02/10/12

The sports’ world has had its fair share of sports fad. From Week 7 through the Divisional Playoffs, Tim Tebow was the definition of a fad, tacking on straight six wins at one point, only to be utterly crushed by the Patriots, once in the regular season and then again in the Divisional Playoffs.. But with the Super Bowl gone and the Tebow craze done, the spotlight shines in the Big Apple on the New York Knicks’ new star, Jeremy Lin. With Baron Davis injured, Mike Bibby and Toney Douglas failing, and the rookie Iman Shumpert floundering under the spotlight, the Knicks turned to Lin, the 2nd year man out of Harvard to lead the team. And Jeremy did not disappoint. Lin put up 25 points, handed out 7 assists, and grabbed 5 rebounds, leading the Knicks past the New Jersey Nets. In the next two games, Jeremy Lin continued his dominance, scoring 20+ points against the Jazz and the Wizards. But now, he faces his first true test. Kobe Bryant. Tonight the re-energized Knicks will pit themselves against Kobe and the Lakers at Madison Square Garden. Today, the “Linsanity” proves itself or falls apart.

02/11/12
After watching the Lakers-Knicks game at Madison Square Garden, I’ve gone “Linsane”. Jeremy Lin showed Kobe Bryant up, whom in a previous interview before the game;  said he didn’t really know what Lin did. But now, I’m sure, he knows very well. I’ve been watching basketball for five years now and Jeremy Lin is the best play-making point guard I’ve seen since Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash. Lin displays excellent court vision and he can place a pinpoint pass from 15 feet away. But that is not all. Jeremy Lin can also read defenses, hit jump shots, and drive through traffic in the lane. At the beginning of the game, the Lakers were dropping under the screens to open up Lin. So Jeremy took advantage of this by pulling and hitting four 15+ feet jumpers in the first quarter. But when the Lakers started to go through the screens, Lin beat them to the basket, laying it in six times throughout the game. Already NBA analysts, like Stephen A. Smith, are beginning to compare him to Steve Nash, a player well on his way to the Hall of Fame. Through this game, Lin has proved that he won’t be another Tebow story. He will be much, much better. As far as I’m concerned, I’m “All Lin”.

~ Nazar Chowdhury