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For two weeks of 2012, the story of the sports world was the emergence of Jeremy Lin as the most unlikely hero for the New York Knicks. Lin scored 20 or more points in 9 of 10 games from Feb. 4 to Feb. 20, leading the Knicks to an 8-2 record in those games. "Linsanity" hit its peak when he scored 38 points to out-duel Kobe Bryant and beat the Lakers, and then followed it up with a buzzer-beater two games later against the Raptors. 

That stretch made Lin a household name and helped him carve out a nine-year NBA career, but even though he only spent 35 games in a Knicks jersey in a lockout-shortened season, he will forever be associated with New York. A major reason Lin even got that opportunity was that the Knicks two top stars, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, both suffered injuries that created a need for someone to bring some scoring pop, and Lin took full advantage. 

Anthony and Stoudemire recently got together on Anthony's "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast and reminisced about what Linsanity looked like from their unique vantage points as the injured stars that created the opportunity for Lin.

Stoudemire was away from the team when it really began. Upon returning to New York, he was shocked by the number of Lin jerseys and how "the whole city is in an uproar." He was back on the court for the Raptors game, and both he and Melo laughed about Lin calling for a clear out on the final possession and then paying it off with the buzzer-beater. 

"I was like, 'What you mean clear out, man? Melo ain't here, that ball better come to me, man,'" Stoudemire said with a laugh. "What you mean clear out? So we tryin' to clear out and I'm like, 'let me see what he got.' He took a lil hesi, pull-up...and he hit it." 

While his role would diminish once Anthony and Stoudemire were both back, Lin would remain in a starting role until a torn meniscus ended his season and kept him from being part of the Knicks playoff appearance that spring. It's interesting to hear Anthony and Stoudemire talk about it because it was their absences that opened the door for Lin to run through, but like everyone else, they were shocked at the way he seized on that opportunity.