What's Good: the Case for Linsanity

The Toronto Raptors had to be seeing double, and not in a good way, like when you see a pair of extremely fine identical twins.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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."
3. 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.
4. 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

The Fight That Never Comes

In approximately 14 months, the most anticipated fight of the last 10 years will finally happen. November 22, 2012. Thanksgiving night, if the NFL doesn't bully its way into a third night game.

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao will finally come to fruition...according to Jalen Rose.

Finally. We have a soothsayer whom we can trust, right? Jalen wouldn't steer us wrong.


Imagine it. Imagine the sheer amount of money that would change hands to watch the fight. The ticket sales at the MGM Grand. The ticket sales at bars and restaurants and movie theaters across America and in the Phillippines. The pay-per-view numbers. The millions of dollars put in at betting houses and the casual bets in office pools. (Not to mention Skip Bayless' secret horror at the fact Mayweather could possibly win.)

It would be the largest gate for a boxing match since the Rumble in the Jungle, which as much anticipation as Ali vs. Foreman.

Imagine it.

For that's all you and I will be able to do.

Wishin', and hopin', and thinkin'

Floyd Mayweather is cocky. He is arrogant. Shoot, he's an asshole. He really hates Larry Merchant, too. But he is a very good fighter. He controlled Victor Ortiz through most of his last fight, and he didn't throw any low blows or cheap shots. Even the supposed cheap punch he took to stun Ortiz was not what it seemed. The gloves had touched and the referee had signaled for continuation.

Somehow, that adds to Floyd's aura as a villain. You can almost see his "Rise" commercial: "Should I really think this ruined my legacy?"

Floyd Mayweather is one of the best welterweights of all time on record alone. He's been rated as Fighter of the Year twice, almost ten years apart. Outside of that, he's a man who believes he is the best of all-time, probably no matter the weight class and is out only for himself, a fact confirmed in his post-bout interview with Merchant. I mean, come on, Floyd, you shouted out your record company?

Muhammad Ali believed he was the best and proved it by losing, coming back and winning. Floyd Mayweather says he's the best, but I don't believe he can come back from a loss; he's never had to. With Pacquiao the last and only clear test left on his horizon, Mayweather's choices are clear: pick up a pencil and take the chance to fail or take a fast powder out of the classroom.

I get the feeling Floyd didn't enjoy tests in school.

Paths diverge and converge, again

Prior to his resounding defeat over Victor Ortiz, the last solid knockout Mayweather scored was against the "Big Show" Paul Wight at Wrestlemania 24. Considering it took four chair shots and a set of brass knuckles (not to mention a "professional" wrestling match), it was somewhat less than a clean victory. It does illustrate the career path of Floyd "Money" Mayweather: entertainer.

We've gone over the shout to his record company after the Ortiz bout. We just mentioned the WWE appearance. Add to that his retirement from boxing in 2007 to focus on his promotional company, as well as his appearance on Dancing with the Stars that same year, and it's clear that "Money" Mayweather truly lives up to his nickname.

Meanwhile, Manny Pacquiao is also one of the greatest fighters of the last decade, but he is not making his bread solely from boxing. His burgeoning political career has been highly publicized by Skip Bayless (I think he mentions it on "First Take" even when they're not discussing boxing), and Pacquaio has done TV work since 2005, most notably in the U.S. after appearing on Tosh.0. Not surprisingly, Tosh took a shot at Mayweather after taking a shot from Pacquiao: "See, Mayweather? That's how a man behaves."

Both these men are well-documented world-class fighters who have the records and the opponents to prove it. And the main link between both of these men is that they're lives will not be lived in the ring. For them, boxing is a means to an end and not the end itself.

That's something George Foreman realized, something Joe Frazier didn't, and something Muhammad Ali couldn't understand.

What if...

The main stumbling block is the random drug testing the Mayweather camp has demanded. What makes it more surreal is that Pacquiao accepted the testing, with the condition that random testing end two weeks before the fight—and Mayweather balked. Why Money chose to not accept Pacquiao's compromise is beyond me. He should have realized the sports world would react the way they have with calling him everything from "afraid" to "coward".

Is "Money" Mayweather afraid of Manny Pacquiao? I honestly don't think so. Would it be the lopsided affair for the Fighting Filipino everyone believes it would be? No. Floyd Mayweather would give Manny a run. Besides, no boxing fan in their right minds wants a two-round KO. They want a fight for the ages.

That, in today's boxing world, is just not possible. Gone are the days of heavyweight bouts past where kids and parents would gather around the radio a la Cinderella Man. Gone are the days when Wide World of Sports would have up-to-the-minute coverage of Ali vs. Frazier with Howard Cosell ever present at ringside. Gone are the days, even, when millions of viewers would put up hard-earned cash on a pay-per-view for Tyson vs. Holyfield and witness the moment of a lifetime.

Those days are gone for boxing. This fight might save the sport, but ultimately, I think Mayweather-Pacquiao would be the final convulsion for the sweet science's professional realm. Perhaps deep down, both of these men realize that and that is why neither will budge on their demands.

But imagine it. Next Thanksgiving, 2012, in the middle of a huge fall sports season. The NBA lockout has ended and football is full-swing, but the world will pause to watch the best in the world settle the question we've been asking for three or four years now.

The day has arrived, the stage has been set
Everyone in America has laid down a bet
The Strip is deserted, the schools were closed down
Tonight, this is the only ticket in town.
"I knew it couldn't happen, I knew he wouldn't show"
Says Skip Bayless loudly from his seat in the front row.
"He's afraid of Pacquiao—" SMACK! "You know what?"
"The fight's starting," says Jalen. "Skip, please shut up!"
And then a roar in the grandstand, a roar in the rafters
Surely there's only one thing that can come after
And yes, it's Mayweather, his posse in tow
The Pretty Boy finally decided to show
His face is a mask, he's ready to settle
They've called him a coward, it's time to prove mettle.
Larry Merchant is ringside, preparing his cards
"I wonder what Floyd will say after getting hit so hard?"
Now the time has come, they're both in the ring
It's time to determine who's really the king
And as they touch gloves and the bell rings...


We all wish this could be more than a beautiful dream.

See you in the cheap seats.

JS