Chris Hayes: Jeremy Lin 'Is The Real Deal' (VIDEO)

Friday was a glorious night for fans of Jeremy Lin, the breakout NBA star who led the New York Knicks to their fourth straight win. Count MSNBC's Chris Hayes as one of the many people who have been swept up by "Linsanity."

Lin stunned crowds when he went from the bench to starting point guard and scored 25 points for a Knicks' victory last Saturday. Since then, Lin -- the only Asian American in the league and an undrafted Harvard graduate -- has become a sensation. On Friday night, he scored 38 points and led the Knicks to a 92-85 victory against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

Hayes was loving it. The MSNBC host excitedly tweeted his praise for Lin throughout the game, and called the "Jeremy Lin phenomenon" his "favorite thing that's happened in sports in a while." He said that he should have been in bed, but was "too in the grip of #linsanity to sleep" ("Up With Chris Hayes" airs at 7 a.m. on Saturday). Hayes joked that he would be talking about Lin for the entire first hour of the show.

The next morning, he moderated a serious discussion about the week's hotly debated issues. He was wrapping up the program when he slipped his shout-out to Jeremy Lin in between reflecting on Rick Santorum's Super PAC and the Syrian uprising.

"We now know that undrafted Harvard-educated second year New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin is the real deal. We know the only Asian American in the league manages to simultaneously confirm and confound every shopworn stereotype of Asian Americans and we know above all else, if he keeps doing things like this--" he said, pausing to replay Lin's spin move from Friday night, "he's going to continue to be the toast of the town."

Chris Hayes' tweets about Jeremy Lin and some of his followers' responses:

Comments

[Rosalee Harris]

10:34 PM on 02/13/2012

A born again Christian spending millions of dollars to elect Rick Santorum when there are children starving. How Unchristianlike of him.

Yes! Jeremy Lin IS the real deal!

[filiusj]

08:49 PM on 02/13/2012

Jeremy Lin, the Asian Sensation. I hope I coined that.

[igmond50]

07:54 AM on 02/13/2012

Hayes = max dweebie

[lisaman]

01:41 PM on 02/13/2012

Because you have no argument for his views you insult him. I can remember a time when I thought that was an appropriate response, 40 years ago when I was 13.

[igmond50]

04:09 PM on 02/16/2012

My comment has nothing to do with his opinions. He looks like a dweebie.

[enfant terrible]

01:09 AM on 02/13/2012

Chris is very effeminate.

[efmo]

01:57 AM on 02/13/2012

Is that how republicans are referring to intelligence these days?

[wakeuptothecon]

05:15 PM on 02/13/2012

not nearly as effeminate as Marcus Bachmann CH looks positively Macho next to him

[Patriot Games]

11:18 PM on 02/12/2012

The Neanderthals have spoken. Chris cannot be a sports fan because he doesn't swill beer, become stupid, barf on the guy in the row below him.

[mojo filter]

03:29 PM on 02/12/2012

I miss Rick Moranis.

[KPinSEA]

01:04 PM on 02/12/2012

NY media wildly exaggerating the significance of NY teams .... it's as old as Namath.

[Catch 22]

01:19 PM on 02/13/2012

Tell that to The Super Bowl Champs.

[VikingQuest]

12:41 PM on 02/12/2012

Getting takes from a nerd like Chris Hayes when it comes to sports is hilarious.

[BetweentheLines]

01:51 PM on 02/12/2012

So you are only allowed to comment on sports if you are a big jock, correct? What about if you make a comment on women and their reproductive rights if you are a man?
"There is already access to contracept­ion, the question now is do we need Government to mandate it which currently they feel that they should." VikingQuest
I guess you didn't think that applied to you when you commented on the story from Barbara Boxer and women's birth control pills. Your post there was as narrow minded on that subject as it is on this one. But I don't really find you attempt so hilarious.

[Patriot Games]

11:20 PM on 02/12/2012

You obviously never saw Lou Holtz. Now there is a nerdy looking guy.

[FormerlyTCnSRQ]

12:41 PM on 02/12/2012

finally...after 20 years of complete mediocrity and failure Knicks fans have something to cheer about...the Dolan family that owns them suck

[frappe]

07:58 AM on 02/12/2012

I love the "Up with Chris Hayes" show. It starts a bit early on weekends, but if you happen to be a political junkie, it's well worth the investment.

[Lifer2006]

02:14 AM on 02/12/2012

Chris:

"We now know", that it is getting tiring, listening to you say,: "We now know". Perhaps a little more creativity??

[bobbyO]

07:55 AM on 02/12/2012

We now know you don't watch the show or you would know the segment is called "we now know". Up with Chris Hayes is the best most informed interesting news show on TV.

[imfedup]

09:59 AM on 02/12/2012

Isn't that exactly what the poster wrote?

[Lifer2006]

11:34 AM on 02/12/2012

Sorry, you didn't get my point. He is brilliant and he is very good.

The fact that that is what the segment is called doesn't mean it sound's good. If you're a "left" brain type person, you'll never understand.

[jukesgrrl]

11:09 PM on 02/11/2012

Hey Chris, in my house we feel the same way about you that you feel about Lin. We think you're a phenomenon.

[brettrobbins]

10:45 PM on 02/11/2012

Boy this Maddow Doppelganger annoys me.

[essy1]

06:47 AM on 02/12/2012

Not as much as you annoy everyone else here!

[wakeuptothecon]

05:17 PM on 02/13/2012

true that

[brettrobbins]

02:25 AM on 02/15/2012

He said, staring into the mirror.

[frappe]

07:59 AM on 02/12/2012

Do us all a favor and put your head back in the sand, will you?

[DeanWormer]

08:09 PM on 02/11/2012

There's no way Hayes is a sports fan.

[jukesgrrl]

11:08 PM on 02/11/2012

Why would you say that?

[nasayer2]

07:18 PM on 02/11/2012

Dear Chris, I regret to inform you that your Bulls fan membership card is under review.

[Clay Brogdon]

12:45 PM on 02/13/2012

lol