Jeremy Lin: Two Good Games Have Secured Everlasting Cult Status

No matter what happens from here, New York Knicks PG Jeremy Lin will always be a cult hero. The young player has found himself in the perfect storm of basketball conditions to make it so. 

And that is a truly remarkable thing considering his path to get here. Lin was cut by two teams this preseason, and was signed by the Knicks with the thought he would be a very lightly used player to help them piece together their guard position while they weathered some injuries. 

This is exactly how things started as well. Lin played just 16 minutes in his first two weeks with the Knicks. 

My how things have changed. 

Linsational Two Games

In the Knicks' last two games Lin has scored 25 and 28 points. He has also averaged 7.5 assists and two steals in those two games. 

The second game, in which he scored 28 points, was his first career start. That makes his numbers even more impressive. 

Even more importantly, New York has been victorious in those two contests. That was the first time the Knicks have won two straight games since January 11. 

And the last game, they didn't have the services of Amar'e Stoudemire, and Carmelo Anthony played just six minutes before leaving with an injury. 

Perfect Storm for Hero Status

Lin's popularity is exploding for many reasons. The first is that he enjoys a natural underdog status, and America loves an underdog. 

Lin is the first American-born Chinese or Taiwanese player to play in the NBA. That's not all either. Lin became the first player from Harvard to play in the NBA since 1954. 

Along with these factors, he stepped onto a Knicks team that was desperate for something to get excited about. 

Despite the presence of Anthony, Stoudemire and offseason addition Tyson Chandler, New York's season was spiraling out of control. 

Fans were disillusioned and disappointed. Lin's stellar play came out of nowhere, and it gave everyone something to get excited about. 

Linfamous

Fans are wasting no time jumping on the Jeremy Lin bandwagon. He already has a rap video dedicated to him. 

That is just indicative of the Lin fever sweeping the NBA. People have apparently been flocking to his Twitter account. 

And the fan reaction he is earning goes well beyond just basketball. 

It is far too early to tell if Lin will be able to keep up this level of play. If he does, this thing is going to reach Tebow levels of hype and press. 

And even if he doesn't continue, he will always carry a certain level of fame. Instant impact on this level is seldom seen in culture. Lin is already generating strong feelings from fans. 

And for that, they will never forget him.