Jeremy Lin vs. Kobe Bryant? Believe it.

We have all done it. We pretend we are playing against the top guy in the league and doing amazing things. Fadeaway over Michael Jordan? Swish! We never seem to miss, run out of energy, or have a problem basking in all of the adulation that those make-believe fans have for us. Well, Jeremy Lin is living that dream and we are certainly not make-believe.

It has been a wondrous experience to watch this low profile player – an undrafted rookie from Harvard who was way down on the bench about a week ago. Today, he has people wearing shirts in his honor, chanting MVP, and driving up ticket prices to see him play. And tomorrow night, Jeremy will not be dreaming when he lines up against NBA superstar Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers.

There are an array of stories about Jeremy Lin, some speaking to his Harvard backgroud, some to him being Asian-American, some eyeing him as the next wunderkind underdog, a la Tim Tebow, and some mentioning all three. The story is a great one for all of those reasons and so many more. As a Knick fan, I think the story is great because the team is winning. And that’s what Jeremy seems to care about…being a great teammate who helps his team win.

So when you watch Lin, yes, go ahead and bask in the shining light of our “here and gone, blink of eye” media. But when the media moves on, don’t forget Lin and all those like him who are living their dream for they represent the essence of sports, i.e. goals, effort, joy, and achievement. Go Jeremy!!

Please click here to read the story that opened up our eyes to Jeremy (SI, Feb. 2010) And for a quick look of Jeremy at work, check out this video.