"Linsanity" took over Madison Square Garden a decade ago but Knicks fans will have to travel to Barclays Center, home of the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets if they want to see a special screening of a documentary on Jeremy Lin's breakout 2012-13 season.
Nets owner Joe Tsai explained his decision to air the documentary commemorating a Knicks player, suggesting his decision was bigger than basketball.
Postscript: MSG refused to show this film. So I’m showing it because the story needs to be told. It’s a story about breaking stereotypes. It’s a New York City story.
— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) May 16, 2023
Tsai should be celebrated for his warm gesture, as tough as it might be for Nets fans to swallow. Knicks owner James Dolan, on the other hand, looks as bad as his music sounds.
Per AllMusic's review of his band's album "Nothing to Lose," "Dolan's functional, raspy vocal style ... doesn't have the talent or distinction" of the Blues Brothers or Huey Lewis.
He's also the executive chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Entertainment but couldn't figure out a way to celebrate one of the lone bright spots during his miserable reign as Knicks owner?
During the 2011-12 season, Lin put himself on the NBA map by leading New York on a seven-game winning streak in which he averaged 24.4 points per game while shooting 51.2% from the field.
Included in that stretch was a 38-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers, which is where his documentary — "38 At The Garden" — gets its name.
The documentary premiered on HBO in October 2022 to positive reviews. As Tsai noted, while it celebrates Lin's accomplishments, it's also a story about rejecting and overcoming stereotypes.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, making this a perfect time to amplify Lin's story.
Dolan could have made the equivalent of an easy layup but — as should be expected — played the wrong note instead.
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