Knicks vs. Heat: Jeremy Lin and New York Will Bounce Back from Poor Performance

The New York Knicks put up an embarrassing show against the Miami Heat on Thursday night, but it will fuel their fire for the second half of the season. 

Now that the NBA is in the All-Star break, teams have plenty of time to reflect on how their year has gone so far. For the Knicks, this awful loss to the Heat will stay fresh in their minds for quite some time, and that is a good thing. 

If they're smart about it, the players won't let the loss bother them too much, but rather will put all their attention into improving as a complete a team. 

New York has the talent to thrive in the NBA this season, but losing to the Heat shows that the Knicks need to get better. There is plenty of time to step up, though, so look for the stars of this team to use this dreadful loss as a means to start dominating.  

Jeremy Lin scored only eight points and had three assists. Linsanity was nowhere to be found, as New York's big sensation was 1-of-11 from the field. 

He didn't have much help either, as Carmelo Anthony was 7-of-20, scoring 19 points on the night. 

The Heat did an excellent job bringing the Knicks back down to Earth, but in the process they motivated New York for the second half of the season. 

Prior to the game, Tyson Chandler told reporters, "We can use [the game] kind of as a measuring stick." 

He went on to say that once the Knicks get in more practices as a full unit they will be able to better judge where the team stands. 

After Thursday night's debacle, it's safe to safe the Knicks have a lot of work to do. 

However, being crushed by Heat will provide a huge spark for the second half of the season, which means the rest of the NBA needs to watch out. 

We've seen how "Linsane" New York can be, and in time this team will start cruising. Currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, expect the Knicks to continue to rise up as the season progresses. 

Losing to the Heat was a real wake-up call for Lin and the Knicks, and they will all come together to make a strong push after the All-Star break.