Linsanity in NYC

Related Content

Last 5 stories in Sports

• Going Back for Gold - June 19, 2012
• Culture Craze - June 15, 2012
• 20 Straight - May 30, 2012
• Sedin without Sedin - May 23, 2012

Other stories that might interest you...

• Sedin without Sedin
• 20 Straight
• Benefits of Playing Yu-Gi-Oh!
• Review of Paper Mario: the Thousand Year Door
• New Games vs. Old Games

Rohit Dhaliwal, Writer
May 23, 2012
Filed under Sports

“Madison Square Garden is going ‘Lin-sane’” is what commentators were saying after the emergence of Jeremy Lin, or known by the viewers as “Linsanity.” Jeremy Lin, the point guard for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association, was buried at the end of the player rotation. It is hard to imagine where Lin would be if it wasn’t for the series of events that got him on the court. With no other point guards at the time and two injured superstars, Coach D’Antoni was forced to start Jeremy. In his first start against the Utah Jazz on February 6^th, he did not disappoint as he recorded big time numbers: 28 points and 8 assists. His name exploded on to many sports channels immediately following his out of nowhere performance. Following the game, he was quoted saying “I am so thankful to be with this organization right now” and he also mentions that “all the advice from the guys around me really helped me a lot.”

Who is Jeremy Lin? It must have been a question many asked because he was never really talked about earlier and was just a player who was there to fill an empty spot. This wasn’t the case shortly after as sports channels the next morning were flooded with this hype coming to life as “Lin-sanity.” People just went crazy about it and came up with many different clever things to say using his name. The hype built up a lot more when he continued putting up big numbers. NBA viewers as well as players were amazed as to how this no name was putting up stats comparable to those of Kevin Durant and LeBron James, two of the league’s best. The New York Knicks went on to win ten straight games with Lin leading the charge and in one of those games he recorded a career high 38 jaw dropping points against the Los Angeles Lakers and one of the game’s best, Kobe Bryant. During the post-game interview, he was asked “how does it feel to have scored the most points in a game by a Knick this season?” Lin responded with “well I’m just gonna thank my team …” and he went on to name how many of his teammates contributed to the win. Kobe Bryant was quoted saying about him, “I think it’s a great story. It’s a testament to perseverance and hard work, and I think a good example for kids everywhere.” Many other players tweeted about about Lin, constantly complimenting him. His old coach also said:  “I knew him before he was Linmania. He’s still the same humble guy. The guy has not changed a bit, which is real special for a young man.”

During his rise to stardom in the month of February, Jeremy Lin had recorded the most points of any player in the NBA during the whole month. This is a huge feat in a league that has players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and even his own teammate Carmelo Anthony. This is about the time where the fans realized he was for real while the Knicks realized their offense just isn’t the same without him. They were hurt offensively when he suffered a season ending knee injury (torn meniscus) which required surgery. He said in an interview that, “it’s hard having to watch the games knowing I’m not helping” and “right now I wanna be out there more than anything.”  It really is devastating to see all the hype die out because of this unfortunate injury. His roller coaster ride to respect and fame in the NBA is a feel good story which teaches people that as long as you work hard, you will get what you are working for and that is exactly what happened to the always humble Jeremy Lin.