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NBA Social Media Awards 2012 Results: Jeremy Lin Rightfully Goes 2-for-2
June 21, 2012
Considering these are the NBA Social Media Awards, it's only right that Jeremy Lin, who single-handedly broke Twitter on several occasions, won both awards he was up for.
Lin took home The EPIC (yes, all caps) Award for his 38-point performance against the Lakers and The Snap Shot Award for, um, a picture of a couch.
Let's break 'em down.
Note: For a complete look at all of the awards and winners, check out NBA.com
The EPIC Award
Alright, this one definitely should have had Lin worried. You know, if he actually cared about these awards.
The reason for proposed worriment? The contenders. You've got Kevin Durant's fadeaway game-winning three-pointer against the Mavs. You've got Carmelo Anthony's 43-point outburst against the Bulls. You've got Durant and Russell Westbrook combining for 85 in a double-OT thriller to beat the Timberwolves and Kevin Love's 51 points. And you've got the four-OT classic between the Hawks and Jazz.
Whew. That's a lot of epicness.
But the way I look at it is simple: What moment gives me the most chills? That's Lin against the Lakers. What moment can I remember where I was when I saw it? That's Lin against the Lakers (my couch).
"Linsanity" was just beginning around that time, and everyone just figured Jeremy Lin was this fluke created by the media who couldn't play against good teams. When he outplayed Kobe Bryant and led the Knicks over the Lakers, most of that talk subsided.
The Snap Shot Award
OK, after eliminating Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and A'mare Stoudemire for trying to take advantage of kids for social media purposes (not actually true, but they are like teammates going up for the same award. There's no way to separate them.), we've got Kevin Love vs. Jeremy Lin sleeping on Landry Fields' couch.
The Love mustache (Love mustache? Hello, next fantasy team name) is awesome for two reasons. One, it makes him look like a completely different person. And two, it's a very good Tom Selleck mustache, and I can respect that.
But Lin's couch is a symbol of his rise from a nobody to greatness. It shows us how he had to live like a broke kid right out of college, which puts him on our level. It makes him more likable.
And, of course, it got at least 20,000 more views than any of the other pictures.
Linsanity isn't a person, it's a movement. It's a story that we'll likely never see again, and it's only right that a guy whose legend grew in large part because of social media swept the Social Media Awards.