This week’s Who Really Wore It Best segment is an intriguing one: Linsanity vs. Novakaine.
For the first time, it’s pitting two players up against one another who were short lived teammates. Even though Novak played for the Knicks for just two seasons, he remains an all-time fan favorite due to his marksman shooting as best three-point shooters in Knicks history. On the flipside, there has never been another story in NBA history quite like Linsanity. Though short-lived over the span of twelve games, Linsanity took the world by storm, making the Knicks the most relevant team in professional sports for the first time in over a decade.
Coincidentally, Linsanity unfolded during the same season Novak led the league in three-point shooting percentage. I won’t share my pick this week to not sway the vote in either direction, but I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Antonio Losada
#16 Steve Novak — Of the seventeen Knicks to have worn the #16, Novak won WWIB #16 with 83% of the votes. Although Novak only spent two seasons with the Knicks, he remains a cherished all-time fan favorite. In the 2011-12 season, Novak led the league in 3-point percentage and tied with Kevin Durant for the third-highest number of made threes. The crowd at the Garden was electrified nightly as “Novakaine”, following every successful three-pointer, signaled for a championship belt, à la Aaron Rodgers, to be metaphorically wrapped around his waist.
During the Knicks’ 2012-13 season, which ended with an impressive 54-28 record, Novak played a key role off the bench, appearing in 81 regular-season games and shooting 42.5% from beyond the arc. His sharpshooting helped the Knicks advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
Novak would go on to play with four more teams after his two-year stay in New York, up until he retired in 2017. Over a decade later, Novak continues to receive one of the loudest ovations of all participants during the annual Knicks Legends game. From his first three-pointer made as Knick until the end of time, Novak will always be remembered as one of the greatest three-point shooters in Knicks franchise history.
New Orleans Hornets v New York Knicks
#17 Jeremy Lin — The excitement of Linsanity still resonates deeply with Knicks fans today. Linsanity earned 79% of the votes during last year’s WWIB #17, with Henry Bibby coming in a distant second with 14%.
What Jeremy Lin did for the Knicks in 2012 ranks right up there amongst the same levels of excitement brought to the Garden by other legendary Knicks players.
Over the span of nine games, during which Jeremy Lin guided the Knicks to eight wins, seven of them consecutive, his extraordinary journey unfolded from an unexpected spot start, creating one of the most captivating stories in NBA history. Years later the phenomenon is still alive, which was most recently documented by HBO. For each one of those 12 games in which “Linsanity” occurred, a debate could be had over which one served as the most memorable.
Was it his electrifying 38-point performance against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, punctuated by the irony of Kobe telling reporters before the game that he had no idea who Jeremy Lin was?
Los Angeles Lakers v New York Knicks Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images
Or was it his cold-blooded game-winner in Toronto, where 20,000 fans stood on their feet as the game remained tied at 87 with 17 seconds left? Lin dribbled at mid-court, eyes locked on the basket as the world watched. Waving off any help, he let the clock tick down to five seconds, took four dribbles toward the top of the key, and pulled up for a three-pointer. As that moment unfolded, I don’t believe that anyone, Raptors fans alike, ever believed that shot wasn’t going to go in. That game also secured Lin’s place in NBA history, making him the first player ever to score at least 20 points and record seven assists in each of his first five career starts.
Although all great things must come to an end, Lin’s historical run saved the Knicks’ season that year and propelled them to the NBA Playoffs. The New York Times dubbed Lin the most popular Knicks player in a decade, and this was while he was on the same team as Carmelo Anthony and Amare’ Stoudemire.
As I mentioned in the introduction, I’m keeping my thoughts to myself on this one, but I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s opinions in the comments section.
Poll
Who Really Wore it Best?
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#16 Steve Novak
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#17 Jeremy Lin
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