So I figure with everything that's going on in the basketball world, we're a bit overdue for a basketball thread. "What has happened in the basketball world?" you ask. "Well audience, I'm about to tell you," I say. I speak of course of Jeremy Lin. The story behind this point guard for the Knicks is one that, if it were faithfully adapted into a Hollywood film, would be criticized as being too unrealistic. [youtube]rR3NhE8fBs8[/youtube] I mean, in less than 2 weeks, he has gone from near-literal obscurity to one of the biggest names in basketball today. And fuck the hype, he's backing it up. He brought the 8-15 Knicks to a .500 with 7 straight wins. He holds the record for most points scored in a player's first 5 starts since the NBA and ABA merged in the 70s. Yes, more than Jordan, Kobe, Lebron, or Chamberlain. He's already graced the covers of Sports Illustrated and Time. But yeah, there's my little spiel on Jeremy Lin. Once Melo gets playing again... I never thought I'd be saying this, but the Knicks have a decent chance of taking the Eastern Conference. The only team I see that'd give'em a tough time would be the Bulls, and boy will that be a game to see. So, enough rambling. Who are the teams you cheer for? The players? Who do you hate? Which games will you be watching tonight and who do you think will come out on top? Discussion starts now!
Ok that was NBA, let's talk about basketball without steroids now. I think CSKA Moscow are winning the Euroleague this year.
Okay, that was Euroleague, let's talk about relevant basketball now. Melo isn't stupid. He was the one who insisted on getting Lin on the court in the first place. Lin has shown he can be a pretty mean distributor with yesterday's game against the Kings. Working WITH Jeremy as opposed to being overbearing and reducing his contributions will do nothing but make Melo look better.
Amare drove himself into obscurity by stupidly leaving Steve Nash. It happens to everyone who leaves Steve Nash. Hopefully Lin starts making Amare look like his Suns days. He's not Nash, but so far it looks like he can command an offense like him if he works on his turnovers and shooting. Melo is probably the second best scorer in the league now behind Durant, and he's smart. I'm not totally convinced he can make this work out since his loaded Denver team had troubles at times when they were the most skilled team in the league, but D'Antoni might be a better fit for Melo than Karl. But I'm all about good guard play and teams that sling 3s. I have to say I didn't care for the Knicks at all before Lin blew up. I really hope he keeps his stellar play going. I like Minnesota for the first time ever basically. Rubio is making it exciting to watch and we have lots of potential if our coach ever figures out who should be playing and stick to an 8-man lineup instead of 10-12. I also like Orlando. Love Redick, Anderson, and Jason Richardson. Howard is a drain on the team and needs to be traded. They don't need a big man like him when everyone else on the team can drive, dish, and make 3s. All they need is a big man that can score 15 on easy makes, pass out of double teams, and make 75% of his free throws. My love for the Nuggets is fading quickly. I liked them more after the Melo trade, but they lost JR Smith, Wilson Chandler, Felton, and Martin this year. I'm not a fan of the guys they replaced them with, but I hope they pull it together when the playoffs come.
#Linning? Also, I find the lack of college basketball talk in this thread disturbing. It's better than the NBA in virtually every way.
You only say that because you live in the same state as the Timberwolves. How does it feel to be at the bottom of the Northwest, bro?
Heat aren't making it past Conference Finals this year. While I'd LIKE for the Knicks to go on to the Championship purely because it's the only way the Linderella Story can end on a good note, I definitely see the Bulls taking the Eastern Conference. Also, I hate Lebron James so there's that too.
I think the Heat would demolish the Bulls. All they have to do is stick Lebron on Rose and Wade on Deng it's game over. Their team is just average after those two. The Knicks are the only ones who can knock them off. I was beyond pumped when I saw they signed JR Smith. Melo on Lebron, Smith on Wade, Chandler on Bosh Spice. The Knicks have more offensive firepower now than the Heat and are more than capable on defense.
My sport of choice. Thank you, Minus. So yeah, we (as in, my Phoenix Suns) are rebuilding. Yeah I really hate that word when it comes to the Suns, but I'm accepting it and just hoping we can recover once Steve and Grant both retire. Steve Nash is Steve Nash, Grant Hill is still a BAMF, and both Marcin Gortat and recently, Jared Dudley have been great. But Channing Frye and everyone else needs to step up. I almost blow a gasket anytime Shannon Brown chucks up a shot. On the Knicks, though, even though I really dislike them, I love Jeremy Lin. I've known him since his Harvard days and it really inspires me to see what he's been doing the last 2 weeks. I fear for them once Melo comes back, but Landry, JR, Amar'e, Chandler, and Novakaine (ok, ok, Steve Novak) have been doing outstanding, so I'm not worried whatsoever. In college news, Marquette is #10.
I don't like the look of the Knicks with Davis leading the offense. It just doesn't gel as well the way I look at it.