Jeremy Lin hears his Garden cheers turn to boos

The boos spilled out of the stands at Madison Square Garden. A former Knicks phenomenon had just checked into the game with 2:28 left in the first quarter, No. 7 in Charlotte blue, who used to be known around here by one word: Linsanity. "I guess it shows it's just on to the next thing, which it should be for them," Jeremy Lin said afterward. "I'd be surprised if I came back and kept getting cheered. Knicks fans should root for the Knicks players."

Lin lit a spark for the Hornets Tuesday night. Their nine-point deficit became an eight-point lead in the second quarter, which shrunk to a two-point lead at the intermission despite 11 points and three assists by Lin.

But like his time with the Knicks, the success was fleeting on this night. The sixth-year guard didn't have the same impact in the second half with two points and no assists. And the Knicks emerged with a 102-94 victory. "We didn't hit a lot of shots that we normally make and we didn't defend the way we're capable of," Lin said. "That's what sticks out more than anything for me. I'm going to score within the flow of the offense. Sometimes it's going my way and sometimes it's not."

His Knicks run lasted just 35 games back in the 2011-12 season. Linsanity took off with his insertion into the lineup in February 2012. But the Knicks declined to match Houston's offer after the season. His career didn't take off with the Rockets, though. He moved on after two seasons to the Lakers for 2014-15. It didn't go particularly well in Los Angeles, either.

So the former Harvard star went shopping for a new team as a free agent. Charlotte coach Steve Clifford studied video and spoke to Lin's old coach with the Knicks. Mike D'Antoni gave a four-star review.

And Lin has worked out well overall in this early going after signing a two-year, $4.37-million deal. He has been backing up at both the point and shooting guard and is averaging 11.6 points for the 5-6 Hornets.

"I know this: He's hard-working," Clifford said. "He has natural energy on the floor. He has good toughness. His defense, to me, has improved significantly already."

Linsanity has given way to Porzingis-mania. Kristaps Porzingis, the fourth overall pick in this year's draft, finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds. And the crowd kept chanting "Por-zing-is."

"To be honest, I think it's apples to oranges, and that's not in any offensive way at all toward him, if you look at the stories and the way everything happened," Lin said. "The kid is so young. It's different circumstances. He's a great player. He's going to be really good."