BalLIN

Now that the football season is officially over, I have decided to take my bloggerific talents to Souf Beach.  Or at least that’s what I had in mind. 

I had this whole idea in my head for a column about the Heat: how LeBron shooting a career best 54.6% from the field, averaging almost 29 points per game, and leading the Heat in almost every major offensive category; how the Big Three account for about 70% of the Heat’s points and over 90% of the Heat’s total offense; how the only way to slow down the Heat is to slow the tempo down and play a 2-3 zone to that forces them to put up threes; and an in-depth analysis of who can really open his mouth wider: Chris Bosh or Pau Gasol.  

             Sprinkle in a few jokes here and there and pull it all together with a couple funny pictures and you’ve got yourself a solid post. 

Then I had an epiphany: 1) Chris Bosh looks more like a member of the Na'vi tribe from Avatar than a velociraptor, and 2) the Knicks are #LINNING. 

Jeremy Lin is the hottest thing to come out of Harvard since Natalie Portman.  It’s LINsane how well this guy has been playing, and his highlights are taking over the LINternet.  He’s averaging 25.3 PPG, 8.3 APG, 4.0 GPA, and has a field goal percentage of 58.6% in his first three NBA starts ever.  The last player to put up numbers like that in his first three games?  LeBron.  Yeah, that LeBron.  And guess who is the only player to have a higher PER (Player Efficiency Rating) than him this season.  That same LeBron. 

Lin has a PER of 26.83, higher than superstars Kevin Durant (26.60), Chris Paul (26.17), Dwayne Wade (25.48), Kobe Bryant (25.43), and Dwight Howard (25.42).  Just to put that into even more perspective, Carmelo has a PER of 20.33 and Amar’e has a PER of 17.14.

But let’s not get carried away, it’s only three games.  What’s more LINcredible, though, is that the Knicks are winning.  What adds to the LINsanity is that they are winning without Carmelo and Amar’e.  The Lin-led Knicks are on a three game winning streak after previously losing 11 of 13.  The difference: the Knicks offense looks like it has rhythm.  Chandler and Lin look like they have some sort chemistry.  They play off of each other, not in spite of each other, as Melo and Amar’e have become notorious for doing. 

            What also helps is the fact that the Knicks’ past three opponents (Nets, Jazz, Wizards) have a combined record of 26-51 and all rank in the bottom ten in the league in defense. 

            But with that said you can’t disregard Lin’s stats.  It’s still the NBA and I don’t care who you’re playing, you have to have game to put up three straight 20+ point performances.  And, as I said before, the Knicks are winning, so how could you not like this guy.  I mean just look at his picture:

He looks like a little kid who just ate the last blue Jolly Rancher and is running away, mocking you with that “Yeah I ate it, wattaya gonna do about it (heheheheheh)” face.  And, to top it all off, he doesn’t even have his own apartment!  He sleeps on his brother’s couch, and it’s this “every man” persona that makes him so appealing to New Yorkers. 

However, I’m not going all in on the Lin bandwagon just yet.  We’ve gone through this with Douglas, then Shumpert, and now it’s Lin.  Soon it will be Baron Davis.  I vaguely remember Shumpert playing well in a few games and then getting cocky and throwing up 20 shots against the Grizzlies. With that said, Knicks fans desperately want someone to cling to that will bring the relevance back to MSG, and Lin has a chance to possibly maybe become the guy who might be able do it (maybe). 

Personally, I’m waiting to see how Lin performs at home against the Lakers on Friday until I give him the keys to the city.  If he can go stride for stride with Kobe (or at least keep it close), I’ll be a little bit more confident that he can keep this play up against the better teams in the league.

(Don't mean to be a downer, but he did have eight turnovers against the Jazz.  The Knicks won't be able to win against anybody with that type of ball insecurity... just saying)

But let’s say Lin is everything that we hoped for.  What happens when Melo comes back?  Even worse, what happens if Melo comes back and they start to lose? Will we blame the losses on Melo and see them as proof that he just can’t win in New York?  Will Amar’e finally develop some chemistry with Lin when he gets back?  What about Baron Davis?  Will he have the support of the fans if he replaces the lovable Lin?  Will Chris Bosh ever make it back to Pandora and reunite with his long lost love Brittney Griner?  And if he gets there, will it be in time to stop the humans from causing irreversible damage to his home planet?  AHHH the tension is palpable.  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…

And now, your politically incorrect picture of the week:

Shout-outs to Ray Laces Out Finkle, Adam Bomb, Curb Your EnthusiAdam, A-Ron Bergondy, Doey G, and Big Sammy B for spreading the word.  You all have my eternal love and this is but a token of my gratitude.

#DJLR