Jeremy Lin Takes NBA and World by Storm

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright February 20, 2012
All Rights Reserved.                                         

           Twenty-three year-old Asian American basketball player Jeremy Lin has taken the sports world by storm, becoming an instant sensation on the New York Knicks.  Starting as a point guard February 4 due to an injury to point guard Baron Davis, Lin’s first start with the Knicks against the New Jersey nets took off like a rocket, scoring 25 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, proving coach Mike D’Antoni’s experiment an act of genius.  No one expected the 6-foot-three-inch Asian basketball player to make up for disabling injuries to the Knicks’ superstar shooting guard Carmelo Anthony and power forward Amare Stoudemire. After beating the New Jersey Nets 99-92 Feb. 4, Lin exceeded all expectations throwing down 28 points, beating the Utah Jazz 99-88.  With Melo and Stoudemire on the bench, Lin’s success was looking remarkable, giving Nicks’ fans something to cheer about.

            Lin followed up the Utah win, scoring 23 point and 10 assists, a coveted double-double, beating the Washington Wizards 107-93.  His real test came in Madison Square Garden playing Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers Feb. 10, where defensive-minded coach Mike Brown had no answer for the 23-year-old upstart, previously cut by the Golden State Warriors Dec. 9, 2011 and Houston Rockets Dec. 12, 2011, paving his way for his eventual acquisition by the Knicks Dec. 27, 2011.  When her ran circles around the Lakers, throwing down a career high 38 points on way to a 95-82 victory, Lin was such a sensation his relatives in Taiwan could barely go work with the media feeding frenzy.  Even five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant was hard-pressed to explain Lin’s success, saying Lin’s skills didn’t come overnight and were probably overlooked by more conventional scouts.

            Shooting 49.7%, averaging 14.3 points, 5.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds over 18 games, Lin’s numbers are among the best for elite point guards. When Carmelo comes back to the lineup, Knicks’ fans fear more ball-hogging and less sophistication now seen in Lin’s ball-handling, distribution and court management skills.  No one really knows what to expect once Melo returns to the court.  Lin’s success comes from the same skill sets seen in former Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton or currently personified by Phoenix Suns’ All-star point guard Steve Nash.  Like Stockton or Nash, Linn too doesn’t have the height or impressive athletic skills so often favored over court intelligence by scouts and general managers.  Lin, who played college ball at Harvard, more than makes up for his lack of athleticism with keen court vision and management, setting up his teammates for complete team basketball.

            When Lin finally went up against the reigning NBA champs Dallas Mavericks, no one knew what to expect for the otherwise up-and-down Knicks.  Scoring 28 points, including a late 4th quarter three-pointer over Maverick’s All-star and MVP 7-footer Dirk Nowitzki, Lin did it again, setting up his newly acquired forward J.R. Smith for 15 points, beating the Mavs 104-97.  Lin ended Dallas’ six-game win-streak helping his team win eight out its last nine games.  Dubbed “Linsanity” by the press, Lin’s sensational success proves that basketball IQ, motivation and drive count for as much as raw talent in the NBA.  Lin doesn’t jump higher, run faster or shoot better than his more athletic counterparts.  He beats his opponents with guile and intelligence.  Whether he can keep up the breakneck pace is anyone’s guess.  Scoring 14.3 points a game proves that Lin’s only human.

            Lin’s sensational on-court success and media attention has traveled across the Pacific to his family in Taiwan.  “One special request I have is for the media in Taiwan to kind of give them their space because they can’t go to work without being bombarded and people following them,” Lin said, begging the press to back off.  Given the New York spotlight, it’s unlikely that the press will disappear anytime soon.  Lin’s an international sensation because he’s made as an underdog for the moment on the world’s biggest stage.  He’s defied all the odds and proven the scouts wrong, helping his team win and burnishing his reputation as one of the NBA’s elite point guards.  “I just want people to respect the privacy of my relatives in Taiwan.  Hopefully, this will get back to everybody because they need to live their lives,” said Lin.  As long as he’s still lighting it up, the press will do their job.

            Lin’s international sensation has to do with an Asian kid beating the odds and succeeding on the world’s toughest basketball stage:  The NBA.  Competing against the world’s top athletes, Lin proves, once again, that brains and savvy count for as much as raw talent, at least when it comes to point guards.  Now in his 16th season at age 38, Nash gives Lin plenty of hope, averaging over 14 points and 11 assists a game.  Lin should take a good lesson about Nash’s longevity, playing more cleverly than more athletic and taller players.  When Carmelo Anthony returns to the Knicks’ lineup, Lin should follow Nash’s lead, setting up his more athletic and talented teammates, as Nash did for years with Stoudemire.  More than Nash or other smaller NBA point guards, Lin’s heroic stature is guaranteed by being the first and only Asian American ball player to ever play in the NBA.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.       

©1999-2012 Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.
(310) 204-8300
All Rights Reserved.