Thanksgiving is more than just a time to gather with family to enjoy dim sum and Korean barbecue while feeling sorry for those unfortunates gnawing on dry turkey. It’s also a time to reflect on all the things we are almost grateful for.
We’d be grateful for Jeremy Lin making the Warriors 15 if we weren’t so frustrated that he’s being underplayed. Lin’s sick crossovers and drives for 13 points in 18 minutes against the Lakers helped keep a bad loss out of blowout territory. His 14 hard-scrabble minutes against the Nuggets show he has the defensive control of a seasoned veteran even against the A team. He’s stealing more per 48 minutes (7.33) than all other NBA players but two. Smart no doubt figures Lin needs time to adjust physically to the demands of NBA play. And as a new coach he isn’t wiling to bet his own future on a rookie free agent like Lin. But Lin obviously has a third eye, legs of steel and a thief’s hands. He can be the difference in close games. If Smart would only stop blinking and believe his good fortune at having a once-a-decade talent dropped on his lap, we would be giving real thanks next year.
We would be grateful for Manny Pacquiao’s brutal win for his eighth title if the victim were Floyd Mayweather, especially after his racist video rant. We’re proud that Pacquiao has too much class to engage in the kind of trash-talking normal for the sport, but we wouldn’t mind if he would send some well-placed verbal jabs into Mayweather’s ribs to draw him into the ring. If Mayweather chickens out, Pacquiao could go for a ninth weight class against Sergio Martinez in the 160-pound division. If he can give up 17 pounds to Margarito and thrash him, he shouldn’t have too much trouble with Martinez. Either way, we would be giving thanks next year.
We’d be grateful that Tiger Woods put his scandal behind him if he weren’t so busy trying to prove what a great human being he is that he has lost the killer instinct that won him 71 PGA tour titles. If he would just accept that the media was going to savage him until something juicier came along and just get back to focusing on his golf game, we would probably be giving thanks next year.
