Linsanity rules in Taipei

It was a typical Jeremy Lin-esque clutch shot to ice the game. The man who sparked the craze called Linsanity in the NBA was in heroic form once more as he drained a step-back triple several steps beyond the arc to lift the New Taipei Kings to a four-point lead, 67-63, over the Ryukyu Golden Kings with 26 ticks left in an EASL Group B contest at the Xinzhuang Gym before 5,207 fans Wednesday night. The count wound up as the final score.

Lin, 35, raised both arms after knocking down the rainbow shot then pointed to his adoring fans in the stands to acknowledge their cheers. He had missed five previous triple attempts but made sure his final attempt found the mark to build a two-possession lead. Lin netted nine points at the half and went scoreless in the third quarter before tallying six in the fourth to finish with a flourish.

Lin was never drafted by an NBA team but survived nine seasons in the majors, suiting up for eight teams. In 2019, he became the first Asian American to play on an NBA champion team with the Toronto Raptors. From the NBA, Lin jumped to the Chinese Basketball Association then moved to the Taiwan P-League last year. Three years ago, Lin was issued a Taiwan passport, making him eligible for the national team.

Last week, Lin was in Manila to power the Kings’ 89-77 win over Meralco in another EASL game. He presided in New Taipei’s comeback from a five-point halftime deficit and finished with 23 points. It was Lin’s second appearance on a Manila court as in 2013, he was on the Houston Rockets squad that saw action in a preseason game. A report from Taipei said that the Philippines was the home of his in-laws so his visit was sentimental.

Before Wednesday’s game, Lin hit 42.9 percent from three-point range, outstroking gunners like LeBron James, Paul George, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson in the NBA this season.  But against the Golden Kings, Lin shot only 1-of-6 but his sole connection was the icemaker.

EASL’s home-and-away concept has opened the doors for fans from across the region to witness the exploits of legends like Lin, Yuki Togashi and Jayson Castro. The league is clearly succeeding in its mission to grow the game exponentially in East Asia. The New Taipei-Meralco game brought in over 2.5 million viewers and as the Final Four nears, the expectation is viewership will skyrocket.

Chiba has ended its group stage schedule with a 6-0 mark. Anyang is 2-2 while TNT and Fubon are tied at 1-4. In the other group, New Taipei is on top at 4-0, Seoul is 2-2, Ryukyu 2-3 and Meralco 1-4. If there are ties at the end of the prelims, quotients will apply with only the scores involving the deadlocked teams to be computed. Three playing days remain in the regular season. On Jan. 24, it’s Ryukyu against New Taipei and TNT against Anyang. On Jan. 31, it’s Seoul against New Taipei and on Feb. 7, it will be Seoul against Meralco and Fubon against Anyang. The top two finishers of each group advance to the Final Four where the best of the best will joust for the first prize of $1 million.