Smack / Feb 16, 2012 / 1:19 am

Jeremy Lin Shows Off A New Trick; Two Overlooked Stars Go Crazy

By

Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo (photo. Gary Land)

Rajon Rondo really isn’t that good. If Rajon Rondo was on a team where he had to score, he’d be nothing. If Rajon Rondo didn’t have three Hall of Famers next to him, he’d be average. Okay. We’ve heard it all. The Celtics suffered an ugly loss against Detroit, but Rondo balled out. 35 points, four steals. One patented fake behind-the-back. Stuckey, Monroe and Ben Gordon combined for 69 points whereas Rondo’s second-best teammate was… Chris Wilcox. The Celtics scored five points in four minutes without Rondo on the floor to start the second quarter. They scored 28 in the first 12 with him. If we’re Boston, start that rebuilding project now … Since when did Orlando morph back into a good team again? They’ve won three in a row and put the clamps on Philly last night, 103-87. They were helped, inexplicably, by the Sixers insistence on leaving Ryan Anderson open (27 points, seven threes). What’s the deal with this? Guard the man, especially in the weeks that we have to play him in fantasy. Why hasn’t anyone figured this out yet? As a team, the Magic made 15 of 25 from deep … Most overlooked player in the entire league? Tony Parker. TP was killing it again last night, taking advantage of Jose Calderon‘s Linsanity hangover by hanging 34 and 14 on Spain. San Antonio won again in Toronto. Did you know the Spurs have won nine in a row? We didn’t … If the former Mr. Longoria is the most slept-on star then Josh Smith is the most hated on. Not only did Joe Johnson make the All-Star Game over him, but Johnson also somehow got put into the three-point shootout. Smith DOMINATED Phoenix (30 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists) in the Hawks two-point win. Even with a 15-point second half lead, and another A-game from Steve Nash (22 points, 16 assists), Phoenix couldn’t save themselves … Remember that time when Eastern coaches picked Luol Deng for the All-Star Game over Rondo and Josh Smith? Wait … Rudy Gay (25 points) and Mike Conley combined for a sick off-the-backboard, reverse alley-oop in Memphis’ five-point win in Jersey. Amazingly, it was Tony Allen (21 points) and Marreese Speights (20 points, 18 rebounds) who won it for them. Allen hit a three-pointer to put the Grizz up for good, and Speights did an incredible Z-Bo impersonation … Kyrie Irving scooped up 22 points and Cleveland got an 11-point win over Indiana … Cavs announcer Austin Carr on Tyler Hansbrough: “He’s got that stare. He looks like he’s about to explode.” Too bad he couldn’t explode for a bucket or two … And Denver got destroyed in Dallas by 18. That was being nice. It wasn’t nearly that close … We’re out like Swaggy P’s trigger finger.

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  • Three Stacks

    I couldn’t believe all the holier than thou assholes that were condemning Burton for his piece yesterday. Does anyone really think the guy is racist because he wrote that article?

    Just because you shed light on a race issue, that doesn’t make you racist. Rather, being unable to acknowledge that a race issue isn’t hovering over pretty much everything — especially sports — in America, is so backwardly ignorant that it makes me think they’ve never had to face an actual race issue in their own lives.

    In the interest of full disclosure, I am Asian. I didn’t find his article the least bit racist or condescending, and I’m pretty sure most other Asian folk would agree with me. Why do we need to pretend like J. Lin’s being Asian ISN’T a big deal? It’s absolutely a big deal, and the reason it’s a big deal is a completely separate issue from his talent.

    I understand that society frowns on bringing up race in any kind of evaluation of a person, and it would cause a riot if they said anything like what Burton said on ESPN. But the fact that people still can’t look at race objectively or tell the difference between race as a social issue and race as a discriminatory issue depresses me about the state of our country.

    And at the risk of sounding militant: Attention all you indignant (I’m guessing white) folk, we don’t need ya’ll getting upset or offended on our behalf. I’m pretty sure us minorities are able to recognize it better than you. If you want to make up for all the years of discrimination, fix the government by not voting Republican in the future. I’m joking about the last part, but you get the idea.

  • trollne1

    BRUCE isn’t racist. That’s just the tribalism in him talking

  • silky
  • http://www.cracked.com/funny-353-kobe-bryant/ Atom

    @trollne1, Bruce isn’t racist. He was just born with down syndrom and all of you who have been attacking him should be ashamed of yourselves.

    I am officially proposing a petition to limit the number of Lin related puns to maybe (3)? per sportscaster in any broadcast. Its getting lin-toletable. Shit, now Im doing it to.

    Maybe Ive been busy so am late to this but, I see Sporty-Jay has finally reemerged from what I am assuming was a dark soul searching sabbatical wherein he was able to come to terms with Miami’s utter destruction at the hands of the sharp-shooting Kraute and the folly in guaranteeing a championship when your best player (admittedly the most dominant/talented player in the league) has the unfortunate habit of totally choking when its time to make the donuts.

    As far as “Bismack-E” Dime? Your better than that. Bismack Biyombo is such a great name as it is. Maybe Bizzey-E? Mombo? I dont know, brainstorming, there has to be something better out there.

    Of course race is a factor in the Lin story, but there are several other parts of the story that are more more compelling so you cant really just pawn the whole phenom on that. No D1 scholarships, Harvard, undrafted, cut by several teams, at end of bench, and most importantly, playing for a previously miserable NY team = perfect storm. Kid has some real talent. Typical of the Warriors to let him go without giving him a chance. Once he gets better at splitting all these doubles hes getting or recognizing them earlier he can get his TOs down and be a legit next to or maybe even top tier PG. Probably next to, but I would not bet against him because he is showing out and performing with all eyes and defenses on him now, will get just get easier for him to run point with Mellow. Dude has no basketball IQ but is top 3 scorer in the league. You leave him to double and its auto buckets.

  • DurrtyInjun

    Three Stacks is right that Austin is not racist, and the article was not either. But you have to admit that he goes out of his way with invalid points to hate on Lin. If you want to talk about his TO’s, lack of polish on the passes (they get to the right spot usually but it just ain’t smooth… I missed last nights game though), need of a proper system, or anything else basketball related to state why you don’t agree with the hype, its all good.

    But he tries to deny what he has accomplished comparing him to players who were flashes but not winning. Denying that Lin is a bigger gift to D’Antoni instead of vice versa (another guard might put up the numbers but guarantee they wouldn’t be winning 7 in a row). Ignoring that any player who led a struggling team to a win streak like this, regardless of who they played would be getting props. And then stating he hopes Tyreke stops the roll.

    I bring up the last point because if anything, thats what I would take offense with, and Austin even admits that his preference may be a little racial. Problem is its an indefensible stance outside of race because Tyreke is just not that great of a PG. Good player but wait till Lin plays a legit black PG (Paul, Rose, Westbrook, or even Williams a second go around) to make that statement if you don’t want to look so biased.

  • Jeremy Lin

    Fuck you Austin Burton, and you too Bruce. Not cause you’re racist, just cause I hate you mothetfuckers!

    Now that’s LINSANE!

  • http://datpiff.com beiber newz

    ima be so tight if i see rose waddle his way in the all star game afta missing all these fucking regular games. dude is killin the excitement of big matchups on tv and is hurting my damn fantasy team. fuck that.

    had to vent.

  • 4M

    To everyone who insists that race has played a huge deal in the hype surrounding Lin, please enlighten me. Was it a big part of the insane hype that surrounded guys like LBJ and Mayo during their HS days? Yeah I didn’t think so. When yi was averaging double figures for a short stretch, did people start riding his jock and label him the next Duncan or next Dirk? No. You know why? Cause he was a lottery pick who didn’t lead his team anywhere. So maybe, just maybe, hear me out on this, the reason why Lin was getting a lot of hype was because he led an underachieving team to 7 straight wins. I won’t even bring up his stats, particularly for his 5 first starts, which was historic, cause you all know about that already. Maybe you guys can concentrate on that instead of making an issue about his race. Heck, even mainstream Chinese media didn’t pick up on him until after 3-4 games. So yeah calm down on that racism thing. Or should I say tribalism thing. Sure it may have played a part, but not as big as some of you makw it out to be.

  • http://datpiff.com beiber newz

    barkley got the better team!!!! i had faith in him and he didn’t let me down. i like this change to the rookie sophomore format. keep it.

  • http://datpiff.com beiber newz
  • http://datpiff.com beiber newz

    black human kid wants to do something extraordinary

    watch ! now !

    http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhH2VW24gQ74caEUk5

    lmao!!!

  • http://datpiff.com beiber newz
  • Atom

    You have to assume Lin is going to Yao his way to a starting spot in the all star game next year. Whose spot does he take, MVP Rose or top 3 or 4 player in the game wade?

  • the cynic

    the word racism gets thrown around way too much in our society. Lots of people stereotype, everybody actually, but racism is a completely different ball game.

  • M-Intellect

    Some really ignorant shit being thrown around by SOME Black dudes. Would love to see how they react if cats boiled Obama getting presidency down to him being Black and/or Not White. The irony of this whole situation is pro-sports helped integrate black people into foreign cultures and now they’re getting funny when a dude from another race comes up through it?

    Austin – Routing for Tyreke Evans because of your ‘racial hardwiring’, over the biggest feel good NBA story in recent times? Even though after the lock-out, Jeremy Lin has highlighted everything good about the sport after everything bad about it had very publically ground it to a halt? And your a sports fan? LOL And you talk about Derek Fisher and Jose Calderon but forgot about ya boy John Wall and Deron Williams, huh? Anyway – Add Tyreke to that list of sub-standard defenders that dude killed…

    I’m waiting for some to drop ‘He got Shao-Linned’…

  • M-Intellect

    And for the record, I don’t believe Race isn’t a factor but it is one of roughly 10. Using the Tebow comparisons, Tebow is similar in a lot of ways EXCEPT he is the traditional colour for a player his sport/position but he has a buzz without that factor so can someone riddle me that?

  • QQ

    Fuck PC. Seriously. If yall can’t talk bout race, a vital concept in society, and act like what you will say will always cause a shitstorm, then society doesn’t need you.

    Political correctness will be the death of society.

    So stop being so sensitive about an undeniable concept in the world you live in, you fucking shitheads.

  • QQ

    IMO, Austin isn’t racist.

    He’s just, as he said, ‘hardwired’. Whatever that fucking means. But seriously, I’m tired of overly PC dudes, so, meh.

    But the thing is, he IS bias. Bias towards some players. And you know that dude. When he defends someone he supports, he will go to absolutely fucking ridiculous lengths to defend that guy. And vice versa, when he doesn’t like someone.

    Racist or not, I don’t fucking care. But bias? A sportswriter for a national hoops mag? A fucking apologist who posts something for the sake of defending a player he associates with?

    Fuck that. We don’t need that.

  • Sean Sweeney

    I picked up on the hip-hop connotations of Bismack-E (Biz Markie) very easily.

    That’s all I’m calling him from now on.

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