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"Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Super... wait.. no.. it's Jeremy Lin!"
"Linsanity" as the New York sports media would coin it, has taken over the NBA.
It's professional basketball's version of "Tebowmania", a tale of how an unlikely 23-year-old Asian-American Harvard grad has become the face a struggling franchise, after injecting excitement and hope to another disappointing season for one of the sport's storied franchises.
The Taiwanese-American Lin, took over the starting point guard spot for the New York Knicks after scoring 25 points off the bench, sparking a 99-92 win over the New Jersey Nets in front of an astonished Madison Square Garden crowd.
He followed it up by dropping 28 points on the Utah Jazz after being elevated as a starter, then went 9-14 from the field in D.C. en route to a 23 point, 10 assist performance against last year's #1 draft pick John Wall and the Washington Wizards, capped by an emphatic blow-by dunk that has become viral on Youtube. The Knicks won both games.
Out of nowhere, a kid who still sleeps in his brother's couch, has become a household name and has re-energized not only the Knicks' fan base, but also the rabid Asian basketball community. Lin's overnight rise from anonymity has sparked talk and debate on whether he is the real deal. Afterall, it's not everyday you hear a story like Lin's.
Billy Ray Bates
Sportswriter Jackie MacMullan mentioned Lin being compared to former Portland Trailblazer Billy Ray Bates by her colleague Bob Ryan on ESPN's "Around the Horn" show.
"I don't remember anything like this since Billy Ray Bates," said MacMullan who was doing her best impersonation of Ryan.
Bates was originally a 10-day-contract signee from the Continental Basketball Association by the Blazers who became an instant fan favorite for his scoring prowess. In the Philippines, where he played and averaged more than 48 points per game over four seasons, his exploits earned him the moniker "The Black Superman".
The high-flying 6-foot-4 shooting guard would score 40 points in 32 minutes, and 35 points in 25 minutes after being signed to contract for the rest of the year. Bates earned NBA Player of the Week honors and averaged 25 points per game during the playoffs that season, and followed it up by setting the franchise record which still stands today averaging 28.3 points per game in playoffs the following year.
Due to his antics outside the basketball court, however, Bates was released by the Blazers after the following season, which ultimately led to his exodus from the NBA.
Though Lin has not shown any signs of Bates' transgressions off the court, the comparison makes sense. Nobody has made such an impact on a team and the league after being elevated from the minors in such a short amount of time that way Lin has.
But how far can Lin's quick first step get him? He is also is gifted with great instincts, handles, natural scoring ability and playmaking skills. And more importantly as of this writing, like Tim Tebow, he wins.
Can Lin sustain his pace? Or is he simply the flavor of the month and end up like Bates who was forgotten almost as quick as fans fell in love with him?
- dSG -
(Click here to watch a video feature on Jeremy Lin and Billy Ray Bates)
You can reach Dennis Guillermo through his e-mail hoodartz@yahoo.com.
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