Jeremy Lin scores for TV, Twitter and the Knicks

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It’s way too early to call Jeremy Lin the next Michael Jordan. But the newly minted New York Knicks star is the best thing to happen to basketball on TV in a long time.

The Harvard-educated point guard has racked up an average of 27 points per game since Feb. 4, a sudden rise to fame that’s boosting TV ratings and generating Twitter buzz.

Last week’s matchup between the Knicks and the Lakers on ESPN had more than 3 million total viewers, making it the most-watched Friday night game this season on the network, according to Nielsen.

In the New York area, ‘Linsanity’ has boosted viewing of Knicks games on ESPN and MSG by 73%.

Meanwhile, according to new media tracker NM Incite, a Nielsen company, ‘Online mentions of Lin went from zero prior to February 4 to 0.32 percent of all online conversation on February 15—more than the Knicks, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant combined.’

Nielsen has the details and some chartage.

Do you think the Lin effect will last?

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-- Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollins)