You might not believe it, but somehow the unlikely story of Jeremy Lin just keeps getting better. After hitting the game-winning three-pointer with 0.5 seconds remaining in Toronto on Tuesday night, Lin had a career-high 13 assists against the Kings back in New York on Wednesday.
Sadly, his streak of scoring at least 20 points in each of his first seven starts came to an end, but he did only play 26 minutes in the game and didn’t step on the floor in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ blowout win over Sacramento.
The only concern about Lin’s play thus far has been his turnovers. He has at least six in each of his past four games. Maybe it’s because teams are starting to figure him out, or maybe he’s just trying to force the ball too much. Given the circumstances of his sudden rise, it would be hard for him not to be pushing himself, right?
Of course, the biggest hurdle Lin still has to face is the return of Carmelo Anthony to the lineup. It’ll be interesting to see if Melo can mellow out on his ball-hogging ways. If he truly embraces the rise of Lin and lets the phenomenon do his thing: Making everyone around him better – including Anthony.
Now, the most ridiculous comparison to come out about Lin is to Tim Tebow. The only two parallels they have are that they both became stars relatively quickly and that all they do is win. Let’s break this down quickly.
-Tebow was the best player in college football and won a Heisman; Lin played his college ball at Harvard, where you never expect a decent player to come out of.
-Fans campaigned for Tebow to start in Denver; Knicks fans were probably bummed that Carmelo and Amare were both injured, not even caring about Lin.
-Tebow was already a star before stepping onto the field; Lin was an unknown.
-Tebow smashes everybody over the head with his religion; Lin hasn’t said a thing about faith.
-Finally, Tebow has a pose that quickly became an Internet meme; Lin is too busy improving his game.
OK, I’m just kidding about the last one, but you know there’s someone out there waiting to strike as soon as Lin poses uniquely for even a second.
Also, Lin’s name is a lot more fun to use in headlines or even everyday conversation. Tebow can only really be spun into a pun about a male erection.
Looks like Lin wins again.