Um, yeah. So that part in my last post where I said that Jeremy Lin’s “statistics will probably come back down to earth for this one.” Guess I was wrong about that one. 38 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals. Versus Kobe and the Lakers. Looks like we got a point guard here! Please don’t ruin this, Melo and Amar’e. And now, a late night flight to Minnesota for a duel with Ricky Rubio tomorrow night.
Say what? An undrafted point guard out of Harvard suddenly starts playing like a superstar (in 3 games) for the New York Knicks? Jeremy Lin, who the Knicks picked up off the scrap heap earlier this year, is a second-year player who has previously played only garbage time minutes in the NBA. He also happens to be the first Chinese-or-Taiwanese-American, the first Ivy Leaguer in almost 10 years, and the first Harvard player in almost 60 years to play in the NBA.
The Knicks had recently sent him down to the NBA Development league to get some playing time, but after some Knicks sustained injuries he was called back up after a week (he also had a triple-double in the D-League). With the release of Chauncey Billups before the season (to facilitate the signing of Tyson Chandler), the Knicks’ point guard depth was woefully inadequate. Toney Douglas and rookie Iman Shumpert were expected to carry the PG load while waiting for Baron Davis to rehabilitate a back injury, but they have played terribly; more suited for shooting guard roles.
With the Knicks holding a woeful record, and coach Mike D’Antoni’s job on the line, the decision was made to give Jeremy Lin some more playing time. This past Saturday against the Nets, he shocked everyone by scoring a career high 25 points while dishing out 7 assists (and setting career highs in basically every other stat) and leading the Knicks to a much needed victory. On Monday versus the Jazz the Knicks were shorthanded due to the unfortunate death of Amar’e Stoudemire’s brother and a Carmelo Anthony groin injury. Lin, in his first career start, rose to the occasion again by putting up 28 points along with 8 assists in 45 minutes for another victory. On Wednesday, the once again shorthanded Knicks took to the road to face the Wizards. Lin sparked the Knicks for the third straight game (and victory) with a 23 point, 10 assist performance, punctuated by a thunderous dunk, his first in the NBA.
These out of nowhere performances from Jeremy Lin have caused New York to catch a case of Linsanity. Madison Square Garden has been filled with thunderous cheers and chants, louder than it has heard for years. His performances have been catching the attention of the basketball nation, including the attention of millions in China. In America as well, the Asian-American community is loving this Linning streak. At the Washington game there was a large and loud contingent of Asian fans, making the Wizard’s court more often sound like the Knicks’ home court. Expect this to continue happening throughout the season wherever the Knicks travel.
Admittedly, these 3 spectacular games from Jeremy Lin have come against three of the worst teams in the NBA. Today, Lin will face his toughest test so far with the Lakers coming to town. Without Amar’e and Melo again, Lin’s statistics will probably come back down to earth for this one. Even so, most of the skills that he’s shown are proof that he is a very capable NBA player, and definitely the best point guard the Knicks have right now. He is very well suited to run Mike D’Antoni’s unique offensive system (his outside shot still needs work). Just a week ago the Knicks’ roster looked like it had the worst depth in the league, and they played some of the ugliest offensive ball you could imagine. Now, players like Steve Novak and Jared Jeffries look like well-oiled cogs in a smooth Knicks offensive machine. That’s the sign of a good point guard: making the other players on the court better. And that’s what the Knicks needed more than anything.
This also happened this week:
Yes, Linsanity pushed the Giant's Super Bowl victory all the way down here.
That New York Giants team that plays American Football won some kind of special championship match. Apparently they won it 4 years ago as well in a very similar way. And if I read things correctly, this Quarter…Back(?) named Elisha Manning won something called the “Super Bowl MVP” award. He won it before, what a selfish guy! Why doesn’t he share if he’s already got one?! Anyway, it seems like this is a big deal because they threw a parade for them and everything. And now that this “Super” Bowl is over, I can finally sleep in all day on Sundays.
You heard that right! Last night the Giants beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game in overtime by the score of 20-17. They now look towards Indianapolis, site of Super Bowl XLVI, and a Super Bowl XLII rematch with the New England Patriots. But let’s discuss last night’s game, shall we?
Eli Manning, despite playing on a wet and rainy field and being knocked down all game, somehow managed to throw for 316 yards, 2 touchdowns, and zero turnovers. The Giants defense played well, despite giving up 2 big touchdown plays to TE Vernon Davis on blown coverage in the secondary. The real star of the game was the Giants special teams play. Punter Steve Weatherford was solid all night long, and was able to set up a nice ball off a bad snap for Kicker Lawrence Tynes on the game-winning field goal in overtime. The winning score came thanks to a fumble on a punt return by Kyle Williams of the 49ers. The Giants’ Devin Thomas picked up the fumble, the second time in the game that he had recovered the ball on a muffed Williams punt return.
Now it’s on to Super Bowl XLVI. We all remember the epic game that was Super Bowl XLII, when the Giants shocked the world by defeating the then undefeated New England Patriots in thrilling last-minute fashion. Things are different this time around, and it would be hard to say that either team is the favorite or underdog going in. The Giants did defeat the Patriots earlier this year, in one of the season’s most exciting games. The Patriots have not lost since then, winning ten straight. Somehow they had not beaten a team with a winning record all season, until they defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game yesterday. It should be another exciting game in two weeks at the Super Bowl! How awesome is this?!
As I had hoped, the New York Giants came through again today, destroying the Green Bay Packers by the score of 37-20. Were it not for some terrible officiating calls (ruling a clear fumble as not a fumble after replay review, and a non-existent blow to the head call), the Packers would not have even scored one touchdown.
The Giants defense was stifling, making Green Bay work hard for every first down. The Giants were +3 in the turnover battle, and the 17 point victory margin doesn’t really show how much the Giants dominated this matchup. The Packers receivers did their part, dropping countless passes all night.
Eli Manning once again was the best player out there on the field, with the second best player being WR Hakeem Nicks. Manning threw for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns, 165 of those yards and 2 of those touchdowns going to Nicks. How amazing was that Hail Mary pass at the end of the half?
Next up for the Giants is a trip to San Francisco to face the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. The only downside coming out of this game is that we won’t see Tom Coughlin’s Red Face in the warmer San Francisco weather next week. Other than that, I can’t wait!
The New York Giants return to Lambeau Field this Sunday to face the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the NFL playoffs. We all know what happened the last time the Giants and Packers squared off in the playoffs. Let’s hope for some more of that magic this Sunday!
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