The NBA and its national TV partners would love to put Knicks G Jeremy Lin “on-air coast-to-coast right now,” but after this Sunday's game against the Mavericks on ABC, “there’s not much flexibility,” according to Michael Hiestand of USA TODAY. The Knicks are “already scheduled to be four times on ABC, where teams are limited to five appearances, and are slated for nine games on ESPN and eight on TNT -- where teams can appear 10 times.” Turner Sports Exec Producer Jeff Behnke said that TNT will “have talks with the NBA about Knicks games ‘after the All-Star Game.’" ESPN Dir of Communications Nate Smeltz said, “We’re constantly looking at our schedule” (USATODAY.com, 2/14). Meanwhile, all three network morning shows today included a feature on Lin following last night's game against the Raptors, in which Lin hit the game-winning shot with less than a second remaining. ABC’s “GMA” featured a segment called “Lin-sanity: From Benchwarmer to Star” that aired highlights from last night. ABC’s Josh Elliott said, “After six straight wins, Lin has become the biggest star in sport” (“GMA,” ABC, 2/15). The segment on CBS’ “This Morning” was titled “Linderfella Story” and included a taped report featuring video clips, stats and background information on Lin. CBS’ Armen Keteyian appeared live in-studio, with CBS’ James Brown contributing live via satellite, to discuss Lin’s rise in popularity and his future in the NBA. Brown: “Muhammad Ali used to say, ‘I’ve done all the road work, now I can dance in the light.' The light of New York is the brightest in this country and he, Jeremy Lin, has taken full advantage of it” (“CBS This Morning,” CBS, 2/15). NBC’s “Today” aired a segment called “Legend of Lin,” with NBC’s Matt Lauer saying, “In just a couple of weeks, Jeremy Lin has gone from an unknown basketball player to a starring role with the New York Knicks.” The segment featured a taped report on Lin’s background and the rise of “Linsanity,” as well as clips of his postgame interview last night. Lauer noted, “Jerseys are selling out here in the United States and in China” (“Today,” NBC, 1/15).
SWITCH IN MOMENTUM? FOXSPORTS.com's Liz Claman reports with Time Warner Cable and MSG in a dispute that has blacked out MSG for TWC customers since Jan. 1, Knicks fans have been unable to watch the team's home games, but TWC said that it "hasn't seen a dramatic number of customers switch" to another provider. However, some analysts "believe that could change" if the Knicks remain successful behind Lin. Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett said, "There is no question that (Lin's) arrival has turned up the heat on Time Warner Cable." Collins Stewart analyst Thomas Eagan "believes that while the Lin Effect is a force to be reckoned with, Time Warner Cable still has home-court advantage because some Knicks games still can be seen on other networks -- such as ABC and TNT -- that Time Warner carries" (FOXSPORTS.com, 2/15). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Shalini Ramachandran notes nearly seven weeks into the "highly publicized dispute over rate increases," MSG's ratings are now "soaring" due to Lin. The longstanding blackout combined with Lin's popularity "could prompt some Time Warner Cable subscribers to switch TV providers." Both TWC and MSG have said that talks "haven't progressed despite the media buzz" over Lin (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/15). Meanwhile, the Knicks host the Kings tonight, meaning Lin will play against upstate New York native Jimmer Fredette. In Albany, Pete Iorizzo writes if this game "creates a groundswell of anger, that might be a good thing," as it could move the meter "enough to force the parties to broker a deal" (TIMESUNION.com, 2/15).
EXTENDING THE LINSANITY: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's William Connors notes 75 reporters and 16 cameras last night "packed a rare pre-game press conference to hear Lin speak, with dozens more turned away to prevent overcrowding." More than 25 Chinese-Canadian journalists "were due to cover the game." The Raptors "used Lin on their website to promote the game, and even showed a Lin highlight reel video on the jumbotron before the game" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/15). Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni, referencing the amount of media, yesterday asked, "Did we make the playoffs?" (NORTHJERSEY.com, 2/14). In N.Y., Howard Beck notes the "Jeremy Lin show crossed the northern border Tuesday, pushing Linsanity to new heights and new latitudes." Members of Chinese and Taiwanese groups "purchased about 600 discounted tickets to Tuesday's game, helping make it an atypical sellout for the Raptors" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/15). Meanwhile, in New Jersey, Andrew Gross wrote with Lin being "treated as the Knicks’ greatest player ever after just five games, the Rangers’ excellent adventure this season is virtually unnoticed." Gross: "Granted, hockey’s window for capturing headlines is typically small, squeezed into the two weeks or so between the Super Bowl and pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training." Gross wrote, "This should have been the Rangers’ time. Were it not for Linsanity" (Bergen RECORD, 2/14).
ONLY IN N.Y.: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jason Gay notes it is "not wrong to say” N.Y. is a big driver in the Lin hysteria, as the story “swelled fast because it's happening in a sweaty, hungry mega-media hothouse.” Gay writes Lin's rise is “so irresistible it would have been news anywhere, but we can presume there would have been lighter fuss if Lin had come off the bench and overhauled, say, the Charlotte Bobcats.” N.Y. “makes everything a little larger, louder, unavoidable, for better and definitely also for worse” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/15).
