leading all New York scorers with 28 points. He recorded yet another entry in the masterpiece that is the legend of Lin.

A loss against the New Orleans Hornets on Friday quieted down "Linsanity" just a bit, but after the 23-year-old's performance against the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, it's clear that he's not just a flash in the pan.

The man behind the craze sweeping the nation will put the Knicks in the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time since Jeff Van Gundy's last two full seasons as head coach.

Here are seven reasons why it will happen. 

7. Energy

You think you were excited after Jeremy Lin's three to beat the Raptors? Check out his teammates. Jared Jeffries, Steve Novak, Landry Fields and Tyson Chandler all look like they just hit the game-winner by the way they congratulate Lin. There hasn't been any display of that raw emotion this entire season for the Knicks. 

Let's be honest here: Before Lin came around, the Knicks were 8-15. They were sickening to watch. The prospects of Mike D'Antoni's tenure did not seem promising. They had no point guard, but most of all, they had no energy.

Since the Jeremy Lin era began, Madison Square Garden has a new energy. The world's most famous arena has been electrified, giving the team a different kind of sixth man advantage.

Nine of the Knicks' next 13 games come against teams currently in playoff position. If this energy is impressive now, imagine the momentum the Knicks will have if they can continue their great play over the next month or so. 

6. Composure

Jeremy Lin's recent accomplishments have been less believable than a Hollywood scripted movie. Let's go over what's happened in the last 16 days. 

Fill in for injured Carmelo Anthony: Check. 

Torch the Los Angeles Lakers and outplay Kobe Bryant on a nationally televised game in the biggest market in the league: Check.

Lead your team on a roaring comeback and hit a game-winning three: Check.

Beat the reigning NBA champions: Check.

All of those are exciting, but this next one should be considered the best of all...

Get thrown onto an international stage and appear completely unfazed by it: Check and mate.

Lin has been able to keep his composure off the court and on, with all eyes on him. He's revered by the Asian community just as Yao Ming was when he came into the league. He's also embraced by the people of New York, a city that falls deeply in love with their stars.

If this guy hasn't collapsed under the pressure yet, what reason is there to think he will when April comes around? The stretch run leading up to the playoffs comes with an indescribable amount of pressure, as do the playoffs. However, if Lin has done this well under great scrutiny early on, it wouldn't be smart to bet against him. 

5. Clutch

Lin has excelled during crunch-time numerous times during his young career.

He scored 11 of the teams final 18 points against the Lakers. He hit a free throw with four seconds left to put the team up by one in Minnesota. He scored 11 points in the final quarter, including the final six points of the game against the Raptors in Toronto. In his most recent effort against the Mavericks, he proved that he's not only clutch when it comes to shooting, but that he can get the ball to open teammates down the stretch.

He may be sloppy sometimes, but it has to count for something that ESPN analyst John Hollinger has Lin ranked second as the most efficient player in the NBA, behind LeBron James. He's also ahead of Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams, etc.

Everybody is always on LeBron's back because he can't hit the big shot when it counts. Now that the Knicks have two players who are clutch enough to take the last shot in Lin and Carmelo Anthony, opposing teams won't be able to double-team Anthony in the closing seconds.

4. The Turnovers Will Decrease

Coach D'Antoni addressed the main hitch in Lin's game when he said, “I just told him he was trying to make the hardest pass out there, he was trying to make the home run pass. That’ll happen for young guys.”

He was explaining the reason for the many turnovers line has been prone to. Just as D'Antoni said, they are a product of his inexperience. The more games he gets under his belt, the less he will give the ball back to the other team.

Take Dwyane Wade for example: He was second in the league in turnovers per game his first full season as a starter. He's since evolved to one of the most electric players in the league.

Also, remember that D'antoni's uptempo system will increase a guard's turnovers, so Lin has that to deal with as well. He possesses tremendous court vision. Couple that with a high basketball IQ, and you've got a recipe for a formidable point guard leading his team to the playoffs. 

3. The Lin-Stoudemire Tandem Will Get Better

Amar'e Stoudemire definitely hasn't been at his best in the last four games since returning from his time off after the death of his older brother. He's been getting blocked more than usual and hasn't been going to the free-throw line as much as he typically does. He just seems out of sorts.

On various occasions, Lin has driven down the lane and then found a cutting Stoudemire under the hoop for an easy dunk. At other times, Stoudemire has bobbled the ball or just botched the layup altogether.

STAT only scored 11 points on 4-10 shooting against the Mavericks yesterday. He also shot two brutal air balls to go along with a few bricks. This is not Lin's fault.

Once Stoudemire shakes the rust off and returns to form, the pick-and-roll as well as an effective pick-and-pop won't be so absent from his game.

2. He Makes Everyone Around Him Better

How great is it to watch the Knicks play functional offense? It's because of Lin, who spaces the floor, giving his teammates better shot opportunities. He really does make everyone around him better.

On a team full of three-point shooters, spacing the floor is crucial to the high-volume scoring that is necessary in D'Antoni's run-and-gun offense.

Prior to Lin becoming a starter, Landry Fields had scored more than 15 points only six times in a game. He's done it three times in the last nine games.

Lin has revitalized Tyson Chandler's offense as the two largely relied on the high screen pick-and-roll before Stoudemire rejoined the squad. In the last nine games, he's averaged just over 13 points, higher than his season average.

Steve Novak has benefited most from Lin's play, averaging 12 points per game in his last eight. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter against the Mavs, almost half of what he scored in the entire month of January (29).

"Novakaine" really only started to get minutes when Lin did, so maybe D'Antoni figured that he should give another guy a shot who he once thought to be a scrub. Or maybe it was because of the rash of injuries and absences the Knicks suffered (that makes more sense).

Even Jared Jeffries, a player who Knicks fans once detested, has been energized by Lin's recent performance. He's taking charges in huge spots and has even looked like he knows what planet he's on on offense.

Seven Knicks scored in double-digits against the Sacramento Kings, something that hasn't happened all season. In an offense that was once dominated by Stoudemire and Anthony, it's a breath of fresh air to see every player in the rotation pulling their weight.

1. Scouting Reports Haven't Hurt Him

A lot of critics are eating crow now that Jeremy Lin has beaten teams who have a scouting report on him.

Here's what ABC News reported following yesterday's game:

"

"I was talking to them before the game and they were saying they had an answer for Lin," said Knicks center Tyson Chandler, who played for the Mavs last season. "I guess they were dead wrong on their scouting report."

"

The Mavericks weren't the first team to think they could bottle Lin up, nor will they be the last. ESPN Stats and Info tweeted that Lin became the first player this season to score at least 28 points, accumulate 14 assists and have five steals in a game.

The Mavs are the best field-goal defense team in the league and had been playing even better defense during their six-game winning streak. Lin carved them up to the tune of 28 points on 11-20 shooting.

It's time for doubters to recognize that Lin isn't just a player catching the league by surprise, he's a great athlete at 6'3", 200 pounds. He'll be around for the rest of the season and most likely beyond that, as the Knicks can feasibly sign him in the offseason.