One school of thought says it’s a lost season for Jeremy Lin and the Brooklyn Nets (11-51), no matter how you slice it. The Nets admittedly didn’t have big aspirations for the start of their rebuilding period under new GM Sean Marks and new coach Kenny Atkinson. But what the Nets did hope for was the beginning of the Jeremy Lin era, however rocky, and the start of a culture change that would one day transform into a winning culture in Brooklyn. Then Lin injured his hamstring not once, but three times, and the road to success took a long, losing detour.
But the other school of thought is that the Nets have shown something this season — heart. And that Lin’s presence, as attested to by his teammates, has been a factor even while Lin’s been in street clothes. Now with Lin back to finish the season, gradually getting more minutes, the Nets are actually competitive. They just beat the faltering Grizzlies 122-109. And they did it with a 4th quarter comeback — something bad teams aren’t supposed to be able to do on the road. The only exception is the rare bad team that isn’t demoralized by losing. And that, remarkably, describes the Jeremy Lin-led Brooklyn Nets. There’s no quit in them. Lin scored 11 of his 18 points in the 4th quarter.
