Jeremy Lin, Meet LeBron James: Linsanity Takes Its Talents to South Beach

If you thought Linsanity had reached its peak, think again. Tonight, Jeremy Lin and Company invade South Beach in what will probably be the most watched game in the NBA this season. What a way to lead into an otherwise bland All-Star Weekend.

Miami’s current seven-game winning streak normally would be leading news coming out of the Association, but thanks to Jeremy Lin, does anything else matter right now? The Heat could actually use this to their advantage as they look to shed some of the attention they have collected since “The Decision."

The Knicks have been equally as impressive boasting a 9-2 record since February 4th, otherwise known as the birth of Linsanity.

After a shaky first game with their own version of “The Big Three” with a home loss to the Nets followed up by a win against the Hawks, the Knicks look to continue gelling on their way to cementing themselves firmly in the Eastern Conference playoff race. I am just not sure that this game is a good enough barometer to determine their place in the ranks just yet.

Sure they need to prove they can beat the heavy hitters in order to exhibit they can hang with the big boys. But I just don’t see this game, being this early into the experiment, as all that important in the grand scheme of things.

A road game heading into the All-Star break, facing a team they don’t match up well against, is not a very good recipe for success. Meaning a loss won’t hurt them as much a win could, propelling this thing into the next atmosphere.

Miami, on the other hand, just needs to keep this train moving. Taking care of business is the best thing they can do in order to get the proverbial monkey off their backs in regards to how they are viewed league wide.

With their star trio all healthy seemingly for the first time all season, the Heat can now focus on how to implement certain role players into the mix—which believe it or not, is the key to their long-term prospects in 2012.

We all know what LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh bring to the table, but filling the cracks is imperative for this team as they try to lap the Chicago Bulls for Eastern Conference supremacy.

Although tonight’s game between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks will be treated like a heavyweight title bout, the outcome is not nearly as important as each team’s internal objectives. The Knicks are learning how to handle their own Big Three, while Miami is learning how to complement theirs.

Contact Jeremy at [e-mail], follow him on Twitter @KCPopFlyBoy, and read more of his takes on sports and pop culture at popflyboys.com