At points during last nights Knicks-Raptors game it appeared the Jeremy Lin saga had run its course. Lin was being torched by Raptor point guard Jose Calderon. He was turning the ball over with alarming frequency. The offense had stagnated with the return of Amar'e Stoudemire and the Knicks were just not making their shots. The Knicks looked pedestrian against the 9-20 Raptors, and it appeared that the strategy of taking away Lin's right hand and doubling off pick and rolls had neutralized his effectiveness. The Knicks trailed the whole game and it appeared that their best efforts at a comeback were thwarted by their inability to make free throws.
And then just as the deal seemed sealed, Iman Shumpert came up with a steal in the open court and the Knicks were back in the game. After a defensive stand, Lin came free at the three point line, he pump faked drove imperviously to the hoop and made a miraculous "and one". The Knicks got another defensive stop, and with the score tied and about 30 seconds left Iman Shumpert missed off the backboard. But Tyson Chandler back tapped the rebound to Shumpert who passed to Jeremy Lin at the top of the key. The shot clock was turned off and the game was going to come down to this one possession. Lin dribbled as the clock ran down, every Knick fan, and Jose Calderon, expected Tyson Chandler or Amar'e to come set a screen, but the screen never came. The clock counted down 5 seconds...4...3...2..1, Lin launched a three...nothing but net...pure Linsanity.
Just like that the cult of Jeremy Lin exploded into new heights. Twitter went absolutely berserk and ESPN ran a myriad of segments about Lin. Linsanity had a signature moment. Lin isn't known for his jump shooting prowess, but as he dribbled at the top of the key he looked serenely confident. It's been that kind of two weeks for Lin, everything he's touched has turned to gold.
Two weeks ago I was writing horrible things about this Knicks team. I argued that the 2003 talentless Knicks were far more fun to root for. I've always enjoyed rooting for untalented, scrappy teams, and the 2012 Knicks have been reinvented as just that. Instead of relying on superstars, the Knicks are a ragtag bunch which relies on a collection of role players. Jared Jeffries has been reinvented as the leagues best help defender, his scrawny body flopping to the floor as he draws yet another charge. Steve Novak is the spark plug off the bench, his silky smooth shooting augmented by a surprising ability to defend and rebound. Last night it was Iman Shumpert who played the hero, his strip of Calderon led the Knicks back from the brink of defeat. If this run has been at all bittersweet it's because of the depressing regression of Toney Douglas. Last year Douglas was a crowd favorite, I can still picture him making 9 threes in some peacocking orange shoes against Memphis. I had high hopes for Douglas this season, but it seems that he hasn't been able to put the effects of an offseason shoulder surgery behind him. I hold out hope for Douglas, but D'antoni seems to be a coach who holds grudges and it doesn't seem like Toney is getting off the bench anytime soon.
The NBA is a league of genetic freaks, they are bigger, stronger, and faster than anyone you've ever seen in real life. In contrast, Jeremy Lin looks like someone you might see on the subway. He's an everyman, because he looks like an everyman. He isn't physically imposing, his strength is surprising for his slight build. Lin has led the Knicks back from the brink, and his every achievement whips New York into a bigger frenzy. The Knicks take on the Kings tonight with a chance to return to .500. Two weeks ago it seemed unthinkable to imagine the Knicks rattling off 6 straight wins, and yet here we are. It feels like a dream, it feels Linsane. We wait with baited breath to see what Lin and the Knicks do next.
Showing posts with label Knicks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knicks. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
More on Lin
I've been very careful in this forum to avoid jinxing Jeremy Lin. All the praise I've leveled his way has had the caveat that this may all be an aberration. A bout of temporary success that would be untenable moving forward. This weekend Lin went a long way to proving me wrong. On Friday night, Lin torched the Lakers for 38, leading the rag tag Knicks to a dominant victory over the Lakers. On Satuday, he led the Knicks to a comeback win, scoring 20 points, dishing out 8 assists, and grabbing 6 rebounds. In the 5 games since he's become a centerpiece of the Knicks lineup. He's averaging 26.8 points, 8 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2 steals. For his effort he won Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
My posts on Tuesday and Thursday illustrate my, and New York City's, growing love affair with the man now known as "Linsanity." On Friday night, Lin was introduced on the national stage with an absolutely stunning performance televised nationally on ESPN. The Madison Square Garden faithful was electric, cheering his every move. As I'd previously written, the Lakers were a good matchup for Lin because their point guard, Derek Fisher, is a poor defender. At one point Lin and Kobe Bryant traded a couple of baskets, and it was clear that they were equals, at least for the night. Through the whole game Lin was able to penetrate to the hoop with ease and make some long jumpers. The national announcers could barely contain their excitement as Lin's point total climbed higher and higher.
Though Lin had arguably his worst game on Saturday, it was perhaps the best win they've had during his tenure. Lin shot a horrific 1-13 in the second half, but his teammates stepped and the Knicks got a comeback victory. For the game Lin had a solid 20 points and 8 assists, but shot only 8-24. Lin faced perhaps the toughest challenge of his year thus far in the scrappy Spanish rookie Ricky Rubio. Rubio is a sensation in his own right, with his boyish looks belying an advanced knowledge of the game. For what it's worth, Lin held Rubio to 5-15 shooting. The Knicks were down 7 points with about 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter, but used stifling defense to eke out a victory. The Timberwolves only scored 11 points in the 4th and Jared Jeffries forced a key turnover with 4 seconds left to essentially seal the game.
Amar'e Stoudemire returns from his personal leave on Tuesday as the Knicks take on the Raptors. It remains to be seen how Amar'e will fit into the offense, but Knicks fans ought to be tantalized by the thought of him running a pick and roll with Lin. in has raised Tyson Chandler's game and should remake Amar'e into the force he was early in his Knicks career.
Or perhaps the Lin era is ending. Maybe opposing coaches saw something in the video tape of Lin's 1-13 performance, and will now be able to limit his effectiveness. In New York, Lin is already an icon. Even if he never regains the fine form of his first 4 starts, it will be a lasting memory for Knicks fans. It was a heady time. The Knicks appeared on the brink of another decade of losing basketball. Their talent was hamstrung by stubborn superstars and coaches and, most importantly a lack of a point guard to run the show. For one week, at least, we found our point guard and he made Knick fans believe again. Lin has exorcized the demons that haunted the Garden. Lin, perhaps because of his antithetical dichotomy between his skill and his ethnicity has been one of the most fun players to root for in the history of my fandom, and it seems many agree. Lin has been a revelation and I eagerly await the next spate of games, which should give us a clearer picture of just how good this guy is.
My posts on Tuesday and Thursday illustrate my, and New York City's, growing love affair with the man now known as "Linsanity." On Friday night, Lin was introduced on the national stage with an absolutely stunning performance televised nationally on ESPN. The Madison Square Garden faithful was electric, cheering his every move. As I'd previously written, the Lakers were a good matchup for Lin because their point guard, Derek Fisher, is a poor defender. At one point Lin and Kobe Bryant traded a couple of baskets, and it was clear that they were equals, at least for the night. Through the whole game Lin was able to penetrate to the hoop with ease and make some long jumpers. The national announcers could barely contain their excitement as Lin's point total climbed higher and higher.
Though Lin had arguably his worst game on Saturday, it was perhaps the best win they've had during his tenure. Lin shot a horrific 1-13 in the second half, but his teammates stepped and the Knicks got a comeback victory. For the game Lin had a solid 20 points and 8 assists, but shot only 8-24. Lin faced perhaps the toughest challenge of his year thus far in the scrappy Spanish rookie Ricky Rubio. Rubio is a sensation in his own right, with his boyish looks belying an advanced knowledge of the game. For what it's worth, Lin held Rubio to 5-15 shooting. The Knicks were down 7 points with about 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter, but used stifling defense to eke out a victory. The Timberwolves only scored 11 points in the 4th and Jared Jeffries forced a key turnover with 4 seconds left to essentially seal the game.
Amar'e Stoudemire returns from his personal leave on Tuesday as the Knicks take on the Raptors. It remains to be seen how Amar'e will fit into the offense, but Knicks fans ought to be tantalized by the thought of him running a pick and roll with Lin. in has raised Tyson Chandler's game and should remake Amar'e into the force he was early in his Knicks career.
Or perhaps the Lin era is ending. Maybe opposing coaches saw something in the video tape of Lin's 1-13 performance, and will now be able to limit his effectiveness. In New York, Lin is already an icon. Even if he never regains the fine form of his first 4 starts, it will be a lasting memory for Knicks fans. It was a heady time. The Knicks appeared on the brink of another decade of losing basketball. Their talent was hamstrung by stubborn superstars and coaches and, most importantly a lack of a point guard to run the show. For one week, at least, we found our point guard and he made Knick fans believe again. Lin has exorcized the demons that haunted the Garden. Lin, perhaps because of his antithetical dichotomy between his skill and his ethnicity has been one of the most fun players to root for in the history of my fandom, and it seems many agree. Lin has been a revelation and I eagerly await the next spate of games, which should give us a clearer picture of just how good this guy is.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Lin and Sports Fandom
Well the Jeremy Lin circus continues. Last night he had another 20+ point night and added 10 assists for good measure. Lin is now a full fledged sensation, he was featured in a front page article on the New York Times and the Knicks sent me a Spam email letting me know that I could pre-order a Jeremy Lin jersey. Whether Lin is a flash in the pan or the real deal remains to be seen, but at least for this week Lin has brought hope back to disconsolate Knicks fans.
There is a fairly famous Noam Chomksy quote in which he eviscerates sports fandom. To wit: "Take, say, sports -- that's another crucial example of the indoctrination system, in my view. For one thing because it -- you know, it offers people something to pay attention to that's of no importance. That keeps them from worrying about -- keeps them from worrying about things that matter to their lives that they might have some idea of doing something about. And in fact it's striking to see the intelligence that's used by ordinary people in [discussions of] sports [as opposed to political and social issues]. I mean, you listen to radio stations where people call in -- they have the most exotic information and understanding about all kind of arcane issues. And the press undoubtedly does a lot with this."
Basically Chomsky says that people who are disaffected by political issues misplace their passion and intellect onto sports. Chomsky's certainly got a point, if you read any sports blog you'll find a myriad of well informed, passionate, and articulate people discussing such inanities as Jeff Francouer's OBP or whether or not Shonn Greene is an every down Running Back. Certainly, if people paid as much attention to America's foreign entanglements or economic situation the level of political discourse in the country would be more substantial, and the critical mass could affect change. But people have been convinced that their ideas about politics don't matter and can't change the fundamental political reality, and instead they place their interest into the spectacle that is sports.
It's a tale as old as time, the Romans offered their citizens a diet of "bread and circuses" to keep them distracted from the crumbling empire, and it's hard to argue, especially after the orgy of consumption and violence that was the Super Bowl, that our reality is any different. I've often thought to myself that people are drawn to sports because of its objective fairness. If you do something the right way in sports you are generally rewarded with a goal or a point or what have you. It's a meritocracy. It's an even playing field and rules are supposed to be enforced equally, in contrast to modern life sports is a beacon of fairness.
But the other thing people love about sports is the visceral thrill. Whether it be momentary, like last nights buzzer beater by Duke or more ongoing like Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow's success, sports has an electric quality, it imparts an intangible feeling of excitement and happiness. Long term sports fandom is fundamentally meaningless, but in short bursts the excitement sports can provide is very real.
In less than a week Jeremy Lin has galvanized a city, become an ethnic hero, and saved a sports franchise that was on the brink. Lin has had running mates, Steve Novak continues his clutch shooting, Iman Shumpert has improved since switching back to his natural position, and Jared Jeffries continues to be a goofy player who's shortcomings make him more fun to root for. The underdog is insanely fun to root for, there is nothing like watching someone overcome impossible odds, it's been true since David slew Goliath. Oh to have been a spectator when that man brought down a great beast with a mere slingshot, you probably could have made a lot of money that day if there were any bookies in Israel.
There is a fairly famous Noam Chomksy quote in which he eviscerates sports fandom. To wit: "Take, say, sports -- that's another crucial example of the indoctrination system, in my view. For one thing because it -- you know, it offers people something to pay attention to that's of no importance. That keeps them from worrying about -- keeps them from worrying about things that matter to their lives that they might have some idea of doing something about. And in fact it's striking to see the intelligence that's used by ordinary people in [discussions of] sports [as opposed to political and social issues]. I mean, you listen to radio stations where people call in -- they have the most exotic information and understanding about all kind of arcane issues. And the press undoubtedly does a lot with this."
Basically Chomsky says that people who are disaffected by political issues misplace their passion and intellect onto sports. Chomsky's certainly got a point, if you read any sports blog you'll find a myriad of well informed, passionate, and articulate people discussing such inanities as Jeff Francouer's OBP or whether or not Shonn Greene is an every down Running Back. Certainly, if people paid as much attention to America's foreign entanglements or economic situation the level of political discourse in the country would be more substantial, and the critical mass could affect change. But people have been convinced that their ideas about politics don't matter and can't change the fundamental political reality, and instead they place their interest into the spectacle that is sports.
It's a tale as old as time, the Romans offered their citizens a diet of "bread and circuses" to keep them distracted from the crumbling empire, and it's hard to argue, especially after the orgy of consumption and violence that was the Super Bowl, that our reality is any different. I've often thought to myself that people are drawn to sports because of its objective fairness. If you do something the right way in sports you are generally rewarded with a goal or a point or what have you. It's a meritocracy. It's an even playing field and rules are supposed to be enforced equally, in contrast to modern life sports is a beacon of fairness.
But the other thing people love about sports is the visceral thrill. Whether it be momentary, like last nights buzzer beater by Duke or more ongoing like Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow's success, sports has an electric quality, it imparts an intangible feeling of excitement and happiness. Long term sports fandom is fundamentally meaningless, but in short bursts the excitement sports can provide is very real.
In less than a week Jeremy Lin has galvanized a city, become an ethnic hero, and saved a sports franchise that was on the brink. Lin has had running mates, Steve Novak continues his clutch shooting, Iman Shumpert has improved since switching back to his natural position, and Jared Jeffries continues to be a goofy player who's shortcomings make him more fun to root for. The underdog is insanely fun to root for, there is nothing like watching someone overcome impossible odds, it's been true since David slew Goliath. Oh to have been a spectator when that man brought down a great beast with a mere slingshot, you probably could have made a lot of money that day if there were any bookies in Israel.
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