Knicks' D'Antoni Still 'Comfortable' Starting, Ending Games With Lin
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Jeremy Lin wasn't exactly sensational against the Boston Celtics.
Sunday's game won't do anything to curb the speculation that Baron Davis could eventually take over at point guard. Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni stood by the Harvard product on Monday, but wouldn't rule out giving the ball to Davis if Lin is struggling late in a game.
"Maybe," D'Antoni told Newsday. "We'll see. I'm comfortable going with Jeremy. ... Jeremy's going to finish games right now. He's going to start games. And then we'll see what happens as we go forward. But I'm comfortable with him."
Lin shot just 6 for 16 (1 for 7 in overtime) in the loss against Boston, including five assists, four rebounds and six turnovers. Celtics guard Rajon Rondo stole the show, though Lin sparked a Knicks run that forced the game to overtime.
D'Antoni said afterward that he expects "some mistakes" as Lin learns to play in the NBA.
"I'm not going to mess with his mind right now," D'Antoni said after practice Monday, according to the New York Post.
"Sometimes he'll have great games, sometimes not so good," he added. "But one thing I do know, he's a tough-minded kid and will find a way to win. He brought us back. He had six straight points and resurrected us and if it wasn't for (Paul) Pierce's shot, we would've won and we'd be sitting here saying he's great."
Next up Tuesday: the NBA champion Mavericks, who felt the full effects of Linsanity in a 104-97 loss to New York on Feb. 19.
Lin dropped 28 on Dallas in that game. Since then, he's has scored more than 20 only once.
"I'm learning my role and everyone's got to learn their roles: fewer minutes, fewer shots," Lin told the Post. "I don't want to be shooting numbers like before. It's an adjustment process."
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