Jeremy Lin and to an extent the Nets have downplayed a return of LinSanity, this time on a Brooklyn stage. Lin in fact has said referring to him as a phenomenon rather than a man dehumanizes him.
But others, including the New York Post, want it back. In an editorial Saturday entitled "Hoping the Linsanity can return,", the Post recalls that magic moment in 2012 and fondly hopes for a second chapter much like the first (even if unlikely ... and the Post doesn't get it all right.)
The chances of fresh miracles are low; he’s had repeated injuries in his post-Knicks career — but when are miracles ever likely? At the very least, he’s a class act....
Still, the Post cannot forget the wonders of it all...
The no-name, nerdy backup — a devout Christian, no less — suddenly was the star of the New York sports scene.
With gracious humility, Lin seemed outright supernatural — resurrecting a season that seemed lost after injuries downed Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire.
The first Chinese-American in NBA history was a special hit with the city’s Chinese population, as restaurants and bars named items after him. Chinatown viewing parties had crowds bigger than hip Tribeca nightclubs.
It didn’t last, but let’s not dwell on later Knicks history. Just cross your fingers and recall: It’s never safe to count Jeremy Lin out.
It would be easy to say, "whatever" in response, but the Post editorial points up something: the Nets who were as boring as they were bad last season has some excitement attached to them this season and it starts with Lin.
We've seen it in our page views and social media accounts and so have the Nets. We saw it Wednesday night when nearly 2,000 fans ventured out on hot summer evening just to see and cheer Lin and the other new Nets. It was reminiscent of an Open Practice, except it was in July. Things are different.
Oh yeah, one other thing. In a Hoopshype fan poll of best point guards, Lin is tops, with three times as many votes as Stephen Curry, No. 2.