Lin's big game against former team

NEW YORK – Across from the visiting locker room inside Madison Square Garden, the door swung open and Jeremy Lin walked out with a smile stretching the length of Seventh Avenue. For the way he had been torturing himself, for the way the Knicks had gone to great lengths to minimize his legitimacy, Lin's face was flushed with sweet freedom.

"That was awesome," Lin beamed to a Houston Rockets official awaiting him. "That was so much fun."

The Knicks had wanted so badly to embarrass him Monday night, tried so hard that they lost a sense of themselves and twice now let Lin and the Rockets blow them out of the building. They had trashed him publicly and privately upon his departure to Houston as a restricted free agent, treating Lin like a momentary fairy tale free of substance and staying power. For one more stubborn night, Linsanity lived in the Garden.

Jeremy Lin drives past Raymond Felton. (AP)

All over again, Lin broke down defenders, pushed into the paint and scored on runners and layups and whizzed passes to uncovered shooters beyond the 3-point line. All over again, Lin had the game on a yo-yo here, had the Garden mesmerized. Jeremy Lin had 22 points and eight assists in the Rockets' 109-96 victory over the Knicks, Lin had validated himself.

He's no superstar in the NBA – and never will be – but he has a resolve, a fortitude that commands respect. He's never cowered, never backed down. The Knicks were waiting for him – unbeaten in the Garden, best record in the Eastern Conference, celebrating themselves as championship contenders – and Lin and James Harden dismantled them.

"I am glad this is over," Lin told Yahoo! Sports late Monday night. "This is a little bit of closure."

He had left behind the interview podium, the locker room and stood in an empty Garden. Finally, he smiled and allowed, "But I did have fun playing them."
The time of his life. Again.