Spurs, Parker Send Lin, Knicks To 3rd Straight Loss: Is Linsanity Over? [VIDEO]

The Knicks of the past few weeks barely resemble the Linsanity of several weeks ago that took NY fans by storm and turned the team temporarily into the jeremy lin show.  Anthony Melo Carmelo led the team again, scoring 27 points. Melo played an aggressive but inefficient game, missing six of his last seven shots as he turned lethargic at the end of the game. Since Anthony's return the Knicks have been 2 for 5, suggesting that Melo and Lin may not be the dream some fans had hoped for.

Jeremy Lin is still the play-making dishing point guard that the Knicks need, but his game has some serious weaknesses that other teams are starting to pick up on. His high rate of turnovers and inability to drive with his left hand make it easy for the defense to exploit Lin game and shut him down on offense. Lin scored 20 points and an additional four assists throughout the game. Amare Stoudemire added 18 points and 11 rebounds but it wasn't enough. Coach Mike D'Antoni's decision to take Landry Fields off the starting lineup didn't help either. The Knicks were also missing consistent player Jared Jeffries. 

D'antoni has told the press that he is still struggling to figure out a successful team dynamic that will spell offensive success. He claimed that Landy was not being demoted, rather the move was an effort to rework to team's organization in the hopes of find the equation for victory.

You have to work through. But there's no reason why it can't co-exist, D'Antoni said. There's no reason why everybody shouldn't do well. We just got to find the right balance of everybody getting into their spots.

The Spurs are also working with a recently reassembled team, but their victory tonight demonstrates that they have been more successful in quickly building a strong team chemistry. San Anotnio was lead by Tony Parker, who who scored 32 points against the Knicks. Both Lin and Landry Fields unsuccessfully attempted to cover Parker on defense. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili added 17 points each. Ginobili's second game back after missing two weeks with strained stomach muscles. Gary Neal scored 12 points, finally making it to the starting lineup. DeJuan Blair, Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter each scored 10 points for the Spurs. the spurs' coach Gregg Popovich was ejected from the game in the third quarter following a heated argument with the referees over foul calls.

The Knicks trailed in points for most of the game, with an ominous 101-77 point gap with ten minutes left in the fourth quarter. NY managed to pull off an impressive 2-14 point run, but failed to turn that momentum into victory.

Checkout game highlights at KnicksNow.com. The Knicks and Jeremy Lin will go on to play Milwaukee on Friday, March 9, 2012.