All he does is Lin, Lin, Lin, no matter what

Photo courtesy of DvYang’s stream on flickr.com. Knicks’ coach Mike D’antoni says he’s riding Lin “like freakin’ Secretariat!”

Wow. Thanks a lot, Jeremy Lin. Now I have to root for the Knicks.

As a general rule, I only follow two teams: my alma mater’s (Go Bruins!) and the Lakers. Neither team has been particularly exciting these past few years. Don’t even mention CP3; everyone knows there’s only one basketball team in L.A. Los Angeles isn’t a football town, and UCLA isn’t a football school (Sorry, Bruins), so it’s been fairly simple to live a life of limited sports consumption.

Until recently, Jeremy Lin was only well-known in Asian-American communities. Chinese and Taiwanese press have been tracking his career for years, but nothing much came out of it. Undrafted after college, Lin was shuffled between various teams. He scored single digits in every game he played. He’s been in and out of the D-League, as recently as just a few weeks ago. He’s only 6’3. His contract with the Knicks wasn’t even guaranteed until last week, so Lin has been sleeping on his brother’s couch in lieu of securing permanent housing.

Click to read more ...

Is the East Just Playing for the Right to Lose to the Thunder?

Photo Courtesy of Dave Gillem’s stream on flickr.com. Will LeBron go missing again this year?by Shaba Nassar, 2L

Miami Heat fans cheered across the world as the team welcomed Lebron James last season. They also applauded as the Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls during the Eastern Conference Finals. Then embarrassment clouded the Heat franchise as the team was demolished by the Dallas Mavericks’ championship. James’ woeful play in the Finals left ESPN critics declaring that the “Heat can’t finish close games.”

The current, lockout-shortened season has resurfaced 2010-11 playoff sentiments. A third of the season in, Lebron James is now averaging 29.7 points per game, three points more than last season. Nonetheless, the injury-ridden Chicago Bulls are currently leading the east. The Bulls even won a number of games last month without its toe-injured star guard, Derrick Rose. Suspense built as the two teams faced-off on January 29^th. Derrick Rose carried the Bulls on his back throughout the game until he missed two free throws and a jumper in final seconds. The question became whether the Chicago Bulls will learn to ‘finish close games.’

Click to read more ...