They said he couldn't shoot. They said he couldn't play defense. They said he couldn't beat the good teams in the NBA. They said all of this is just luck and it won't last long.
Nope.
After New York's 92-85 thrilling victory over the Lakers last night, it's time to believe that Jeremy Lin is for real. Linsanity, folks, is the new sensation to watch for in the NBA.
After three solid games against mediocre NBA teams, where Lin averaged around 25 point and seven assists per game, Lin was going against his toughest opponent yet: Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
All the critics said he wouldn't do good and that he was no match for the Black Mamba.
Wrong.
Lin actually had his best game yet, hitting shots everywhere and finishing with 38 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.
Before the game, journalists were asking Kobe if he has heard of Lin. Bryant said he has never and that he will try taking a look at him sometime before the big match-up in the Garden. Last night, he saw a good glimpse of what this Harvard graduate can do.
I remember watching Lin play at Harvard and I thought he can actually be something in the NBA. But damn, I never thought he would be this good! After going undrafted, he signed to a contract with the Warriors. He played there for a year before getting cut as they tried to bring DeAndre Jordan during free agency. Didn't happen. Instead, Lin went on to Houston, before getting cut quickly afterwards.
And just in December, he was signed by the Knicks to be a third-string point guard. He proved more than that. New York was on the verge of cutting him, too, before he showed up scoring 25 points on the New Jersey Nets. They ended up starting him for the next game and then -- BOOM! -- the Lin Dynasty had begun.Honestly, I don't understand why people can't just believe in him. This is not exactly like Tim Tebow. Tebow doesn't have all the skills yet. Neither does Lin, but he is more ready for his league, and you can see that. But of course, there is still always going to be haters. It just makes me happy seeing guys like these become successful. Lin had to go through a lot to make it here. As an Asian-American myself, it's great to witness true underdog stories like these. Lin went from sleeping on his brother's couch, and now into his own apartment, lighting it up in Madison Square Garden.
Plus, Jeremy is winning (or "linning" since we are caught up in all the puns for his last name)! After this Lakers' win, Lin is now 4-0. And no, he's not doing this with the Knicks' best players; Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony are out this week! So there is no excuse for saying he is all hype. He's doing this with guys like Steve Novak and Jared Jeffries. He's doing it when Tyson Chandler is his best player left. You can't tell me he is overrated when he's doing this with this kind of group of guys. And as I mentioned earlier, he's 4-0!
Just wait until the Knicks finally get Baron Davis, Melo, and Amare back. They can start winning even more. And in Mike D'Antoni's system, this is where point guards excel. This is how we saw Steve Nash emerge. Now it's Lin's turn. And for New Yorkers, your team is finally winning.
All you needed was a point guard, and they have found him.
Sorry Melo, but as for right now, the Big Apple belongs to Jeremy Lin.
And for all the haters, welcome to The Lin Dynasty.
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