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Keep It NBA: Jeremy Lin Is Showing How It’s Done

The NBA’s newest star, Jeremy Lin. (AFP Photo)

By defeating Dirk Nowitzki and the defending champion Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, the New York Knicks celebrated their eighth victory in nine contests. The win improved their record to 16-16; it’s only the  second time the Knicks have reached the .500 mark after a miserable string of 11 losses in 13 games was followed by their current major upswing.

If you've been away from the web of social interaction, this is just the latest episode of the Jeremy Lin saga, or “Linsanity” as the media and NBA fans like to call it. It’s an inspiring story of the rise from obscurity to stardom of an undrafted Harvard-educated point guard of Taiwanese descent.

It’s been a little over a week since I had my first taste of “Linsanity.” In his fourth game and third consecutive start on Feb. 10, the seldom-used second-year player gracefully piled in a career high of 38 points along with four rebounds and seven assists at Madison Square Garden over the Los Angeles Lakers.

He out-dueled two-time NBA Finals MVP and three-time scoring champion Kobe Bryant in what became a Kobe versus Lin showdown in the fourth quarter. Playing for the frenzied home crowd, Lin received well-deserved “MVP” chants late in the game while knocking down two free throws to seal the victory.

As his team keeps on registering impressive W’s, Lin continues to mesmerize and gain notoriety and support (and even haters) with his outstanding play. Being the first Taiwanese or Chinese American NBA player certainly helps his cause; nevertheless, the numbers do the talking here. His averages over the last 9 games include 25 points, 3.8 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 2.2 steals on 50.9 percent shooting from the field and 70.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line, along with an excessive 5.9 turnovers.

Ignoring the statistics and just watching the Knicks play, Lin has taken full advantage of his opportunities and has shown himself to be a fantastic fit under Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense. For the first time this season, the Knicks’ offense looks like the signature D’Antoni-style offense, where there is good side-to-side ball movement, a heavy dose of pick-and-rolls, quality attempts from the three-point line and basically, every player being involved in the offense. Not only has Lin elevated his own play, but also the play of others around him.

But how would Linsanity’s game mesh with the Knicks’ two main offensive weapons in Amar’e Stoudemire and all-star Carmelo Anthony? While it appears as though Stoudemire and Lin fit well with each other given both excel in the pick-and-roll game, meshing with leading scorer Anthony may be a different story. Before the emergence of Lin, the Knicks’ offense would appear stagnant for stretches, and too often players would defer to the currently injured Anthony, especially in late game situations. Anthony has always been a player who needs the ball to be effective. His usage rate, currently at 32.6 percent, has always been among the league’s highest and the percentage of his offense that is assisted is one of the lowest in the league, at 27.9 percent. In other words, he is one of the league’s biggest ball hogs. This is why the concern of meshing Lin’s game with Anthony’s is real, and a return to the pre-Lin era offense would likely ruin the progress and excitement since Linsanity has taken over.

At the end of the day, Knick fans at Madison Square Garden always have the last say. When numerous fans thought Anthony was taking too many shots at one point in the season, they had no reservations in booing him. When chants of “We Want Shumpert” roared at the Garden due to the strong play of rookie Iman Shumpert earlier in the year, D’Antoni soon gave in and inserted him into the starting lineup. Knick fans at the Garden want something to cheer for, an icon and a winning product on the floor to be proud of. Right now, Jeremy Lin — “Linsanity,” “the Legend In New York,” “the Yellow Mamba,” “the Emperor of New York” — is that icon. And as the entire world faithfully watches, Jeremy Shu-How Lin is showing how it's done.

Ahsan S. Nasution, known by his name Ichank, is a lifelong NBA basketball enthusiast. Read more of his NBA thoughts at his blog Keep It NBA or follow the blog’s Twitter page, @KeepItNBA.

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