ALBANY, New York — First, he lifted the Knicks back into the playoff hunt. Now Jeremy Lin has put them back on TV.

The Madison Square Garden Co. said Friday it had reached a tentative deal to put Knicks games back on television for some 2 million Time Warner Cable subscribers in the New York area. New York state officials and the NBA had pressured the companies to settle.

A dispute over fees had left subscribers unable to watch the Knicks since Jan. 1, meaning they couldn't tune in to watch the undrafted point guard from Harvard come off the bench to lead the team to seven straight wins and a 15-15 record entering Friday's game against the New Orleans Hornets. Fans complained and called for a quick resolution.

One state official close to the negotiations said Lin's phenomenal run forced the deal, along with the recent play of the Rangers, whose hockey games are also carried on the MSG network.

NBA commissioner David Stern stepped in over the last two days, telling the sides how important it was to get Lin back on TV for both parties, for the league and for basketball itself, said one person close to the talks who requested anonymity.