A 'Lin-tastic' tale

It's the kind of sports story that will have Hollywood salivating. As underdog stories go, it is hard to envisage how the sudden rise of basketball sensation Jeremy Lin (also known as Lin Shuhao) could possibly get any more dramatic.

On Tuesday, Lin drained a stunning tiebreaking 3-pointer with less than a second to play, carrying the New York Knicks to a 90-87 win over the Toronto Raptors. In doing so, he extended his team's winning streak to six games - ever since he was put in the starting line-up in fact. "Lin-sanity", as the US and Chinese press has taken to calling it, is in full swing.

After a mediocre start, Lin's career has suddenly caught fire in the last few weeks. He didn't qualify for a scholarship when he left high school and was missed by the draft after graduating from Harvard. His brief career with the Golden State Warriors failed to ignite.

But on Tuesday, as he posted 27 points and a career-high 11 assists, those humble beginnings were a distant memory.

As all good tales do, this silver lining has a dark cloud hanging over it. Almost lost among the euphoria of his heroics was the fact that Lin also committed eight turnovers. It's a reminder of his inexperience, and that more down-to-earth days will inevitably follow this dream sequence.

Time will tell if he proves to be a lasting success. The scriptwriters are watching closely.