Kobe Bryant Will Welcome Jeremy Lin with World of Hurt
Jeremy Lin has set the stage for a raucous night at Madison Square Garden, but Kobe Bryant will steal the show.
There has been no greater story than Knicks guard Jeremy Lin and his rise to superstar status in a little less than a week's time.
Like Tim Tebow before him, it's easy to be incredulous about his staying power, but impossible not to like the guy. A hater nation will once again receive the next great thing in sports with cynicism, but it's hard not to get wrapped up in the story.
Lin has put together a brief burst of offensive prowess that has put a positive spin on an otherwise hapless Knicks season.
The offense was stagnant and the defense was soft, then Carmelo Anthony went down with injury and a tough season became even worse.
Then came Jeremy Lin.
As if scripted by Hollywood, Lin descended to give the fans something to cheer about and Spike Lee a reason to smile. On Friday, the Knicks take on the LA Lakers, and that means the Black Mamba will be in the house.
This is a house, by the way, that Bryant loves to play in. This is a town that invigorates Bryant and a building that saw him drop 61 points in it during the 2009 season.
Last year he scored 33 points at the Garden, and the year before that he dropped 27. This is going to be a high-scoring affair by Bryant that will at the very least touch 30 points.
It will come in a nationally-televised game that will serve to make Jeremy Lin an even bigger name than he already is.
So what's in store for Lin?
Consider the below exchange between Bryant and reporters when he was asked about the young upstart Lin.
Bryant is as cool as ever and fairly dismissive of a player that he contends he hasn't heard much of. Bryant knows who he is, but he has no clue what all the buzz is about.
I doubt that he hasn't heard through the grapevine about the biggest NBA story this week. This may have merely been his way of putting Lin in his place...before he puts him in his place.
The best part of the video is where he is asked if he will guard Lin. Bryant scoffs at the idea. In pure Michael Jordan style, Bryant dismisses the notion or Lin as a player that needs to be guarded.
Lin has made us all smile with his 20-point plus games that have delivered wins to New York, but he is in store for a rude awakening on Friday night.
