For those of you riding the Jeremy Lin train (and who isn’t?!), his first four starts have been surprising, amazing, and even inspiring. But his fifth start? Surreal.

Not even the likes of Homer and George Lucas, creators of some of the most famous archetypal heroes, could have scripted Harvard grad Jeremy Lin’s ascent and performance Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors. Hero rises as the underdog, struggles initially, gets hurt, but ultimately prevails. As cliché as it might sound, that’s exactly how New York Knicks starting point guard Jeremy Lin’s night went.

Lin finished with an impressive stat line of 27 points, 11 assists, two rebounds, and a steal in 43 minutes. But what he, and all basketball fans, will remember most about Tuesday’s game are the last three seconds.  After an offensive rebound gave New York possession with the game tied at 87 with 20 seconds left, the ball went straight to Lin about 40 feet from the basket.  There was never any doubt about who would be taking the last shot as Lin drained the clock to three seconds, crept up to the three-point line, and drilled a 25-foot three pointer right in the face of Raptors guard Jose Calderon. The game-winner capped off a 24-12 fourth quarter in favor of the Knicks, who have now won six in a row with Lin at the helm.

His team down five points with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Lin was seen going to the sideline to be treated for a bloody cut on his arm following a costly turnover. Whatever they did or said on the sideline must have worked—55 seconds later, Lin drove to the basket and converted an impressive floater over Raptors center Amir Johnson while being fouled and falling to his back.  Lin then hit the pivotal go-ahead free throw. Call it fearlessness or a short-memory, but Lin’s drive to basket ignited the Knicks just in time to pull out the victory.

With his shifty drives, confident shooting, and impressive court vision, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni seems to have found an aggressive and smart point-guard to lead his high-scoring offense.  At least Spike Lee, who has become the Knicks unofficial mascot, surely thinks so.

@SpikeLee: “When Will The World Understand Jeremy Lin Is A Baller?Is There Still Any Doubt.Da Orange And Blue Are Going For The Ring.Don't Sleep.Ya-Dig?”

But back to reality. The Knicks (14-15) still needed a last second three-pointer to beat the lowly Raptors (9-21), who were missing their 2006 first overall pick and leading scorer Andrea Bargnani. And Lin still needs to improve on ball security (eight turnovers against the Raptors) as well as his 61% free-throw percentage over the past two one-possession games. Lin set the record for most turnovers by a player in his first five starts.

And that comes one day after boxer (and now criminal) Floyd “Money” Mayweather tweeted,

“Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise.”

With all due respect, “Money,” it’s actually because as an undrafted free agent on his third team, Lin set the record Tuesday night for most points scored over a player’s first five career starts in the NBA. And that includes all races.

We can only hope that Lin’s electrifying streak will continue, if not for basketball’s sake then at least to see how many more puns “Linsanity” will create.  But in the end, Spike Lee will always say it best:

@SpikeLee: “Jeremy" I Got Dem Brotha's Stumb-Lin And Bumb-Lin-MUMB-LIN TOO. HEE HEE HEE”

Classic Valentine's Day.

You're single. Your close friends aren't. And you have no special someone to share this day of love with.

But it may not be your fault you're missing a significant other this Valentine's Day.... You've probably just been looking for love in Alderaan places.

Luckily, here at the Crimson Sports, we've got something up our sleeve.

So if you're looking to impress that fox you've been vying for or if you're simply still unhappy after Facebook stalking your Datamatch results, here for you are a few pickup lines with a Harvard athletics twist to hopefully make this Valentine's Day one to remember:

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Jeremy Lin ’10’s life-changing string of seven days came to a close today with yet another honor, when he was named the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

After averaging 27.3 points and 8.3 assists in his four sensational games as a starter—while leading the previously-lowly Knicks to a 4-0 record—Lin became a national phenomenon and one of the biggest sports stories of the year overnight.

The Harvard alum’s 109 points over those four games were the most scored by any NBA player in his first four starts since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976. Lin also became the first player in NBA history to score at least 20 points with seven assists in each of his first four starts, and the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 25 points and eight assists over a five-game span.

In doing so, his game was praised by three of the best point guards of all time—Magic Johnson, Steve Nash, and Jerry West—while a number of celebrities and national media outlets took an interest in Lin’s compelling story, especially after he outdueled Kobe Bryant to the tune of 38 points on national television Friday night.

With the honor, Lin becomes the first player in NBA history to win Player of the Week awards in both the NBA and the NBA Development League, where he won the award while a member of the Reno Bighorns last season.

Lin is the first Knick to receive the NBA honor this year. Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook won the Western Conference award.

Lin, who will next be in action tomorrow night against the Raptors, was yesterday named the ABC News “Person of the Week” as well.

Thanks to Jeremy Lin's sudden emergence as a sports and pop culture juggernaut in the past two weeks, Harvard athletics have also been receiving far more attention lately. After all, it's been nearly 60 years since a Crimson hooper suited up for an NBA team.

So what do current Harvard athletes think of Lin’s meteoric rise? To get an athlete’s perspective, we at The Back Page caught up with senior cornerback Matt Hanson.

Hanson, a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection for his strong 2011 campaign for the Harvard football team, has long been a supporter of the Harvard basketball team. Hanson is a common presence in the stands during home basketball games, as he and other football players have catalyzed fan support around campus. Additionally, the senior has reportedly received looks from NFL scouts.

Through his unique perspective, he was able to give us some interesting insight into the "Linsanity" gripping the campus.

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Inherently, not many people can say that they have been the “Person of the Week.” Well, that is officially one more thing that Jeremy Lin ’10 can cross off of his to-do list.

On this week’s edition of ABC News’ segment of “Person of the Week”, Lin nabbed the honor, finishing off a week filled with much other recognition and praise from the basketball world and beyond. This award has previously gone to a variety of personnel, including ex-prisoner of war, Jessica Lynch, as well as a group that has reunited several Holocaust victims and their US veteran rescuers, among others.

ABC News states that Lin, on Friday, was the most searched person and name on the internet, and, after discussing his economic degree, quips, “the odds of a turnaround like this, any econ major can tell you, are slim to none.”

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