This shortened NBA season has already produced many story lines the most recent of which is the "Linsanity" that is striking New York. Jeremy Lin, the Palo Alto High School phenom and Harvard graduate, has been on an incredible streak of late with three straight games of at least 20 points and 7 assists. Lin got his opportunity due to Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudamires absences andthe fact that the sub-par Knicks have been searching for an answer. Recently they have found that answer as Jeremy Lin has risen to the task and lead the Knicks to three straight wins against tough opponents. The Warriors cut Lin this off-season in an attempt to free up cap room to make a move for a center. Lin hardly made an impact for the Warriors last season playing in only 29 games and averaging only 3 points. Lin has been called the Tebow of the NBA and is one of the top 10 social media topics in China. New York's recent success seems to be due to "Linsanity", but I accredit it to the Melo Effect. Melo is considered a star in the NBA due to his stats, but in my opinion he makes whatever team he plays for worse. Take the Nuggets for example last year they traded Carmelo to the Knicks for a bunch of role players in what seemed like a lopsided deal. However, the Nuggets are doing much better with what they have than the star-studded Knicks are this season. Melo is a complete player, but he doesn't fit into many systems because he has to have the ball in his hands to be effective. Now on to other news in the NBA.
The Philadelphia 76ers have been the surprise team of the year so far with a record of 18-8 through 26 games. They don't have many big names on the team, but they play with such a cohesion that they make up for this lack of star power. They have a deep bench and their starting five all average over ten points a game which makes it hard for teams to game plan against them. The Bulls and Heat are also at the top of the Eastern conference as expected. In the West, Oklahoma City has the best record followed closely by the Spurs and Clippers. A lot can change during the course of a season, but I'm going to predict the Heat and Thunder will meet in the NBA finals with the Heat winning and Lebron finally getting his ring. This shortened schedule and season favors youth and depth and the Heat and Thunder have the best chances to stay healthy and consistent given those factors. The All-Star game is February 26 and marks the half-way point in the season. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and hoping for "Linsanity" to continue.
