Jeremy Lin Has The Most Points In Anyone's First 3 NBA Starts In A Long Time

Read More: Jeremy Lin (G - NYK), New York Knicks

Since the merger, actually. Since the 1976-1977 season — which ended with the Portland Trail Blazers' most recent championship — no NBA player has scored more points in their first three starts than Jeremy Lin a.k.a Linsanity a.k.a The Harvard Hurricane a.k.a. Super Lintendo.

Jeremy Lin has 89 points thru his first 3 starts, most pts by ANY NBA PLAYER in his first 3 starts since the merger (1976-77) via #Elias

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 11, 2012

Those are some Lincredible numbers. I'm not going to play the comparison game, though. I mean, who cares how many points Michael Jordan scored in his first three starts (74)? Does it matter what Karl Malone, who scored the most points of anyone since the merger, did those first three starts (35)? How about the game's active leading scorer, who also happened to be Lin's opponent, Kobe Bryant (41)? Hmm, would it matter if it was more recent, and played Lin's position, like Derrick Rose (55)?

It doesn't matter at all, we think. He can't possibly continue this, we believe. But if leading the New York Knicks to four wins in the four games he's made his contributions doesn't convince you he's making real progress as a starting NBA point guard and doesn't convince you he's around for the long haul, maybe some history will.

For more on Linsanity in all its forms, check out Knicks blog Posting and Toasting and SB Nation New York.