The Phenomena Known As Jeremy Lin

         It's Lin-sanity! Super Lin-tendo! A Lin-derella story! Lin-possible! Call it what you want, because all he does is Lin Lin Lin! Keep the puns coming! This kid is Lin-credible!
         Last night in Toronto, Jeremy Lin struck again.
         The New York Knicks trailed the Toronto Raptors by as many as 17 points, and with 4:15 left in the fourth quarter, trailed 86-77. The Knicks clawed their way back in the game and trailed 87-84 with just over a minute remaining.
         And then it happened. Lin went hard to the lane, drew the foul, and sank the bucket with an opportunity for a 3 point play. After sinking the free throw to tie the game at 87-87, Leandro Barbosa missed a 3 point shot, giving Lin and the Knicks a chance to win the game.
         First, Iman Shumpert, a talented rookie, attempted to hit the game winning shot and missed. Memo to Mr. Shumpert, Jeremy Lin is on fire. Tyson Chandler corralled the offensive rebound and passed it out to Lin. As he calmly watched the clock tick down, Lin rose to the occasion and with under a second remaining, drilled the 3 point shot in Jose Calderon's face. Cold blooded. After a missed desperation shot by Rasual Butler, the New York Knicks celebrated the shocking 90-87 victory over the Raptors. Lin had 27 points and 11 assists.  
         It was a heart-breaker for the Toronoto Raptors, who witnessed their home crowd cheering for Lin and the Knicks. When Linsanity hit the game winning shot, the Air Canada Centre crowd instantly erupted.
        It's Lin-mania all around the NBA. Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, and Shane Battier all publicly acknowledged that even they are fans of Lin.
        For the past week and a half, Jeremy Lin has taken the sports world by storm. It's Tebow mania all over again. Lin, an undrafted free agent out of Harvard, is putting up unprecedented numbers. Since the NBA-ABA merger, Lin has scored more points in his first five NBA starts than any other NBA player. Not Michael Jordan. Not Allen Iverson. Not Shaquille Oneal.  Jeremy Lin.
        Floyd Mayweather claimed that black athletes perform like Jeremy Lin every night but do not receive the same praise. Sorry Floyd, in actuality what Lin is doing has never been done before.
        Mayweather also said that "all the hype is because he's Asian". Wrong.
        Certainly some of the hype is because Lin is Asian, but there are more African American NHL players than there are Asian NBA players. It's somewhat of a rarity. So Lin clearly deserves it. He is the first Asian-American NBA player ever. Obviously he's going to get hype when he plays out of his mind.
       But there is more to the Jeremy Lin story. After leading his high school team in Palo Alto to a 32-1 record and a California state title, Lin did not receive a single scholarship offer from a D-1 college. So, he chose to attend Harvard where he was guaranteed a starting spot.
       During his time at Harvard, the team broke program records for wins, non-conference wins, home win, and road wins. Lin was twice named to the All Ivy-league first team and drew praise from coaches and analysts around the nation including UCONN coach Jim Calhoun and ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla. Lin average 16.4 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.4 rebounds his senior year at Harvard. Despite these accomplishments, Lin went undrafted in the 2011 NBA draft.
      Subsequently, Lin attended the Dallas Mavericks mini camp and joined their summer league team. After playing well in the summer league, Lin signed a 2 year contract with Golden State Warriors. In his rookie year, Lin saw minimal time and played in only 29 games. Entering the 2011-2012 NBA season, Lin was waived by the Warriors the first day of training camp. Lin had a short stint with the Houston Rockets during the preseason but was waived prior to the start of the regular season.
      The Knicks claimed Lin off waivers, and after circulating between the D-league and NBA, he finally got his chance. With the Knicks record at 8-15 and point guard Baron Davis suffered a setback in his return from an injury, Coach Mike D'Antoni gave Lin a shot. Lin came off the bench on February 4th against the New Jersey Nets and recorded 25 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds in  36 minutes. The Knicks won 99-92.
      Lin received his first career start the following game against the Utah Jazz. He played 45 minutes and recorded 28 points and 8 assists in a 99-88 Knicks win. Next, Lin recorded his first career double-double with 23 points and 10 assists in a 107-93 win over the Washington Wizards.
      It was clear that Jeremy Lin had jump-started the Knicks, but many people questioned how long it would last. Especially with a game against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers coming up next. Lin quieted the naysayers with 38 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebound in a 92-85 win over the Lakers.
      Next, Lin put up 20 points and 8 assists in a narrow 100-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
      And that led us to his latest heroics. The win over the Raptors. It has been quite an underdog story. And America loves underdogs.
       In the six games that Lin has received quality minutes, the New York Knicks are 6-0 and have improved their record to 14-15. And that's without NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony.
       Anybody with an unbelievable story like that, Mr. Mayweather, deserves all the hype in the world. He is Lin-vincible.
       Linch by Linch, he is taking down NBA teams. But will Lin's dominance continue? Are the Knicks a threat in the Eastern Conference? Will Carmelo affect Lin's play negatively or positively? What do you think?

      

  

Dropped Pass Dooms Patriots, Giants Prevail

          In the fourth quarter of  Super Bowl XLVI, the New England Patriots lead the New York Giants 17 to 15 with four minutes left in the game. On the Giants 44-yard-line, Tom Brady lines up in shotgun formation on second-and-11 takes the snap. Reading the Giants cover 2 defense perfectly, Brady completes a pass deep down the left side of the field to Wes Welker. Its a New England first down inside the redzone. It virtually seals the victory for the Patriots. Tom Brady will win his fourth Super Bowl, making him one of only three quarterbacks to accomplish that feat, along with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.
           That's what could have been. Tom Brady is probably replaying the pass to Wes Welker over and over again in his head. One of the most sure-handed wide receivers in the game dropped the biggest catch of his career. Had he made the catch, everyone would be talking about Brady as the best quarterback of all time, but he didn't. Next year, Tom Brady will be 35. Father time is closing in on Brady, and he knows it. Perhaps Brady will win that coveted fourth Super Bowl, but until he does, "the play that could have been" will be haunting number 12.
           As for the New York Giants, they are Super Bowl champions again. The spectacular 38-yard completion from Eli Manning to Mario Manningham, two plays after Welker's infamous drop, will be talked about for years to come. Four years ago it was David Tyree, and now its Mario Manningham. Those two miraculous catches will haunt Patriot fans for as long as they live.
            The future for the Giants looks extremely bright. Eli Manning is in the prime of his career and at the age of 31, he shows now signs of slowing down. Especially with that wide receiving core of Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, who put his name on the map with his 82 receptions, 1,536 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Cruz had never caught an NFL regular season pass before this year. With a solid offensive line and a healthy Ahmed Bradshaw, the Giants offense is extremely potent.
             On the other side of the ball, the defensive line is one of the most dominant in the game. Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are both in the prime of their careers, and with the emergence of 23-year-old Jason Pierre-Paul, quarterbacks will hoping the Giants don't end up on their schedule. The line-backing core is good but not great, but with that defensive line, the line backers will have a lot of help. The secondary was a weak spot this year, but it should improve. There is definitely not a lack of talent.  Aaron Ross was the winner of the 2006 Jim Thorpe award, given to the best defensive back in college football so he obviously has talent. Antrel Rolle is a two time pro bowler. Kenny Phillips had the best year of his career and at age 25, he should continue to improve. The veteran of the group, Corey Webster, has been playing with the Giants since the 2005 season and provides leadership to the secondary. If they can pull it together, the defense will make its way up the ranks and more than likely become a top 5 defense.
          Although the Giants do look like the team to beat in the NFC next year, remember that they were once a lowly 7-7 team earlier in the year. They caught fire and didn't lose another game after that. But with the likes of the Lions, Packers,Saints, and 49ers also in the NFC, it will not be an easy road back to the Super Bowl. The NFC East is ultra competitive with the Eagles looking for a bounce back year and the Cowboys still in the mix. But, the power has shifted to the NFC after  AFC teams like the Patriots, Colts, Steelers, Jets, and Ravens seemed to hold it for so long.
           What do you think about the futures of the New England Patriots and New York Giants? Are the Patriots still the team to beat in the AFC? In a competitive NFC, how will the Giants fare in 2012?