New York Knicks: Jeremy Lin and 7 Reasons to Love This 2011-12 Season

The New York Knicks rarely shy too far from the basketball headlines, and the 2011-12 team has had it no different than what we've come to expect.

Though their 34-30 record—good for seventh in the Eastern Conference—wouldn't let you know it, this shortened season has actually been very fulfilling for the Knicks. Some key questions have been answered, the defensive issues have been solved and the team looks primed to improve in the near future.

I'm going to take you through the top seven reasons that we, as Knicks fans, should love this 2011-12 team. 

Linsanity

Despite lasting no more than two calendar months and encompassing only 26 games of this year's 66-game regular season, Linsanity has to be the first thing that comes to mind here.

The rise of the first Asian-American point guard to the top of the NBA captivated not only Knicks fans but basketball fans in general, and it really was a joy to watch.

For any player to achieve what this young star did after coming out of the D-League is simply amazing, especially considering the fact that he filled the one vacant—and fundamentally important—role that the Knicks had in their starting five.

Lin was no less than a blessing from the basketball gods. To be gifted such talent at a position that couldn't economically be filled with anyone on more than the veteran's minimum is beyond belief, and without Lin's emergence, this season would not have turned around.

In fact, had Lin not been given a chance at Madison Square Garden during that fateful game against New Jersey back in February, the 'Bockers may well have been sitting here in April without the prospect of playoff basketball before their eyes.

How Lin will fare in the future and how good he really is are unknown at this point, but while it lasted, Linsanity was absolutely magical. 

Defense

New York loves defense, and with the additions of NBA champion center Tyson Chandler, former Hawks head coach Mike Woodson and rookie Iman Shumpert, there's been plenty of it.

But it's not just the defensive talent that's changed.

The Knicks' new attitude toward the defensive side of the floor has quickly transformed them from one of the league's worst defensive units to one of the league's best—and that's despite starting both Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony (and, for a short while, Jeremy Lin), all of whom are anything but great defenders.

It's even gotten to the point where, for most of this season, the defense has actually been better than the offense, which is a complete contradiction to recent years under Mike D'Antoni.

There's still room for improvement, of course. There always is. But not many saw such a drastic improvement coming so quickly.

Deep Roster

Against all odds, the Knicks have built themselves a surprisingly deep roster this season, and it is that depth that has them in the playoffs despite all the injury problems they've faced.

It started with a final move under the reign of Donnie Walsh to bring in rookies Iman Shumpert and Josh Harrellson in the 2011 draft, one of whom has earned a starting spot and the other whom you can't ask too much more from as a second-round pick. 

Once the lockout was finally lifted in late November, the Knicks were facing the prospect of having both Chauncey Billups and Ronny Turiaf in their starting lineup, with players like Derrick Brown slated to have important roles off the bench.

Instead, interim GM Glen Grunwald (who, by the way, has now been promoted for his good work) moved quickly to rid himself of Billups using the amnesty provision and brought in defensive stalwart Tyson Chandler in place of Turiaf.

It didn't end there, either.

Beyond that, Grunwald also brought in what turned out to be a starting-quality point guard to replace Billups in Jeremy Lin, the league's best three-point shooter in Steve Novak and just about the best point guard you could find who was willing to accept a league-minimum contract in Baron Davis.

The midseason move to bring in J.R. Smith for a bargain $2.34 million contract was also inspired, and though he can be erratic at times, Smith will help big time in the playoffs.

Be it by pure luck or a great predictive sixth sense from Grunwald and the Knicks brass, this has left fans with many a player whom they've grown to love, each with their own individual importance and something unique that they bring to the table.

Who would have thought that coming from a team whose primary goal in free agency was supposedly to bring back Shawne Williams and sign Kwame Brown?

Fantastic Finishes

Nothing beats a late win, and with a player like Carmelo Anthony leading the way, every game brings with it the distinct possibility of a heart-racing finish.

'Melo's two big three-pointers against the Bulls this month are a prime example of this, and there's no doubt that that game will live long in the memory.

Jeremy Lin's buzzer-beating victory in the heart of Linsanity was just as captivating, and it's moments like these that add greatness to the Knicks' otherwise mediocre record.

Both are examples of winning shots in the dying seconds, but in general, fourth quarters have been exciting for the Knicks since they started to get things going in February.

Heading into the playoffs with the return of yet another clutch player in Amar'e Stoudemire, moments like these can continue to be expected.

The Underdog

Rarely can a team that has been so aggressive in free agency and trading refer to themselves as "underdogs," but the 2012 Knicks have found a way.

As the seventh seed, the Knicks will be going up against either one of last year's Eastern Conference finalists in the first round, and based on their history against these teams (and the fact that they are simply better than the Knicks), this makes New York firm underdogs.

Fighting through injuries all season contributed to the underdog status in the regular season and, of course, there was no greater underdog story in basketball this year than that of Jeremy Lin.

People just love underdogs, and if the Knicks do end up facing the NBA's most hated team in the playoffs, they may just find themselves with more national support than any New York team could ever realistically count on.

A Rivalry Rekindled

Speaking of the Miami Heat, the prospect of this playoff series could bring with it the rekindling of one of the 1990s best rivalries.

The current Knicks-Heat rivalry will never reach the brawl-inducing highs (or lows) of those 1990s battles, but it still could be as intense as the modern-day NBA could allow.

Not only is there history but there are matchups galore. Chandler vs. Bosh, Shumpert vs. Wade and, of course, LeBron vs. Anthony are all going to be fantastic matchups on both ends of the floor, with the latter taking the cake as the one to look forward to.

Fever pitch is a regular occurrence at Madison Square Garden, but the potential intensity of this rivalry, mixed with the passion of the New York crowd, could create its own brand of extreme atmosphere. 

1999

The similarities between this Knicks season and the magical run to the NBA Finals in 1999 are uncanny.

First and foremost, we have the fact that this season, like the '99 season, was shortened due to a lockout. Though that season was even shorter game-wise, the difference it made in relation to a normal 82-game season is still comparable.

Then you have the removal of two key players in John Starks and Charles Oakley who, in this case, are played by Chauncey Billups and Ronny Turiaf (okay, they aren't completely comparable), and  they are replaced with arguably superior players in Latrell Sprewell (Jeremy Lin) and Marcus Camby (Tyson Chandler).

You've also got the coaching problems, with Jeff Van Gundy almost losing his job part-way through that season, and Mike D'Antoni preemptively resigning this season.

An injury to a star big was also a theme in 1999 as it is now, with Patrick Ewing missing out on the business end of the Knicks' playoff run and Amar'e Stoudemire only just returning from his own injury.

But this is where it gets really eerie.

This year, the Knicks are going to end up most likely as the seventh seed, only one spot above their playoff spot in '99, and who will they probably be facing in the first round?

The rival Miami Heat once more.

Not to mention the fact that the San Antonio Spurs—whom the Knicks lost to in the Finals that '99 season—look set to go on their own playoff run that could eventually end with a trip back to the Big Dance.

Admittedly, I'm kind of clutching at straws here, but if this seventh-seed team is going to surprise everyone and win it all this season, the 1999 team is a pretty good example of how the Knicks can at least get to the 2012 NBA Finals.