Remember the 70s basketball movie, One on One? Robby Benson plays a small town high school baller, recruited to the big city school with the big time hoops program, where he clashes with the hard-nosed coach. He finally gets a chance to play and has a huge game helping the team win a big game.
I always hated that movie (despite the presence of Annette O'Toole, who looked uncannily like an old girlfriend of mine). Why? Because it was so unrealistic. If this guy was so good, why did it take injuries to the rest of the team to get him in the game? If the coach wanted to win, he would have played the guy if he was that good, right?
All this is to say, if you made a movie about Jeremy Lin right now, no one would ever believe it. It does not happen. A guy who played ball at Harvard, who was in the D-League two weeks ago, just finished a week in which he scored 25, 28, 23 and 38 points, leading a once proud franchise that had fallen on hard times back to prominence? And he only got on the floor because of injuries and ineptitude of the players in front of him on the depth chart? And he capped the week with 38 points against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers? Then you add in the whole "only American of Asian descent in the NBA" subplot? Too much. Too much. No one would buy it in a million years.
Stupid Hollywood. So unrealistic.
0 recs | 40 comments
Add in the fact that he is playing in New York
the center of the basketball world. Stuff like this doesn’t happen in basketball, in football you have one player come out of nowhere every year. But players don’t usually don’t appear into greatness like Lin is right now. The real test will be to see how he plays when Melo comes back. Can he get Melo to stop being a black hole on offense.
bestclipfan - February 10, 2012
When John Raffo first wrote this fairy tale script.
a few years back Hollywood laughed in his face. Now look.
PV Mike - February 10, 2012
Seriously
How does that pitch meeting go? Oh, and can we option the story now?
Steve Perrin - February 10, 2012
one of the feel good stories of 2012
which pales in comparison with the Clips getting to the Finals. ;)
Jakespeed - February 10, 2012 via mobile
OR
CP3 vs Lin in the Finals.
shabbit - February 10, 2012
I wish CP was a Satanist or something.
2-ScoopIceCream - February 10, 2012
Tomorrow nite will be crazy
Linsanity vs Ricky Rubio in Minnesota.
PV Mike - February 10, 2012
i've been calling all my asian friends Jeremy Lin this week.
they love it.
Akram47 - February 10, 2012
White menAsians can’t jumpwilriv21 - February 11, 2012
"you can shove your scholorship up your ass with a red hot poker..."
i played pe ball at colorado state in the mobey gym which is the backdrop for the one on one outdoor sequences.
benson dint earn pt and he was all hopped up on sprack. also, small sample size, he performed well in one game. courtney fortson scored 16 in 18 minutes, lets send him to the all star game, haha.
plus, he has this problem called being overly white. dollars to donuts he cant dance.
Clipochistic - February 10, 2012
What???
Final692 - February 10, 2012
Wow...
That’s a lot of One on One information.
Steve Perrin - February 11, 2012
and thus,
the need for a rare post, haha.
cinemaphiles mount up…
Clipochistic - February 11, 2012
I am officially on the Lin bandwagon after watching tonight's game
go Jeremy! Carmelo who? Stoudemire what?
dan73962 - February 10, 2012
knicks should trade those overpaid gold-brickers
and start novak!!!!
Clipochistic - February 10, 2012
if the knicks trade carmelo and continue to play team ball
theyll be my second favorite team
nauticazn25 - February 10, 2012
Would be funny
Trade Melo to Indy or Houston to build a team around Lin and Amare.
mustang6944 - February 11, 2012 via mobile
+ 1M
it’s a good time to trade carmelo and amare for dwight. dunno if it’s possible though via the trade machine.
Jakespeed - February 10, 2012 via mobile
I picked him up for fantasy right after his second game... been on the bandwagon ever since
shay - February 11, 2012
hahah good choice
He’s a great story and a humble guy. Not sure how long his magic can be sustained, but it’s good to ride along in the bandwagon while it lasts. Especially when he takes it to the Lake Show!
oasisman - February 11, 2012
Only player of Asian descent
Well, Yi Jianlian is on the Mavs, so Lin’s not the only Asian.
May I suggest the following changes: the only American-born player of Asian descent in the NBA ever.
On behalf of the Asian-American community… Muahahaha…..
Erik O - February 11, 2012
Wasn't Wataru Misaka the first American-born player of Asian descent in the NBA.
He also played with the Knicks as a point guard, way back 1947-48.
tenkaistar - February 11, 2012
Taiwanese-American
The distinction matters quite a bit for some of us from that tiny island.
ganima - February 11, 2012 via iPhone app
It is funny every one forgets he is from Taiwan
my roommate from Hong Kong was telling me that Lin is already a hero in China which is amazing especially considering that China and Taiwan don’t have the greatest relations considering their history.
bestclipfan - February 11, 2012
He was born in the States, not Tawiwan
Polish Rifle - February 11, 2012
Regardless of political and/or residential differences,
Chinese are proud of being Chinese, and feel a kinship and pride regarding other Chinese.
Koshu - February 12, 2012
Well...
people in China just think of him as chinese period there’s no distinction because China doesn’t view Taiwan as country. It doesn’t go both ways, people in Taiwan weren’t huge Yao fans in general.
Taiwan’s actually much more into baseball, the Dodgers had a couple of Taiwanese players.
ClipperChuck - February 12, 2012
I live in Palos Verdes
We have similar issues with Palos Verdes Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes.
PV Mike - February 11, 2012
And I live in Carson
Both those cities are just called “the rich people neighborhoods.” But yeah, the Rancho thing is like Chino and Chino Hills.
Chris McD - February 11, 2012
Isn't Taiwan in Asia?
Making “Asian-American” an OK label?
Polish Rifle - February 11, 2012
He's actually half-taiwanese half-chinese
the term Asian-American definitely applies to him
ClipperChuck - February 11, 2012
Yes...
I meant American of asian descent… and no, I had not ever heard of Wataru Misaka.
Steve Perrin - February 11, 2012
Misaka was actually the first player of color to play in the NBA
he beat Earl Llyod by about three years, but he only played in three games.
bestclipfan - February 11, 2012
Lol to Brown answering
Why didn’t Lakers pick him up.
mustang6944 - February 11, 2012 via mobile
they picked up caracter lmao
Goosebumpz - February 11, 2012
The greatest Asian decent basketball player/athlete of all time
is definitely the late leader Kim Jong-il who shot 38 under par with 11 hole in ones in a gold game (verified by his bodyguards). In basketball, he also shot and made 3000 baskets in a row from mid court before tiring of the game (verified by Stevie Wonder).
PV Mike - February 11, 2012
so sad I'm missing this movie
Still out of the country and missed every game of Lin. He was practically a human victory cigar for the W’s but I always thought he played extremely well. Still remember him schooling John wall that first summer league. I really hope able to keep this up and it’s more than 15 minutes of fame for Lin
osamu - February 11, 2012 via iPhone app
Is this the Nomo Effect?
I remember when Hideo Nomo first started pitching, batters just couldn’t seem to figure it out and get a hit, but eventually they did. I’m more than glad that he’s the “AzN sEnSaTiOn” (taking this one back to AOL chatrooms) right now, and I know he’s good, but I’m still a little skeptical and will see some of his numbers drop back to Earth. However, I’m glad for him, and he seems like a great role model for youth. Maybe D’Antoni’s system just works so well for minority (in the scope of the league) point guards like Lin and Steve Nash.
Chris McD - February 11, 2012
Since this is a Clippers fansite....
I’ll tie the story of Jeremy Lin and Clippers together.
The Warriors cut Jeremy Lin so they could offer DeAndre Jordan a big free agent contract (which the Clips of course matched) which is how Lin became available in the first place. The Rockets then picked him up but cut him to sign Samuel Dalembert.
ClipperChuck - February 11, 2012
I love that
Even better considering that the Dubs could have gotten all the space they needed by amnestying Biedrins, which they for some reason chose not to do. Lin in Oakland was a gold mine… but again the question becomes, why didn’t he play last season? That summer league game against John Wall in 2010 certainly would have given me reason enough to give him a real chance.
Steve Perrin - February 12, 2012
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