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Former Knicks Coach Remembers Lovely Valentine's Moment

The New York Knicks have a love and affinity for Valentine's Day heroics.
Jeremy Brener|
Feb 11, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (17) against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. The Knicks defeated the Timberwolves 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images
Feb 11, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (17) against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. The Knicks defeated the Timberwolves 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images | Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

It's been 13 years since the New York Knicks and the rest of the basketball world experienced the phenomenon that was Linsanity, where Jeremy Lin broke out of nowhere to become the biggest story in sports.

Many moments helped define Lin's career with the Knicks that helped him reach nearly a decade of service in the NBA, but perhaps the most iconic shot came on Valentine's Day against the Toronto Raptors.

Former Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni reminisced over the shot Lin hit that night.

"You just watch in awe. He held it…0.5 seconds left…he was confident it was going in, no rebounds, no nothing. That ball was being buried," D'Antoni said h/t New York Basketball on X.

Lin's buzzer beater gave the Knicks their sixth straight win. They went on to win again as they faced the Sacramento Kings in their next game to get back to .500.

Lin would eventually get hurt a little more than a month after this iconic shot, knocking him out of the postseason for the Knicks, who were eliminated in the first round at the hands of the Miami Heat, who went on to win the championship that year.

Lin would not return to the Knicks the following season as the Houston Rockets offered him a four-year, $28.8 million contract that New York wasn't willing to compete against.

Lin went on to play for the Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors in his career. Lin was part of the 2019 NBA Finals with the Raptors, where they beat the Golden State Warriors in six games.

Since leaving the NBA, Lin has played in China and Taiwan, but he is coming back stateside to participate as the coach for the G League Rising Stars in tonight's Rising Stars Challenge.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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