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Ryan Wolstat: Jeremy Lin said he's ready to get his MSG return "over with." "There'll never be another first return." Twitter @WolstatSun

Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin 

Weeks later, however, he sought to downplay the significance of his return to New York. It will be a quick visit, with the Rockets playing a road back-to-back against the Raptors and Knicks that brings him to Toronto and its large, basketball-loving Asian community and New York, the heart of Linsanity. “It will be wild,” Lin said. “It will be fun. I don’t really know what will happen exactly. We’re going to go out there as a team. It’s not about me or any individual. I’m going to go out there and try to play as hard as I can, have some fun. Whatever the crowds are like, I’m sure there will be a lot of energy. “It will be good to get back to MSG. That’s where for me a lot of it began. I’ll be thankful and glad to be back.” Houston Chronicle

Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin 

Still, Lin knows the Knicks especially, will want to defeat not just the Rockets, but their former point guard. His fame brings that to many games, but perhaps to none more than the ones he will play this week. “It’s pretty much what it’s going to be every night,” Lin said. “I’ve kind of gotten used to that. Ever since the whole thing in New York, the whole Linsanity thing got blown up, and there is so much attention and media, that just makes you a natural target among the league. I think that’s what I’ve been used to. Everybody wants to get their best shot. It’s not just me. There’s other people. You look at Miami or big-market teams like LA, everybody looks forward to play against those teams. They want to give them their best shot.” Houston Chronicle

Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin 

Jeremy Lin and other members of the Houston Rockets sing a favorite Hanukkah song, "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel." Philadelphia Inquirer

Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin 

Backcourt: 1. Kobe Bryant (LAL) 639,419. 2. Chris Paul (LAC) 353,603. 3. Jeremy Lin (Hou) 298,319. 4. James Harden (Hou) 196,108. 5. Russell Westbrook (OKC) 143,437. NBCSports.com

Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Jeremy Lin 

As with any comparison, there might be more differences than similarities, even if comparing Lin to Parker of a decade ago. But at least an informed observer of both thought Lin will develop in the ways Parker did. “His shot will come,” Parker said. “Me too. I couldn’t hit a shot at the beginning of my career. I was still able to go to the basket. His shot will improve. It will help, definitely, his game. Definitely. When I start making the outside jumper on a consistent basis, that’s when I was more consistent with my performance.” Houston Chronicle

Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Jeremy Lin 

Lin was not about to compare himself to a point guard he called “elite”, but he did consider Parker a role model for a variety of reasons. “Just creating space, changing directions, using angles, floaters, his creativity in the lane,” Lin said. “He’s exceptional with his footwork. There’s a lot of things he does that people take for granted for how good he is. “I think he’s an elite point guard and someone I want to aspire to be in terms of how he leads his team to how he pushes the ball and makes plays.” Houston Chronicle

Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Jeremy Lin 

Chris Ballard: Jeremy Lin told me he's been working with his shooting coach, Doc Shepler, on reducing arc on his shot (usually it's the opposite) Twitter @SI_ChrisBallard

Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin 

Kelvin Sampson didn't hesitate when asked if Tuesday night was Jeremy Lin's best so far as a Houston Rocket. "No question. Without a doubt," Sampson said. "Best game he's played. Swagger... I thought he got his swagger back against New York. "He came back yesterday (Monday) and got a lot of shots up. He's been working hard with his shooting. You work at something, you're probably going to get better at it. But his confidence, his mojo, swagger, whatever you want to call it, he looks more comfortable on the court." CSN Houston

Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin, Kelvin Sampson 

Rockets GM Daryl Morey is an interesting interview. And when you put him on a podcast with the interesting questions and discussion run by the people at Slate, you get good insights. Morey was on a recent podcast and discussed Jeremy Lin, the state of analytics in the NBA and more, and relatively openly. (You can listen or read the transcript at the link above.) He also talked Royce White, the No. 16 overall pick of the Rockets who is not with the team right now as they try to figure out how to deal with his anxiety disorder. The Rockets knew of the disorder before the draft and it is the reason Young was still around at 16 and not taken higher in the lottery. Morey discusses why he made that pick and the risk involved. NBCSports.com

Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey, Jeremy Lin, Royce White 

Jeremy Lin: Prayers and condolences to Coach McHale and his family ... RIP Sasha Twitter

Houston Rockets, Kevin McHale, Jeremy Lin 

The Ministry of the Interior recently rejected an application for the establishment of a political party named after NBA sensation Jeremy Lin (???), saying that using someone’s name as the title of a political party runs counter to the common practices of democratic politics and violates the Civil Code. Taipei Times

Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin, Taiwan 

“It’s really tough,” Rockets guard Jeremy Lin said. “It’s, it’s a little emotional. Obviously, we all care about coach a lot. To see what he’s going through puts perspective into everything that we’re really dealing with or working toward. Houston Chronicle

Houston Rockets, Kevin McHale, Jeremy Lin 

Living up to the Linsanity hype and recovering from knee surgery got to Lin early in Rockets training camp, sources close to the team said. The late addition of James Harden didn't ease things either. Sources said reserve guard Shaun Livingston often outplayed Lin in October. Sensing Livingston might get waived at the end of camp due to financial concerns, several Rockets players and coaches pleaded with management to keep him. A point guard controversy could've arrived if Livingston stuck around, but he was waived Oct. 29. Yahoo! Sports

Houston Rockets, Shaun Livingston, Jeremy Lin 

Harden says Lin is putting "a little too much" pressure on himself. The Knicks' Carmelo Anthony disagrees. "I don't think he is playing with any pressure at all," Anthony said. "All the pressure was with him being in New York. "A guy like Harden and [Chandler] Parsons take pressure off of Jeremy." Yahoo! Sports

Houston Rockets, James Harden, Jeremy Lin 

Mike Woodson addressed the Knicks' decision not to match Jeremy Lin's contract offer from the Rockets for the first time, and said it wasn't a hard call at all. The Knicks ended up with Raymond Felton, the leader of an experienced point guard rotation that also includes Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni. "That's a business decision," Woodson said before the Knicks played the Rockets. "I don't think it was difficult. We just decided to go in a different direction, based on the guys I thought I liked in terms of Raymond, Jason and Pablo. They've been great for us. We got to continue to push them and coach them to continue to play at a high level to help us win." Newsday

Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Mike Woodson, Jeremy Lin 

Lin and Houston won the game, even if he lost part of his front tooth diving for a ball in the final seconds of the first half. It was more energy the Knicks spent all night. “I’m not looking to recreate what happened in New York,’’ Lin said. “I don’t know if I can play better than during that stretch. But I want to get better. This is a step in the right direction. I’m glad we moved in that direction. Nobody wants to start the season the way I did, but that’s the situation.’’ New York Post

Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin 

Nate Taylor: Carmelo on Jeremy Lin: “I’m pretty sure he was excited about this game. It was just good to see him back out there.” Twitter @ByNateTaylor

Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Jeremy Lin 

Felton is 28, four years older than Lin, but more significantly has a greater body of work in the N.B.A. In his eighth season, he has played in 544 regular-season games to Lin’s 76, and he took note of that disparity when he was asked about Lin on Wednesday night. “I don’t see how anybody can compare us,” he said. “I’ve been in this league much longer. He had a great run last year, one of the best I’ve ever seen. I’m glad he got his money. But to compare me and him is wrong.” New York Times

Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Raymond Felton, Jeremy Lin 

To drive home the point, Felton said he could “care less” about how Lin was playing in Houston. “I don’t even follow what he does,” he said. New York Times

Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Raymond Felton, Jeremy Lin