On February 8, two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash tweeted: “If you love sports you have to love what Jeremy Lin is doing.” It’s a sentiment that I couldn’t agree with more.
As a frequent follower of NBA action, I saw each of the box scores for Lin’s first three eye-popping games as a contributing member of the New York Knicks’ lineup. He tallied 25 points and seven assists against the Nets on Feb. 4; added 28 points and eight assists versus the Jazz on Feb. 6; and recorded 23 points and 10 assists against the Wizards on Feb. 8. His point production on the NBA stage was dazzling, but once you discovered his unusual trek to the starting lineup, the numbers were out of this world.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: Lin is schooling players from around the league, seemingly every night.
Perhaps even more importantly, the Knicks were winners of three straight. Before Lin’s jaw-dropping performance off the bench against the Nets, the Knicks had lost 11 of 13 games. Since Feb. 6, when Lin was named the team’s starting point guard, the Knicks have gone 7-2 and now find themselves in second place in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division, just ahead of arch-rival Boston. It’s been a miraculous turnaround for the Knickerbockers and the biggest reason why is the guy sporting jersey No. 17.
If not for a whim by New Yorks Knicks Head Coach Mike D’Antoni on Feb. 3 against the Celtics, the 23-year-old may never have gotten any playing time at all the following night against New Jersey and might still be sleeping on his brother’s couch on the Lower East Side. But because fate intervened and D’Antoni decided to give the kid a chance, Lin’s meteoric rise in the Big Apple is nothing short of a basketball “Lin-derella” story.
Granted, Lin’s chance presented itself largely due to the rate of attrition on the Knicks’ roster. Regardless, the second-year player and Golden State castoff continues to make the most of his newfound opportunity. His whirlwind month has included scoring 38 points against Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers on Feb. 10, and 28 points against Dirk Nowitzki and the defending NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 19. Both turned out to be Knicks’ victories.
In his first nine games as a starter in New York, Lin has averaged 24.5 points. This is in sharp contrast to his stats at either Harvard (12.9 points per game) or Golden State (29 games, no starts, 2.6 points per game). In fact, Lin’s totals of 89, 109 and 136 points, respectively, in his first three, four and five career NBA starts, represent the most by any player since the ABA and NBA merger took place (1976-77). By comparison, Miami Heat superstar LeBron James averaged 16.2 points through his first nine NBA starts, while Celtics icon Paul “The Truth” Pierce averaged 19.8 points.
THE CLOTHESLINE: Opponents are finding it extremely difficult to contain Lin out on the court.
It’s a good thing the Knicks claimed the 6-foot-3 Lin off waivers on Dec. 27, 2011, as a backup. For a guy who received no athletic scholarship offers out of high school and went undrafted out of college, he certainly defines a “Lin-credible” case of dogged perseverance. With apologies to Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lin is the new straw that stirs the drink in New York City.
The Knicks (16-17) host the Atlanta Hawks (19-13) tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. Watch the “Lin-sanity” for yourself and see what everybody’s talking about around the water cooler these days.
Terry Melia is the former longtime Public Relations Manager for the Upper Deck Company and a freelance writer living in San Diego. His prose will be filling this Blog as often as he can spin them.