Lakers vs Rockets – “October 28”
Well, the time has come. New season is about to begin. No time to build castle in the sky anymore, no time to fantasize this or that. Now it’s the moment to focus on the game. Let the court speaks, it always says the truth.
What a great present for this first game of the season: Los Angeles Lakers – Houston Rockets. Oh, the irony! And what surprises me the most is the date: October 28th. Probably, for most of you, this doesn’t sound like something special, but for me, and I think for Jeremy too, this day means a lot. How things can change …
On 10/28 Houston Rockets traded for James Harden. Some months ago they got Lin thru free agency, telling him he would’ve been the cornerstone of their team, the face of their franchise, putting his face all over the papers and internet sites and all over the Houston streets too. After James Harden landed in Houston, all these things were thrown apart. I remember perfectly that day…
It was Sunday. It was early morning here in Italy. I woke up a little late cause I wanted a little rest after an intense week of work. I turned on my mobile phone and think I went to jlinet to read some news about Jeremy and… JAMES HARDEN TO HOUSTON ROCKETS! At first I thought, wow! This is huge!!! I was excited: Jeremy could play with one of the rising stars in NBA. The perfect backcourt: Lin dishes assists and Harden fires from 3. That day, for me, wasn’t a normal one. And still is. Oh no, this time I’m not talking about Jeremy…
On October 28th, more than ten years ago, my father passed away. I was a little more than a teenager that time. It’s something I wouldn’t wish to my worst enemy. I remember all the pains, all the questions in my head… why? I used to deal with this pain for several years… ‘til Jesus made his appeareance. After I started to trust Jesus, everything seemed more clear. I found my answers, at least some of them, but I started to build peace inside me. That peace who made grow the part of my father I never thought I had inside me.
So, to me, that trade, happened on that day, it was a sign from my father. It was his present for me, who was, and still am, a very big Lin fan. But I was so damned wrong… Those two seasons in Houston were a complete nightmare: James Harden turned out to be one of the worse ballhog in NBA and the worst primadonna I’ve ever seen on a basketball court. And do we wanna talk about the management? We wouldn’t say anything new apart the things we’ve been saying from two years.
Today I think that Houston time was a time of passage. A time in which Jeremy grew up and improved as a basketball player. In a certain way, like me, on the very same day. Sometime you have to handle some troubles to reach the next stage. That stage to me was getting mature, grow up as a man. For Jeremy was to learning to grow as a basketball player.
And so we are. Lakers-Rockets. October 28th. What has God set for Jeremy and for us this time? Oh well, this time I’m not gonna make predictions! I will just enjoy my favourite basketball player on the court, playing his unselfish basketball, with smiles on his face, dishing assists for every member of the team, from the star player to the one who most of people consider scrub. I’m gonna be here, sitting on my pc, trying to find some live games to see or having sleepless nights thinking about what kind of match Jeremy is playing while I’m sleeping.
Ok, I can see you. I wrote too much. Just a few lines and I stop. I want to ask you just one thing: please, all of you, if you believe or not, say a prayer before the game. Ask God to give strength, courage and faith to Jeremy to face this new season in one of the biggest basketball team in the world, if not the biggest. And may Jeremy, with his plays on the court, convert the majority of people all over the world. How will it end? God knows. And, as always, it’s the right way.
