Now that Yao Ming has retired, will the Chinese audience still pay attention to the NBA? It might have looked shaky, but Jeremy Lin is here to save not only the Knicks, but the Mainland Chinese audience too. Watch the CCTV-9 coverage:

It's hard to resist this guy's awesome underdog story. No college basketball scholarship, not drafted by the NBA, spent time in the NBA's D-Leagues before making a remarkable breakout last week that includes netting the highest score made by a Knicks player this season (38 points)--and outshining the Laker's Kobe Bryant. He also set a record by scoring 109 points in his first four games, the most since the ABA and NBA merger of 76-77. The Knicks are having a way more exciting season, with 5-game winning streak thanks to the only Asian-American basketball player. They call it Lin-sanity.

And Lin-sanity on the Mainland? It's happening, but they actually just say he's an American of Chinese heritage. All true--Lin's parent's are from Taiwan, with ancestry coming from China on both sides. And his Mandarin? He admits it could use a little help. We know how you feel, Lin.