My favorite NBA team is and forever will be da Bulls. The greatest team of all time, headed by the greatest player of all time, in the greatest city of all time? You can't beat that, and I definitely think we're on the path to greatness again this year. As for my next favorite, I have a general rule that serves me well – wherever Deron Williams is playing. He was instrumental in leading the Fighting Illini to their first ever NCAA Championship game while I was a student at Illinois, and he's been an outstanding player in the NBA. That rule may change however as his Nets were beat this past Saturday by an unlikely player – Asian-American player for the New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin.
Asian ballers aren't new, just look at Yao Ming's excellent (if injury ridden) run with the Houston Rockets. However, they are still a bit of a novelty. Before Lin, there have been only three Asian-American players in the NBA's 66 year history, though notably from 1978-1982 Raymond Townsend played as the first Pilipino-American player. This is pretty interesting as basketball is one of the most popular sports in the Philippines, and many Pilipino-Americans are into the game and the culture. Ok, I will concede that Pilipinos are on average a good foot shorter than most NBA players, but hey...Muggsy Bogues was only 5'3”!
The Knicks were down by 12 when Lin scored a three with a little over two minutes left to play, shifting the momentum back to New York. Eventually the Knicks would prevail 99-92, with Lin being the top scorer in the game with 25 points. Lin already has a huge fan base thanks to his heritage, being a hit first with his hometown Golden State Warriors where California has a large Asian population. Despite not being a star, he was a solid player and popular with the crowd, with them chanting for him to be put into each game (not unlike the basketball scene in Better Luck Tomorrow). Lin was picked up late last year by New York, and after his performance against the Nets he may have picked up some new fans on the East coast.
Could Jeremy replace Deron as my favorite player from another team? Well, seeing as how the Bulls play the Nets tonight, of course he can. Deron's definitely my least favorite player ever. Until tomorrow, at least.
