I know I usually write on
Thursdays, but something needed to be on the HJFHS record about the latest phenomenon
going on. It’s not shocking for a Harvard grad to be doing well in New York
City (plenty of people in the business/finance sector went to school there).
It’s also not shocking for something of the Asian persuasion to dominate Google
searches (fetish porn websites). What’s shocking is that both criteria apply to
Jeremy Lin, the New York Knick point guard that is the talk of the world right
now.
Jeremy Lin went from nobody to
superhero in a two week span. He was on two NBA rosters this shortened offseason
before the Knicks claimed him on December 27th. The team had two
players injured and needed depth at the point guard position. His role was the
last guy off the bench, as he did not play in 13 of the team’s next 22 games.
In the nine games he did play in, a blowout loss to the Houston Rockets was the
only game where Lin played more than seven minutes. The Knicks sent Lin to the
developmental league in mid-January for a few days and there was talk of
cutting him before February 10th, the day his contract became
guaranteed. He was sleeping on people’s couches, knowing he could be cut at any
time. Fortunately for Lin, the team was playing horrible and Coach Mike
D’Antoni decided to see what he could do before potentially cutting him. This
was the smartest/luckiest thing D’Antoni ever did.
Getting extended playing time for
the first time since his Harvard days, Lin went off. Despite not playing with
the team’s top two players for most of this streak (Carmelo Anthony and Amare
Stoudemire), he’s led the Knicks to seven straight wins. He’s the only player
in NBA history to have at least 20 points and seven assists in his first five
starts. His 136 points during that stretch is the most since the NBA-ABA
merger. On Monday, he hit the game-winning three-pointer to beat the Toronto
Raptors. Wednesday night was the first time he didn’t score at least 20 points
in a game since Linsanity started (he only scored 10 points, but had 13
assists). Everyone and their moms know about Jeremy Lin at this point, with
President Obama giving Lin some dap this week.
This story is beyond remarkable.
I’m a sucker for underdog stories, but this is ridiculous. Victor Cruz came
from nowhere this year, but as a wide receiver, he’s only involved in 10-15
plays a game. Tim Tebow had a great run in 2011, but he was a first-round draft
pick and may be the greatest college football player of our generation. Lin was
overlooked coming out of high school, college, and in the pros. No one saw this
coming, including scouts and general managers whose main goal is to find
basketball talent.
The best way to describe Lin’s
immediate success is a perfect storm. It took a whole lot of little things to
get to where we are. Lin has talent, but was rotting away the bench. Even the
Knicks didn’t think much of Lin early on. However, the Knicks’ system was
perfect for him. Mike D’Antoni requires a point guard who can run the pick and
roll offense. Lin is suited for that style.
Despite his recent run, people
are excited to see how he plays with Amare, a forward who has thrived in that
style of offense before.
It also helps that the Knicks
didn’t have a real point guard as another option. Toney Douglas and Iman
Shumpert are shooting guards, Mike Bibby should have retired three years ago,
and Baron Davis can’t seem to get healthy. D’Antoni was relying on Douglas,
Shumpert, and Carmelo to play the point and that experiment failed. I don’t
think Lin would be scoring 20 a night on any NBA team. He needed the right
offense to get going.
Lastly, maybe Lin needed the constant
rejection. He didn’t receive one athletic scholarship offer despite being the
player of the year in high school. Despite the numbers he put up in Harvard, no
NBA teams deemed him worthy of a draft pick. All the adversity might have made
Lin a better player, forcing him to practice relentlessly and allowing him to
bide his time until he got a chance.
I know some of you are already
sick of this guy. He’s being covered by all media outlets, not just sports. The
Knicks have become a big draw on the road, as Asians-Americans are coming to
see Lin live in person. Knicks home games are the hottest ticket in town.
Stores can’t get Jeremy Lin jerseys and merchandise fast enough.
There are two guys who are not
ravaged by Linsanity. Writer Jason Whitlock made an off-color tweet about Lin
after last week’s Lakers game, playing up to the stereotype of Asians being
small in the dick department. He has since apologized, but that was retarded. A
man in the media can’t make that joke. My friends can, but not a professional.
Also, boxer Floyd Mayweather stated Lin is only getting attention due to his
race, not his play. Once again, Lin is the only person to hit up 20/7 in his
first five starts. I’m sure anyone would be getting this hype, regardless of
color. Race might play into it somewhat, but it’s not the whole story.
There are so many goofy nicknames
and word play with his last name. He’s not fantastic, he’s Lintastic. He’s not
wonderful, he’s Linderful. He’s Linsane in the Membrane. He’s Linfinty and
beyond. We get it; you can substitute Lin for in or anything for that matter.
Frankly, I’m getting sick of some of these, but I am not getting sick of the
player.
I realize Jeremy Lin will
eventually have a bad game and the Knicks will lose a game. I know Lin hasn’t faced
the toughest opponents yet. I know he turns the ball over too much for a point
guard and has other flaws. However, this is a once in a lifetime story. A guy
who couldn’t get a chance is now the biggest sports star in a big city. Will he
stop putting these types of numbers? Probably, but one doesn’t know. All I know
is this guy has woken up the Knicks from their slumber. Before their winning
streak, the team seemed to be going through the motions and D’Antoni was on the
hot seat. Now, the team has life. Teammates are genuinely excited for Lin and
his play. Despite being a Knicks fan, I think it’s good for the NBA to have the
Knicks as a positive storyline. And right now, Lin is dominating an otherwise
mundane sports world. I was on board for Cruz and Tebow. You’re damn right I’m
on board the Jeremy Lin train. I guess you can say I have yellow fever.
-Written by Marcus Boyd
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