I watched last night’s Knicks game at the gym while I rode the stationary bike. Grabbed one of the gym attendants and made him dial up the game. I had to watch Jeremy Lin. When Lin hit the winning bucket with half a second on the clock, the gym went nuts. Me, too.
My mom’s hometown is Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University, the most basketball crazed town in the country. Watseka, Illinois, where I grew up, is not that far from French Lick, Indiana, Larry Bird’s hometown. So, I grew up with basketball in the blood. Every dad in my hometown erected a basket and a backboard in the backyard.
So, I think I know basketball. Hell, everybody from my hometown thinks he’s an expert on basketball.
Lin reminds me of Phil Smith, who led the Golden State Warriors to an NBA championship in 1975. Like Smith, Lin drives relentlessly to the baseline every time he brings the ball down court. Lin doesn’t showboat much. He makes the simplest pass every time. He’ll take the layup if you don’t stop his dribble, and if you do, he’ll find the shooter on the perimeter.
Smith was very similar, and he had Rick Barry, probably the best jump shooter in the history of the NBA, drifting around on the wing.
How in God’s name did everybody miss out on Lin? Why did every team in the NBA pass on him?
The level of play in the NBA is awful. I heard Charles Barkley talking this several days ago. Barkley said that half the teams in the NBA stink, and that the league needs to contract to improve the quality of play. He also said that players should be staying in college for four years to learn the game, and I agree.
The NBA (and, unfortunately college basketball) have become entranced by the notion of “athletic” versus “non-athletic” players. There is a huge racial element at play in this notion. Blacks are supposed to be “athletic.” Non-blacks aren’t. Anybody who’s watched Jeremy Lin and still thinks that Asians can’t be athletic… well, they’re not watching the same guy I’m watching.
In other words, there are undoubtedly quite a few Jeremy Lin’s out there, Asian and white, who aren’t getting a fair shot in the NBA.
When I was in the Philippines, I was astounded to discover that Filipinos are mad about basketball. You’ll find a dirt court in the middle of every slum. I even found a makeshift court out in the middle of the jungle! And, I met and played against some great young players. When I played corporate league ball, my team routinely got its ass kicked by Asian squads. They didn’t have a player over 6 foot tall, but they ran and passed like maniacs. Every other team was freelancing, but the Asian teams always had an offensive scheme.
I’m going to have to find some tickets to a Knick’s game so that I can watch Jeremy Lin in person. He’s just what the Knicks were struggling to find. The Knicks were just awful before he came into the picture. I think Lin is the Knick's ticket to the playoffs.
Comments