"Linsanity" runs in the blood as Joseph Lin proves he can be a star of his own with a strong showing for the New Taipei Kings in the East Asia Super League playoffs.
LAPU-LAPU CITY — “Linsanity” showed up at the Hoops Dome here for the East Asia Super League Final Four, but it wasn’t from the one that once took the NBA by storm.
Jeremy Lin unfortunately had to sit out the semifinals between his New Taipei Kings and Japan’s Chiba Jets Friday due to an injury, but his younger brother Joseph was more than willing to provide some magic in what was a highly-energetic game in an EASL playoff setting.
Joe led the Kings with 21 points, albeit in a losing effort.
His second half was magical though, scoring 14 points including a key stretch in the fourth quarter where he drilled three triples in a two-minute stretch that truly had the Jets shook.
As appreciative as the Hoops Dome was for his exploits, no one was more proud of Joseph than his older brother Jeremy, who was animated on the bench and extended his praises on social media.
[Related: Of dreams and kings: Lin brothers play for dreams coming true in EASL Final Four weekend]
For the game, Joe was more deliberate and calculating when describing his performance, saying his sole focus was putting all his energy towards winning the game.
“Honestly in the middle of the game I don’t really notice that much,” he said.
“Obviously you can hear the energy of the crowd but in the middle of the game you’re just playing basketball,” Lin added.
Against the Jets, Lin had the opportunity to match with another true ace guard in Chiba’s Yuki Togashi, who wound up with 28 points after an electric performance of his own.
Lin relished the chance, and while the loss stings, he’s taking the positives of building for the future after a strong performance.
“I like to take this challenge and obviously not back down, but he ended up outperforming me,” Joe said of Togashi.
“I just try everything you can to help get you team a win, but I think this is a good step for our team and hopefully we can carry this and keep building on it,” he added.