One of the clearest manifestations of Linsanity occurred not in Toronto Tuesday night, but in Menlo Park, Calif.
That’s where Jeremy Lin’s high school coach, Peter Diepenbrock and his wife, Janet, skipped their Valentine’s Day date in order to stay home and watch Lin and the Knicks play the Toronto Raptors.
“The wife put the clamps on Valentine’s Day,” Diepenbrock, who coached Lin to a state title at Palo Alto High School, told SNY.tv by text.
Oh, the Linsanity. When will it end?
Lin’s game winning 3-pointer with .5 seconds left capped a comeback from 17 points down and gave the Knicks a 90-87 victory over the Raptors.
“Never screamed louder in my life,” Diepenbrock said.
New York has now won six straight during the Lin Dynasty, and will go for No. 7 Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden.
“I’m just glad it went like this so we can calm the Linsanity down,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni cracked to reporters in Toronto.
Diepenbrock plans to come to New York this weekend — Janet won’t be making the trip — and present Spike Lee with Lin’s No. 4 Palo Alto jersey.
Lee, who traditionally wears a Landry Fields shirt, has said on ESPN radio he will wear the jersey.
In the meantime, Lin has also made a believer out of Janet Diepenbrock.
“Our lives revolve around Knicks basketball,” Peter said. “I have coached 24 years and my wife has never given a rat’s ass about any of my games.
“Now if she misses one, she starts screaming at me. There is no bigger statement than that in regards to Jeremy’s affect on the world.”
Photo: AP
