After all, it was Tuesday night and Rasual Butler had just airballed a desperation three at the horn, meaning the Raptors had just lost their second consecutive game.
Oops, excuse me: they had just lost their second consecutive game within five seconds of the final buzzer. Sunday night, it was to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, a fate many teams have shared throughout Mr. Bean's career.
Tuesday night had to hurt much more though, for as the straight-on three rippled the opposing basket with half a second left, the crowd roared...for the visiting New York Knicks.
The Raptors had become the latest victims of Linsanity.
In the Knick of time
Before Jeremy Lin was pulled from the end of the bench, the Knicks were in a familiar downward spiral. They were 8-15, near the bottom of the Atlantic Division, and without a clue as to who would start at the point. Toney Douglas was the backup, Mike Bibby wasn't ready, Baron Davis was still injured, and Iman Shumpert was a rookie. So Mike D'Antoni pulled Lin in against the Nets, and the sensation took off from there.
Lin set NBA records for points in his first three, four, and five starts, has averaged almost nine assists in his six starts (including tonight against the Kings, where he has nine assists at halftime), and dropped 38 points in NY's win against the Lakers. The same Lakers that lead the league in rebounds and are fourth in points allowed.
There is no doubt that Jeremy Lin has been the catalyst for New York's sudden resurgence, and he added to his burgeoning legend with an ice-cold step-up three over Jose Calderon Tuesday that gave the Knicks their sixth straight win. That, along with the scintillating spin move around D-Fish Friday, proved to me that the kid has that intangible quality every NBA player needs: a legitimate swagger. Bird and Magic had it. George Gervin and Pistol Pete had it. Michael, Scottie, Hakeem and Shaq had it. Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Carmelo, Rose, Dwight—all these guys have that innate arrogance in their games; they know they're better. Jeremy Lin has that same look in his eyes, and you saw it before the shot over Calderon when he waved off any possible screens from his teammates. But that begs the question: is he really better?
As Rick James would say, coold-bloooded.
An examination of the statistics
Up to this point, the NBA book on Lin is slim:
- Graduated from Harvard in '10, went undrafted
- Got an invite to the Golden State Warriors' summer league team. Stayed on Warriors' roster for the season, 11th man on bench (behind Steph Curry and Monta Ellis)
- Waived by Warriors during lockout, got on with Rockets in preseason, subsequently waived. Picked up by Knicks in December, sent down to D-League during season, recalled by Knicks in late January
That's what the casual NBA fan knows about Jeremy Lin. Here's a deeper look at Lin's basketball career:
- Northern California Division II high school player of the year in 2006, won DII state title, named player of the year by San Francisco and San Jose major newspapers.
- First player in Ivy League history to finish career with at least 1,450 points, 450 rebounds, 400 assists and 200 steals. Put up 30 points and nine rebounds in a road game against #12 Connecticut his senior year. Said Jim Calhoun: "He's one of the better kids, including Big East guards, who have come in here in quite some time."
- In a summer league against highly-touted John Wall, Lin scored 13 points on 6-12 shooting in 28 minutes. Wall put up 21 points, shooting 4-19 in 33 minutes.
- In six starts for the Knicks, Lin has shot 54 percent from the field, averaged 9.5 assists and almost four rebounds.
It's only been six games, but the game tonight against the Kings is the most telling. The Knicks led 77-55 going into the fourth quarter, and Lin had only taken six shots. Put that against 13 assists, and you have the prototypical NBA point guard. Lin can pass well, penetrate the lane and shoots when necessary.
Jeremy Lin is good.
Tebow? Really?
Lin has drawn many comparisons to Tim Tebow, due to their similar rise and chronological proximity. This, along with the natural polarization of such an unlikely success story, has created an uproar across the social media network. Many people are fans of "Linsanity", while others are dismissing him as a flash in the pan, or as Floyd Mayweather put it, a feel-good story hyped because of his race.
Stop yourself right now. Jeremy Lin is none of those things.
In a roundtable discussion on ESPN, their sports experts were asked to compare Lin to Tebow. Mark Schlereth hit the nail on the head when he said that Lin has a much better skill set for his position than Tim Tebow. Lin is a good point guard; Tim Tebow is not a good quarterback. Point proven.
Aside from Floyd Mayweather only getting press for ducking Manny Pacquiao lately, he's not new to being a loudmouth. This time, Money needs to shut up. If Jeremy Lin does suddenly stop producing for the Knicks, it will not be due to his race, it will be because he was not who we thought he was. The enthusiasm of the Asian community is great for him, for them and for the NBA, who has been left with a void since Yao Ming's retirement. Still, Lin should not be looked at solely as an Asian-American ballplayer. In conclusion: Floyd, shut up until the day you can say "I'm ready to fight Manny for the title."
So what's really good?
The verdict: Jeremy Lin is what's good. The kid has the pedigree, he's putting up the numbers and the Knicks are winning games. With tonight's serving of Sacramento, the Knickerbockers are over .500 for the first time this year. When Carmelo Anthony comes back, expect J-Lin to morph into a Jason Kidd-type player: moving the ball, racking up assists, driving the lane and making big shots. He's already show the innate ability to draw contact and finish, and the shortened season will only help.
Keep the Linsanity going, cheap seaters. Just wait 'til Spike buys his #17 jersey.
That's what's good.
JS
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