Saturday, February 9, 2013

Rockets @ Kings Game #53 Pre Game Thread

Going back to the Blazers game, James Harden was amazing and seems to be actually trying on defense lately. I think he and Jeremy are playing well together and I have no qualms about his game right now.

What bothers me is Jeremy not getting to play while Harden rests. If Harden is out for 10 minutes, Jeremy needs to be in at least 8 of those minutes. What happened to this concept? This also lets JLin guard the 2 and gives him a break from chasing the quick pg's all around.

Jeremy is a team guy all the way, but don't you think he wants to play more minutes, have the ball in his hands more, and stay in the top 3 in steals? He has really stepped up his play lately and all of his numbers are starting to rise. No matter how much of a team guy you are, you want to put up your numbers. That's just part of the game and being a competitor. You'd think with better play he'd be rewarded with more PT but not for JLin.

There just seems to be something strange going on with the coaching staff in regards to JLin and his playing time. I could be reading into it more than is really there. But when it comes to JLin you just have to wonder.

I just saw Charles Jenkins playing for Warriors and you just have to shake your head to think they cut JLin for this guy. Remember, this is Jerry West, Joe Lacob, and Mark Jackson making the decision. Honestly, I just don't think most people can look at him and judge him fairly. There is just too much preconceived bias and stereotyping. Even many Asian Americans don't see or can't believe how good he really is and how much potential he has.

Coming back home, I'm expecting something special from JLin against the Kings and Warriors. He'll be in his comfort zone, eating at In-N-Out, and being back in the Bay. He'll also be playing against the Coach who had JLin sit behind Acie Law and in the Arena where he won his State Championship. Then he'll be playing his hometown Warriors Tuesday on Asian Heritage Night. Let's just hope he is not sitting on the bench Sunday because the Rockets want Beverly guarding Isiah Thomas.

248 comments:

  1. "No matter how much of a team guy you are, you want to put up your numbers. That's just part of the game and being a competitor. "

    True! Agree!

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    1. @lyd~ You wanted JLin sad pic last thread -> No gif yet.

      Instead: Here is our Floor General surrounded by his men. :)

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    2. thanks Via! everything you post is good!:)

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  3. All the best for JLin's return home to his old stomping grounds!

    JLin can't resist teasing Landry:

    Jeremy Lin ‏@JLin7
    Back in CALI!! Dont worry they werent all mine but i had to break the eating regimen today lol pic.twitter.com/IJOKQCK1

    Landry Fields ‏@landryfields
    @JLin7 smh.. My mouth just started watering!

    Jeremy Lin ‏@JLin7
    @landryfields my stomach hurts

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    1. And someone on twitter on why JLin is wearing his shirt inside out: "since he is at in-N-out burger, he is wearing his shirt inside out. He has great sense of humor."

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    2. Crap - I didnt even notice the shirt until you mentioned it :)

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    3. In my defence -> I saw JLins funny face and then I noticed the burgers. No time to look at the shirt. Must have been 4 years since I had a chance to go to In-N-Out Burger!

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    4. that's it! Tomorrow's lunch is In-N-Out :D
      Man, if he ate that 6 burgers that's unbelievable

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    6. I don't like In and Out Burger's cardboard french fries.

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    7. @KHuang:

      But they make them fresh! They put whole potatoes into a cutter and cut them (at the restaurant) before they fry them. Yum Yum! Also - I love the way they wrap the burgers so you can eat them while you drive :)

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    8. The best burger is just a fresh "homemade" one cooked on a charcoal grill.

      Good meat, good cheese, lots of ketchup and a squishy bun. Oh, and grilled chopped onions (maybe with a little Worcestershire sauce!).

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    9. JLin should become In-N-Out burger spokesperson!

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    10. i thought he wore that shirt inside out coz he didn't want to be noticed as an NBA player , let alone , Houston Rockets baller... :>

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    11. Seriously? You think the shirt would give him away?

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    12. He probably wore the shirt inside out because he doesn't want to be financially advertising a company he is not officially endorsing.

      Lin is no Stephen A Smith who advertises for clients not associated with CAA, specifically clients like Lin!

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    13. haha...oh yeah, as if Lin is not the most recognizable face in the planet right now... :>

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    14. Burger is much much better than McDonald, but I don't like the fries!

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  4. JLin is shooting 50% FG and 53% on 3s in February so far. If he can maintain that pace, to me, those are Linsanity (efficient) stats. He doesn't need to score 20 points per game. That will eventually come in the next few years. This year he just need to stay healthy to play his first full season. This may be a conservative perspective, but just seeing how much he struggled after recovering from surgery, it's not worth the risk of doing that all over again. I'd like to see him run more pick-n-rolls, but I also don't want to see him turn his ankle again, or continue to get hard fouls. Speaking of which, the Rockets need to send clips of those hard fouls to the league. I thought those 2 fouls he got at the Miami game should have been flagrant. If you watched the video slowly, you can see Lebron pushing JLin from behind when he was up in the air, causing him to lose control of the ball, and crashing hard on the floor. And then there was a play where Haslem came crashing at JLin while he was up in the air, causing him to land hard on his right arm. That was almost like a tackle in disguise. Just like how Kidd swung his arms around JLin's head from behind last year, causing JLin to flip back and hurt his left knee. Something must be done with these types of plays.

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    1. Considering the coaching staff don't complain about it even during the game, I am skeptical the Rox will bother complaining about it afterwards.

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    2. Lakers filed complaint with league about hard fouls on Dwight Howard

      "But if you send in the complaint you look like you have your star players’ back. So you do it. And the Lakers did."

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    3. I've never seen a fan base fret as much about a player getting hurt as Jeremy Lin's fans. He's a professional athlete, not a woman.

      Injury prevention happens in training not on the court. There's a reason why the Suns always have such few missed player games to injuries, why Nash was so durable. There's a reason why the professional FOOTALL players on the 49ers hardly get subbed out on defense and hardly ever miss games.

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    4. It's a good thing Jeremy Lin doesn't play ice hockey. The US games that I've seen on telly are brutal..very gladiator-ish.

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    5. Lin DOES get headhunted more than any other player, and that's why we fret.

      Jeremy Lin leads the NBA in uncalled flagrant fouls, body blows, and amount of blood spilled.

      He is the single most unfairly officiated player I've seen in decades of watching the NBA.

      I HATE NBA refs.

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    6. Lin gets bruised and bloodied more than any other player in the league it's true. That's not where missed games come from tho. Players don't hack you into torn ACLs and sprained ankles. Lin can handle broken noses.

      I find it despicable that no one in the league or apparently Houston has bothered to notice or complain about Lin's constant abuse. It reminds me of when Jackie Robinson got spiked after joining the MLB.

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    7. I firmly believe that Lin got knocked out last season.

      That Dallas foul was BAD. Lin had endured several hits like that, and he never was the same afterwards.

      This season, Lin has still endured at least one flagrant 1 type hit per game. The racist NBA refs need to CLEAN UP THEIR ACT.

      I HATE NBA refs.

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  5. The Roxs have 30 games left to make a run for the playoffs. They are currently tied with Utah for the last two playoff seeds. Denver was won their last 9 games and have only one more loss than a slumping Clippers. Nuggets are making a run for the 3 seed. As a matter of fact LAC, Memphis, GS and Utah are all slumping.

    As of their last 10 games.
    Denver 9-1
    LAC 3-7
    Memphis 5-5
    GS 4-6
    Houston 7-3
    Utah 5-5
    Portland 5-5

    This road trip could determine if the Rox can make a run for the 5th or 6th seeds.

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    1. Rox have the worst record against its own conference out of all Western conference teams. And they are a poor road team. They have been playing with a better flow. Let's hope they can sustain this for the rest of the season.

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  6. "There just seems to be something strange going on with the coaching staff in regards to JLin and his playing time."

    They are building around Harden and Lin is a role player. Morey and Coaching staff say otherwise, but we know better.

    I could see them parting ways before Lin's 3 years in Houston are over, since I doubt Lin sees his place in the NBA or NBA history as a mere role player. There is too much redundancy on the offensive end between Harden and Lin. Morey understand what he has in Lin. He's not going to let Lin walk away for nothing after 3 years. Before Lin's final season with the Rox, expect talk from Morey and management how Lin has arrived, he's set to emerge from under the shadow of Harden, how they are going to integrate Lin more into the offense then expect to see him traded.

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    1. The whole substitution pattern for HOU is weird and nonsensical. They play Harden for so many minutes and play who got the spark of the night with the other players. They benched TD for Beverley for 3-4 games, they sat Greg Smith for Aldrich for a few games, they let Anderson to close the game late against MIA.

      McHale went "old school" and will play any combination that he thinks will complement Harden best because he is the best player and the best sparks will be supporting actors for the night. Not sure if he has the best plan to develop players. If he runs Harden to the ground, only then this plan will backfire on him.

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    2. Ugh, Morey always said that Harden is his "foundational player", a player to build around. He never said that about Lin, what he's said is that he just wanted Lin to be a solid PG.

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    3. If Lin is just a future trade chip, he would be playing MORE than he should not less. Look at what happened with Kevin Martin during preseason. Or Calderon in Toronto.

      By the same token, part of me thinks that Parsons is being stat-padded for a major trade in the off-season (Kevin Love maybe?). Otherwise, there is no non-racist reason for him to play more than Jeremy.

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    4. There is a basketball reason why Jeremy Lin is not playing major minutes.

      Lin gets headhunted every game, so he takes more hard fouls than any player in the NBA does.

      Also, Lin is the best defensive guard in the NBA and never quits defensively. He exerts so much energy on defense that it's amazing he has anything left for offense.

      Between the hits and the defensive intensity, I feel that Lin averaging 30 minutes a game is just right.

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    5. @Cara
      I've learned that with Jeremy Lin articles, interviews, etc. to just acknowledge and then ignore the negativity. Else, we'd all end up with premature aging...lol.

      If the fans are frustrated by the obvious, I can't imagine how it feels to be in his shoes. Even though I don't do facebook/twitter but have seen the racist comments that he still encounters. It's a crime here in the UK. I'm just glad that he have a good support system in his family, faith, friends and fans.

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  7. I dont see redundancy as a problem. Harden and Lin have the potential to become a nice "double threat" combo. Just imagine at this point - what would happen if Harden would get injured? Who would take over as leader if not Lin?

    I just dont understand why they keep on experimenting with JLins PT. Do they hate him? Do they disrespect him? Wanna teach him a lesson? Dont they see his potential? I simply dont get it...

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    1. McHale would say, "He's a young kid and he will be fine..."

      So far he only sees Lin as Robin next to Harden as Batman. If the Rox has a reliable big man to play PnR, perhaps they would design plays for Lin. Until then Lin's biggest arsenal is to make his 3PTs, layups and occasional PnR with Asik. The best thing going on with Lin is his >50% 3PT% in the last 7 games.

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  8. "I dont see redundancy as a problem."

    A team can't really afford to have two players eating up cap space doing similar things. Roxs need an inside presence.

    Roxs don't hate Lin. They're just higher on Harden.

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    1. They have three PGs and three wannabe PGs. And you say Harden and Lin are doing the same thing? Tssss...

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    2. This so-called "redundancy" is a MEDIA INVENTION.

      Jeremy Lin and James Harden have very different roles and are very different albeit COMPLEMENTARY players.

      Personally, I love both Lin and Harden together. They are the most effective backcourt I've seen together since Cassell and Allen in Milwaukee. The two play off each other beautifully even though Lin is the facilitator and Harden is the finisher.

      All of the turnovers Lin would be getting on his own have been shifted to Harden. That, among other factors, is why my initial negative reaction to the Kevin Martin trade has been somewhat tempered.

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  9. The thing with Portland is they don't have a good bench. I think McHale played bev more minutes to make sure there's always fresh legs in front of Lillard. Luckily Bev is actually a decent defender. Good enough to defend a very tired Lillard. No need for Jlin's defense there. And besides they need to play their bench.

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    1. Yeah, SAC, GS, and LAC. GS has been slipping lately and lost 4 in a row to HOU, OKC, MEM, and DAL lol. I'm sure they'll be ready for HOU on Tuesday. The Clips just got annihilated by the Heat. The best point guard in the league CP3 only got 3 points (1 of 5), 2 assists, 3 TOs, and played a grandioso 19 minutes. The Heat can do that you.

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    2. Also, the next 3 games will be up and down the west coast. Same time zone so it's not too bad and travel is minimal between Sac, the bay area, and Los Angeles. So the Roxs shouldn't be zapped of energy, even the back to back one on Tues and Wed.

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    3. So Lin did better against Miami than the best pg in the league who has a team of athletic finishers built around him and is the undisputed master of his domain. How interesting.

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    4. @MT, I think JLin did well against Miami. Obviously JLin can do better and I think he will as he become more seasoned, but CP3 "the best PG in the league" couldn't even handle Miami is too funny.

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    5. CP3 also struggled way worse against OKC than Lin did.

      From the start, I have never wavered in my belief that Lin is a better player than CP3.

      CP3 always surrounds himself with max contract big men and will trade himself off bad teams, but he is nowhere near the two way player Jeremy Lin is. That becomes evident when Lin outperforms CP3 against the really good teams.

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    6. That was CP3's first game back from his injury and sitting out a number of games. Just putting it in context.

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  11. Ho Chen: A friend just brought this back from Vegas: Rockets not gettin respect! CHECK THEIR ODDS COMPARED TO LAKERS...

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  12. Harden and Lin may have similar attributes but their strength and weaknesses are NOT the same and thus actually compliment each other really well if you know how to use them.

    Lin can play the PG position much better than Harden and without Lin, Harden will still get his points and assists but everyone else's production will go down. Harden can't play the role of SG/#1 scoring option WHILE getting others teammates going early on in games; and that's where jeremy comes in. he sees his role on this team as the PG that gets everyone going and warmed up on offense before looking for his own shots. His the motor that makes the team go, as george karl puts it.

    now i want to address comments here about lack of playing time equalling lack of respect. let's keep several facts in mind before making up our mind about whether or not the coaches value jeremy. first of all, he is coming off of surgery to start the year. it was obvious in the beginning of the year that his stamina just wasn't there, especially with the way he plays defense. he was logging a lot of minutes early on even for a starting PG. second of all, he is learning a new position and doing things he wasn't very good at. now let's think of reasons why the coaches wouldn't play him as much. and since every game is different, we do need to take it game by game so let's use last night as an example.

    rockets up big, bev playing well, rockets weren't giving up the lead, and jeremy on the bench for 12 minutes. possible reasons: 1) the coaches wanted to keep bev in because he was playing good D on lillard and offense was unstoppable with harden in video game mode. 2) no need for jeremy to be in the game with such a big lead. now the real reason is probably combination of them all. one way to look at this is that the rockets weren't really in danger of losing so no need to play jeremy as many minutes. after all, he is recovering from knee surgery and if they can save him and not play too minutes, why not? just so he can keep up his stat and get his 1-2 steals a game? do you think he cares? i do see they limiting jeremy's minutes deliberately at times but i think it's more so they don't over exert him in this year of recovery rather than a lack of trust of respect for his game, especially now. early on, maybe, and let's face it, he wasn't playing all the well early on and was limited physically.

    i really doubt the coaches are trying to undermine him. remember, the owner wanted him back, badly. morey wanted him back. i doubt it would be in the best interest of the coaches to undermine the person that the owner deliberately brought back and made a huge investment in. in fact, because of the huge investment, it makes more sense to bring him back slowly and make sure he has every opportunity to recover. also, remember that this year is basically a year for the FO to figure what they have. so they need to give everyone, especially the ones on the fence (doubles, bev, etc) plenty of playing time in order to both develop them and also see whether they see them as part of the bigger plan. in my view, jeremy is definitely valued. in fact, if he wasn't, i think we would've saw him being taken out of the starting lineup and slowly play his way back based on how he played early in the season. i think they want him to develop, improve, and figure out his role on the team while trying to win games, all the while making sure he is not being over exerted.

    i guess i just really don't see any valid reason at all for the coaches to undermine him.

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    2. sorry for all the typos.. late at night. oh and it's "douglas", not "doubles".. haha

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    3. "i guess i just really don't see any valid reason at all four the coaches to undermine him."

      Quarterback controversy. The coaching staff is unproven at this level. They've staked their reputation on Harden being the qb on offense.

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    4. Yeah, I don't believe the coaches are trying to undermine JLin either.

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    5. Good reasonable post, fighton. But you forget that Jeremy wasn't even allowed to play POINT GUARD for most of the first 30 games. So to say that he didn't deserve to play big minutes isn't true. Do you think Derrick Rose would have won an MVP if forced to stand in the corner like Derek Fisher?

      When Jeremy played PG, he almost always played great. When he played Derek Fisher, he usually stunk. And not only did they reduce his usage, but they reduced his minutes! That's a clear sign of disrespect/doubt. Last night's game could easily have been lost like many others -- they were lucky Portland went cold in the 4th. And Beverly's defense was no better (better on drives, worse on jumpers).

      But hey, look, I don't believe that the coaches are sitting in a room, twiddling their mustaches and trying to destroy Jeremy's career, lol. I just think they have a very low opinion of Jeremy's game based on inevitable prejudice -- they've never seen anything like Linsanity in their lives, so they don't believe it can last.

      McHale has even said this before in several interviews. Stuff like: "Last year he played on the ceiling, and now he's coming back down..." "He can't play like that all the time..." blah blah blah.

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    6. There is nobody on the coaching staff forcing Lin to play like Derek Fisher.

      In McHale's Bobby Knight motion scheme, all players can be superstars provided they don't overdribble and hold the ball too long.

      The reason Jeremy Lin went to the corner earlier this season is because defenses keyed in on him and FORCED him to the corner. The only way Lin could catch the ball and not be closed in by a triple team was to go to the corner where the out of bounds line prevented defenders from 360ing him!

      But ever since the Rockets assistants (likely Chris Finch and Bickerstaff) have been sending the Rockets forwards to the 3 point line, that has pulled big man help defenders out of the midrange. That allows Lin to beat "only" two defenders up top and drive through the midrange.

      Lin's a very tough cover. I can see why opposing coaches are feverishly trying to stop him while leaving Harden unguarded.

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    7. No one is forcing Lin on offense. The coaching staffs just draws up the game plan. Players play their roles. Is anyone forcing Lin to exert himself on defense? He just does it.

      I don't believe the coaching staff hates Lin or is out to get him. Harden is simply their leading man. To management if Harden can get 25/10 which he has been getting recently, the 2nd guard only needs to provide 12/4 and defense. We know that with the ball, Lin can do that in his sleep. The league is beginning to see that too. This is untapped value.

      Lin is much to valuable as a trade chip for a post player for Morey to ignore.

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  13. JLIN SINCE DEC 1 [37GMS]:
    13.5pts/5.9asts/3.1rebs/1.9stls on .461/.336/.758 [FG/3pt/FT%].
    Scoring, shooting %s up after knee got healthy.

    [D Weiner]

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    1. thanks via! really great video, one of the better ones I feel...the mood of the music somehow really matched the footage. The part where he skipped over to hug D'Antoni was especially heartwarming. Did he do that before or after the Lakers game? I don't get to see NBA games over where I'm at so I miss all these little moments.

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    2. thanks via! really great video, one of the better ones I feel...the mood of the music somehow really matched the footage. The part where he skipped over to hug D'Antoni was especially heartwarming. Did he do that before or after the Lakers game? I don't get to see NBA games over where I'm at so I miss all these little moments.

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    3. I'm usually allergic to girly romance thingy but I'll gladly make exception for that one. Thumbs up for the maker and thank you as always for via

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    4. @anon~ PRE-GAME

      @Rikki~ Yeah, nice job by j017823. :)

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  15. Rewatched the Knicks blowout game against the Kings last season. That game had some beautiful alley-oops with Landry and Tyson. Seeing Lin play starter's minutes in the first 3 quarters, ah the memories... sigh*

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  16. [KickStarter] Linsanity: The Movie

    "Help us get to 2000 backers and every reward receiving backer gets a special edition THANK YOU button w/ Jeremy's signature printed. Tell your friends! Even as little as $1 per backer can help us get there."

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    2. I think JLin need sensors at the tip of the shoes so that it beeps when he gets too close to the line.

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    3. He should get a shoe deal with LA Lights...if they still exist.

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    2. Talking about HORNS. The Roxs ran a different type of horns I haven't seen this season on the first play against Portland the other day that resulted in a dunk by Asik from JLin.

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    3. my memory of JEREMY + HORNS

      Jeremy: So you know, when he gets to the game, when we get to a game together the first thing you do is run a play for Novak 'cause that's just usually 3 points. So I come down and I call the play called ORANGE. when I call orange, the person closest to Novak goes, screens him,steps back and he shoots a 3.it's a simple play.so I call orange in the middle of the game and he looks at me, and he runs to the elbow, and I'm like what are you doing? you're supposed to shoot a 3.so on the timeout he comes up to me and he's like, my bad Jeremy. I'm really sorry. I thought we were running HORNS. I say, Novak, we don't have a play called horns."

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    4. Remember this interview, LOL.

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    5. Oh man, if Coach Nick were coaching the Rockets, they'd be the 4th seed with Jeremy putting up 18/8. He's a big fan of Jeremy. And Harden. And he's gone on record saying they need to share PnR duties more evenly.

      It's sad that George Karl and Coach Nick both understand Jeremy's talent/importance, but his own head coach thinks of him as disposable.

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    6. @zxcvb before you call coach Nick a big fan of Jeremy, you might want to check out how he look Jeremy before.

      2010 NBA Summer League from coach Nick

      I think he changed his tone after Linsanity.

      And his comments in early days: bballbreakdown 1 year ago
      How so? I believe I said I don't think he'd do too well in the NBA, and I've been proven right so far...

      bballbreakdown 2 years ago
      We'll have to see how good Lin can be - from what I saw (other than 5 minutes against John Wall) I wasn't too impressed. Let's not forget this is a business - he is marketable, which is a good thing - he's from the area, he has a lot of local fans who will pay money to see him play and for the Warriors, that has to be important to them. I hope you check out our other breakdowns. Stay tuned for lots more this month!
      Coach Nick

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  19. Perhaps this can put things into perspective as why JLin's playing time has been inconsistent:

    ESPN Insider scouting report on the 26 year old point guard, Kyle Lowry:

    - Tough, aggressive guard who pressures the ball and defends. Loves taking charges.

    - Likes to push the tempo but can get out of control. Improved outside shooter.

    - Good athlete who draws fouls. On the short side. Excellent rebounder for size.

    Lowry had a career year in Kevin McHale’s point guard-friendly system, but he clashed with the coach anyway — partly because his previously ferocious defense slackened noticeably last season. Normally among the best defensive point guards in basketball, Lowry’s defensive metrics were pretty ho-hum last season. Synergy rated him below average, and opposing point guards had a 15.7 PER against him, although the Rockets still gave up fewer points with him on the court.

    The one positive at that end was how much he helped on the glass — Lowry’s rebound rate (8.2) led all point guards. Nonetheless, one suspects that in Dwyane Casey’s system, he’ll be asked to defend more and freelance on offense less.

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    1. I guess McHale is all about "ferocious" defense.

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    2. So Sac beat Utah yesterday, LOL. Roxs can't go to sleep against this dormant team. Lets go Roxs! JLin keep up the good work!

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    3. Well, if McHale is about ferocious defense, Harden doesn't have ferocious defense. PGs only maybe? Dunno.

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    5. So if we took ESPN's scouting report as a reference, it gives a bit of an understanding as why JLin's playing time has been kinda awkward. Also, the writer mentioned Lowry will be asked to "defend more and freelance on offense less" in Toronto which parallels what McHale is asking JLin to do more of as well, defend, at least that's my impression of it. Because the Roxs already have Harden, Mchale probably upped his ante on JLin even more to be that ferocious defensive PG he wants.

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    6. At this point, McHale obviously still wants JLin to be that ferocious defender, but at least he has realized the Roxs NEED JLin to run the offense more after the 8 game losing streak. Although both Harden and JLin are playmakers, the way they go about facilitating is obviously not the same. But McHale is still sitting JLin on the bench a bit more compared to Harden; however, there's a noticeable difference in how McHale is using JLin now as you all know. JLin is more involved in the offense, not just a spot up corner 3 pt shooter anymore, but he's spurring the offense. I don't know if McHale will ever grasp the notion JLin can be effective the way he plays defense, but if that's how he see things, we shouldn't be surprised by it anymore.

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    7. Thibs is light years better defensive coach than McHale and Rose is a bad defender. Scoring defense doesn't start with the PGs ferocity it starts with your front court and proper pick and roll schemes. I've seen Houston play good team defense for single games but they don't keep it up. That's on McHale.

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    8. @MT, yeah the problem is consistency for sure and not ferocity in my opinion as well.

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    10. McHale will never grasp that. Morey will need to get him an assistant coach that can see pass that like Thibs was to Van Gundy and Doc Rivers.

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  20. JLIN Foundation ‏@jlinfoundation
    Buy tix to @JLin7 event here http://tinyurl.com/awvb9we |
    RT before 2/11/13 (12 pm CST) for a chance to win a signed jersey
    pic.twitter.com/Fg1L1vYW
    12:32 PM - 9 Feb 13

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    1. The Kings can creep up on them. Need to focus and play with the same thrust and energy as they have recently.

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  22. I think I have figured out the reason McHale is irritated with not just Jeremy Lin but with any starting point guard he's had (Lowry and Dragic are recent examples).

    McHale played a summer for Bobby Knight who is the master of the motion offense. Like Mike Woodson who also played for Knight at Indiana, McHale believes a point guard should be making quick decisions and not pound the ball dribbling selfishly.

    To these Knight disciples, most NBA point guards including Lowry, Dragic, and Lin appear to be selfishly overdribbling and stalling. McHale wants to see the basketball pinging from player to player like a pinball arcade, and Mike Woodson actually does too. Star point guards like Jeremy Lin bottle up that flow, especially since a guy like James Harden normally makes seemingly fast decisions within the offensive flow. I make this statement about McHale because years ago I heard him say about the Timberwolves "A point guard's job is simply to get the ball upcourt and then get into the offense". Very Knightlike, indeed.

    Here's the problem. Bobby Knight coached in COLLEGE where opponents were simply not talented enough to stop his motion scheme. In the NBA where athletes are bigger and better and scouted, any kind of motion scheme can be stopped by a good team defense. Thus the NBA relies on its isolation scorers, particularly those that appear to "bog down" offenses by probing defenses for the best shot.

    Jeremy Lin WANTS to zing the ball around the perimeter, but he CAN'T against these sophisticated NBA defenses with phenomenal athletes trapping him with as many as five players. McHale loves both Beverley and Douglas because they keep the motion going, but they don't get trapped as hard as Lin nor do they produce Lin's results.

    What about McHale's years as a Celtic? Well, Red Auerbach himself was the main proponent of the motion offense. Auerbach himself won championships as a coach preaching speed. But McHale's championship coaches were actually Bill Fitch and KC Jones, both of them being star PRO isolation coaches who played both uptempo and slowdown ball. McHale has forgotten the quality slowdown coaching that Fitch and Jones did.

    Jeremy Lin is justifiably frustrated with McHale. On the other hand, Les Alexander seems to have handed down the edict that Lin PLAYS because Lin is the main guy that wins games. Lin is doing a fine job despite McHale's overinsistence on the motion scheme.

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    2. I don't know KHuang if it's about offense and dribbling the ball, but McHale does always harp on not getting to sticky with the ball. McHale just has something about PGs and their defense for some reason, not just with JLin but Lowry and perhaps Dragic. Perhaps Dragic didn't want to stay with Houston for that reason too and money, just speculating.

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    3. Huh. That's a very, very interesting and informative post (as usual), KHuang. I wish I read that BEFORE I posted my earlier comments in this thread, ha.

      Really...what you said would explain a lot. Last year, McHale may have relented with Lowry and Dragic because he didn't have a super-elite scorer like Harden. But now that he does, he's being doubly hard on Jeremy.

      And it may explain why McHale was so upset to see Dragic go and underwhelmed to get Jeremy. Dragic had a more reliable jumper and better handles (while Jeremy is the superior playmaker, finisher and help-defender, not to mention he's younger with far more upside). Dragic would be a better fit in McHale's preferred system.

      On the bright side, Jeremy is debunking McHale's outdated approach with every passing week. And Les will fire Big Mac's sorry ass if he doesn't adjust accordingly. Seriously, JLinFan#1 should re-post your comment in his next post.

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    4. Only you can make this kind of assumption, KHuang. This is very interesting and reasonable to its extend. McHale is known for being the anti- X and O coach so things make much more sense now.

      I've never thought McHale and Sampson "hate" Jeremy, I just thought they still don't have enough faith in how precious of a gem they have in Jeremy.

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    5. The Houston Rockets are actually an isolation team in the halfcourt when Lin is playing.

      When Lin catches the ball, opponents quickly double and triple him to seal off passing lanes and block his drives going either right or left.

      Liin WANTS to hot potato the ball off the way McHale demands, but he CAN'T because the court is closed off. So Lin has no choice but to ISO HIMSELF simply to break the trap to the point he can pass to an unguarded Harden or some other unguarded player.

      The thing is that by the time Lin breaks the trap, he himself ends up in good position to score. So Lin ends up scoring, and McHale doesn't know what to do because Lin "broke" the motion offense but got the job done anyway. It's a coaching quandary for McHale.

      Thus Jeremy Lin has been inadvertently molded into one of the best if not THE BEST isolation scorer/producer in the entire NBA. Ironically, it's McHale's motion offense with its utter lack of structured off the ball movement that has CREATED this bizarre but crazily effective isolation scheme for Lin to dominate!

      Then again, there is precedence for this. One of the reasons that the 80s had such amazing players is that Bobby Knight was heavily involved in USA basketball throughout the 80s. Bird, McHale, Isiah, Jordan, Barkley, Stockton, Malone, and several other superstars all played in Knight's motion scheme that CREATES SUPERSTARS!!

      McHale is Lin's SECOND Knight motion coach, Woodson being the first. No wonder Lin is looking like a superstar!

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    6. McHale would HATE Goran Dragic this year.

      Dragic was strictly a pick and roll player in his very short breakout stint. He also had Luis Scola and Samuel Dalembert to run those pick and rolls with.

      This year, both Scola and Dalembert are gone. That means no pick and rolls for Dragic. And unlike Lin, Dragic doesn't have the All NBA athleticism that Lin has to break the traps that Lin now CASUALLY shreds!

      Dragic right now would be called the biggest $10 million bust with the Rockets, and the Rockets would have the West worst record that Dragic is "leading" the Suns toward.

      I'd absolutely say that no other All Star PG in the NBA can produce those isolation results for the Rockets that Lin does, PLUS no PG even remotely comes close to defending like Lin.

      McHale does not know how GOOD he has it with Jeremy Lin.

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    7. Talking about Dalembert, don't be surprised the Rockets resign him before the deadline to fortify the frontline for the playoffs. So the next couple of games will kind of gauge the Roxs probability in making the playoffs. As for Scola, he's currently starting alongside Dragic for the Suns. Dragic was smart and bolted from McHale and got the dough. What else can he ask for? LOL.

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    8. Dragic is having an OK individual statistical year with the Suns, but the Suns are falling apart under Dragic's "leadership".

      Marcin Gortat has been frozen out of the offense, though he does the "Jeremy Lin" and puts up monster numbers when Dragic is out. Michael Beasley is frozen out too, and Beasley is a very good player who would EXPLODE playing beside Jeremy Lin.

      The Suns are bad and getting worse. Dragic is a big reason why. I hated his game when he was drafted by Phoenix, and I'm not a fan of his selfish game now that's he's back with the Suns.

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    9. McHale hated Dalembert because Dalembert is nothing more than a big body with no game.

      Then again, that was with Dalembert playing with shoot-first point guards in Dragic and Lowry.

      Dalembert alongside Jeremy Lin is a whole different story. Dalembert can actually cut and catch lobs and block shots, unlike Asik who is willing but physically incapable. Plus Jeremy Lin's awesome defense would be a huge boon to Dalembert defensively.

      If Jeremy Lin could make a player out of a TOTAL SCRUB like Marcus Morris, he'd probably turn a guy like Dalembert into a reliable NBA starting pivot!

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    2. Not surprised at all. If you produce for D'Antoni, he'll let you play. As a result, the player will have more opportunities to shine. Some coaches will just stick to a core group of players regardless if they have a stretch where a backup plays outta his mind.

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    3. Earl Clark is successful with LA because this is his SECOND stint in a D'Antoni offense.

      The Suns drafted him a while ago. I actually was very disappointed when Earl Clark was drafted because I felt he was an unskilled and untalented physical specimen whose only claim to fame was that he played at Louisville for Rick Pitino. With the Suns, Earl Clark was a 6'8" raw athlete who was utterly clueless and could only shoot the outside jumper.

      That is STILL the case. Earl Clark still has no skillz. But he's at least playing with a Hall of Fame backcourt in a Steve Novak bombing role.

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    4. FOr a off the bench guy, he is doing very well. I dont think he matches up with linsanity. But he just brings the extra that Lakers needed.

      Lakers vs Spurs

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    5. Haha, Racha, you know what, folks here love Mike D'Antoni but at the same time hate McHale doing the same thing, e.g. gave Douglas/Beverley a chance and didn't stick to Lin all the time.

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    6. Heck no Earl Clark doesn't match up with Linsanity.

      Earl Clark is a Novak-aine player who simply catches and shoots, not a Linsanity superstar that makes plays happen on both ends of the court.

      For all the mumbo jumbo that the press erroneously mutters about D'Antoni point guards, it's the Clark and Novak SCRUBS that benefit from D'Antoni's high screen and roll pick and pop system.

      Steve Nash of all people is the quintessential D'Antoni point guard, and Nash is STRUGGLING in LA because D'Antoni has stationed Nash in the corner as a spot up shooter! So I don't want to hear any bunk about how Jeremy Lin would go onto the Lakers and suddenly Linsanity would roar back.

      CORNERSANITY would be Lin's role on the Lakers, just like it is for Nash.

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    8. Cara, I think D'Antoni leans toward players that can make his offense flow better, whereas McHale wants only his point guard to play stingy defense as the reason he puts in TD for long periods of time, or even Bev. Who knows.

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    9. Even TD and Bev is not all that stingy on defense so sometimes it makes you wonder what is McHale doing, but JLin is shooting well and he seems to have his rhythm back so no complaints so far.

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  24. Anyone see the Mchale post game after the Warriors game when he was asked about how great Jeremy was driving to the basket? Mchale completely ignores the question about J.lin. Mchale has it out for Lin..I just don't get it. If this was an office, Mchale would have been fired for racial profiling.

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    1. I don't think it's racial profiling--that's too serious of a charge. I think it goes back to how McHale sees JLin, a defensive guard first and foremost. He doesn't care to talk about JLin's offense rather his defense. I remember McHale complimenting JLin's defense against Utah at the post game. It kinda caught all of us by surprise too.

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    3. I saw it. He didnt even mention JLin in his statement (I say statement simply because it was not an answer to the question). Maybe he is trying to avoid JLin-questions.

      Or - maybe he was so carried away that he forgot about the question... happens...

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    4. Let me make a correction, I wrote above that McHale doesn't care to talk about JLin's offense rather his defense. It's more accurate to say that McHale doesn't "want to set expectations" to the press/fans for JLin on offense because his whole game plan is to have JLin be a manimal on defense and probably score about 12-17 pts in a game, and not the 28 pts he had against GS.

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    5. Right now JLin is playing fabulous so I don't really care too much on how McHale uses JLin. As long as JLin gets his minutes and plays in critical moments of the game I'm good.

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    6. I wonder sometimes if maybe just maybe there is a deflection of attention on purpose. JLin has mentioned how much he did not like the attention. Maybe some of this is to let him have a break from the media... Let him play basketball without the hype.

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    7. If you guys read my above post on how McHale disdains his point guards for holding the ball and driving, you'll easily see why McHale refuses to credit Jeremy Lin for his scoring explosions.

      McHale THINKS that Lin is BREAKING the offense to score, when in truth Lin is the GREATEST EXPONENT of McHale's motion offense!

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  25. Zhuge Liang + Zhao Yun = Jeremy Lin

    Hopefully Lin could play at least 30 minutes today. Let him be both strategist and front line general

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  26. Jeremy Lin gave Mike D'Antoni confidence (plus many nice things said about Jeremy :))

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo9kIvYlaUs

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  27. "When it comes to discussing his [Harden] recruiting efforts, he was considerably more reticent.
    Asked if he had begun making his sales pitch, or at least laying the groundwork for next summer, he said he has chatted with "a couple guys."
    Asked who has received his initial recruiting attention, Harden smiled broadly and said, "A couple guys."

    ...Several players who could become free agents could be moved at the deadline, but Morey is more likely to wait for summer free agency when Howard, Andrew Bynum, Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Josh Smith, Andre Iguodala and David West could hit the market."

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    1. Ugh.

      I don't want ANY of those guys on the Rockets except for maybe Howard, and he's gonna have to actually learn how to play first.

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    2. I actually don't mind having David West.

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    3. David West is slow, old, soft, can't jump, can't run, and scores mainly from outside.

      I don't like his game, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't help either.

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    4. Damn, KHuang you're ripping him into pieces, LOL.

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    5. One of the reasons I like West is because he's old lol. He's got a solid post up game, can shoot the mid-range, and a veteran.

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    1. I think the Rockets are showcasing Aldrich's skills these last couple of games. I think he's gonna go soon.

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    2. Jonathan Feigen ‏@Jonathan_Feigen

      Replaced in the rotation by Cole Aldrich, Greg Smith was sent to D-League.

      10 Feb 13

      ------

      Aldrich does have more experience and have a height advantage over Smith.

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    3. Yeah, I think the Roxs may get Dalembert before the deadline for the playoffs. Aldrich is not playoff ready and may get rid of him b/c of his expiring contract. That's of course is only my speculation.

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    4. Not like anyone on the Roxs is playoff ready, except probably Harden and Delfino, but the Roxs need solid backup at the 5.

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    5. Asik has played in 21 playoff games with. He played 6 last year, starting 3, averaging 21.1 MPG. McHale commented how Asik knows the importance of every play because of his playoff experience. If Asik is one of the more playoff tested guys behind Harden and Delfio, they probably need some veteran presence to offset that fragile chemistry.

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    7. Yep, totally left out Asik's playoff experience. Dalembert would fit the bill of a veteran and a solid backup 5 on the defensive end of course. We'll see.

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    8. lucky lin got the contract, or else, I think he will sent to the d-league by the coach too like smith!

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    1. Hey you never know--Nash/Howard to Houston for JLin, Asik, Parsons, DMo, TJones, and whoever else. This is some crazy sheetz I just said.

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    2. smh... That is not going to happen. That same site has like 3 articles with the same thing. Just trying to get hits and is not based on anything that is remotely factious. I don't want Lin with Kobe. Now if actually McHale leaves next year and they bring D'Antoni to coach the Rockets. I would be extremely excited.

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  31. [Somewhat Lin related...Maybe not :P]

    Watching the clippers vs Knicks, Carmelo tries to defend Griffin then they switched to Chandler...And Griffin catches Chandler on an alley-oop for a dunk lol.

    Chris Paul 9pts already...Felton can't do anything, Bledsoe is so owning Prigioni. 30-19 Clippers lead.

    I don't know why but it makes me happy to watch Knicks get pwned as a Lin fan...

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    1. Me too. I just got back from taking my kids for swimming. Yes, Knicks seem to not be able to handle the Clippers now with CP3 back in the line up. Happy New Year everybody btw.

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    2. CP3 with 9 points, 2 assists and 2 steals. Felton with 5 points, 2 assists, 2 TO and 1 steal.

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    3. Heh make that at half:

      CP3 - 16pt 5ast 2stl 0TO 3/3 treys
      Felton - 7pt 3ast 1stl 2TO 0/2 treys

      There's just no comparison between the two. Lin would have much better results. Heck if Knicks had Rox backcourt...I can see Robertlin drooling lmao :D

      Carmelo on track for another 30pt+ game having 20 at half. But Clippers still ahead 8pts. 54% vs 39% shooting.

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    4. I haven't followed Knicks much lately but STAT is playing off the bench?

      I swear Woodson trolls us, isn't that what we've been saying last season and earlier this season?! LOL :D

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    5. The thing about the Clippers vs Houston is that the Clippers have alot more good players with Griffin, Paul, Crawford, Chauncey, Butler, Deandre Jordan and Barnes. Some of those guys can play above the rim and it is something that Houston aren't capable of doing. CP3 will always getting better assists because he has those guys and also he has total control of the team unlike Lin.

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    6. Can't deny that Melo is a great iso scorer.

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    7. Also, with Felton he has more freedom to shoot even when he has a bad shooting night. We all know the team runs around Iso Melo ball and if JR Smith and Novak have bad nights then the Knicks are going to lose. Chandler game is limited just like Asik. Felton has the benefit of having Kidd on the team because Kidd is crafty and can pick up on Felton's mistakes. There has been a debate on whether if Lin was still on the Knicks would the Knicks record still be where they are now or will their record be better. That's still a debatable question because the Knicks can be great if 1) Woodson allow Lin to have the freedom he is giving Felton 2) Carmelo is playing like the way he is playing now because he knows if he loses it will be all on him and nobody else he can blame on. 3) JR Smith doesn't hold a grudge because Lin is making much more money than him and learn how to play nice with Lin.

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    8. Wow Felton got clobbered guess he's out.

      Knicks catching up to Clippers tho :/

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    9. Im seeing the knicks game. One part of my brain wants clippers to lose bec i want anyone above and close to rockets standing in the west to get more losses but the other part wants knicks to lose bec of what they did to jeremy.i sound like a hater....well, maybe i am.i prefer knicks tio lose then...my mind is set, just now.

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    10. Knicks are going to lose this one. CP3 just did that little fade away jump shot a couple of times already when he got into the lane. Knicks got no answer for that. Also, Carmelo was trying to play iso ball and got stripped.

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    11. You got it right.it's over..NY lost...im happy..but looking at their line-up only jlin is missing and this team is unbeatable...melo, Stat and chandler plus kidd, novak, shump....i just could dream

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    12. Via

      If shump is moving, do u know where to?

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  32. Bunch of good games today. Next up will be Lakers vs Miami. The Houston vs Sacramento game won't be until 9 PM EST. Going to be some good bball to watch for New Year Day.

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    1. Happy new year, that's what I was thinkin' too :D

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    2. I checked the sked for today, some interesting match ups but the most i anticipate is the rockets game, though it's coming out late.just want to be positive tonight that jeremy will have an outstanding performance despite the odds, meaning playing time and quality time he gets.the last game, many fans were disappointed and there were so many different views here which is healthy in a forum like this.bottomline is, we as jeremy fans just want him to have a stage where he can make use of his talent and get the win for the team. However, repeatedly, we were disappointed and maybe, jeremy too.But at this point in the season, we can just hope for the best to happen for both jlin and team.i think the strategy of mchale( whatever he is doing now) will not change drastically at least for the end of the regular season.with that said, i intend to just enjoy every game ( though sometimes it will be hard) and not complain, not necessarily following that i have none. I just give up on complaining and hope a good change happens.i am just happy that i can see tonight's game and take away my mind from the blizzard that just hit us here in trisate.looking forward to an exciting show from jeremy and company!!!Hope you guys get treated with a great game tonight.... See y'all later

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  33. pure and simple racism, jlinfan#1.

    but i'm sure racha, ly'er, and etane can lecture us again on how jeremy just needs to "try harder" on defense and put in "more effort".

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    1. Let's assume for the argument sake, it is racism. What do you suggest aside from keep trying?

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    2. Suggesting racism plays a part doesn't suggest strategies but it can be important to recognize when evaluating how a player's doing and his upside. For example, haters will often say something like "Lin is undrafted" implying that all those scouts can't be wrong. If there's a good explanation why all those scouts could be wrong, it's important to bring that up.

      Whether racism doesn't play much of a role in how Lin himself can approach his professional problems, though.

      Personally, I don't think accusing his haters of racism is useful. The word is too loaded and his haters do not think they are being racist. It's better to argue from cognitive dissonance and other cognitive biases which can be proved. Humans have an enormous amount of data bombarding us at all times. People have to come up with simple models to help us make judgments. Lin doesn't fit the model of a basketball player and making new models is extremely expensive for human brains.

      Models can be mostly right but crucially wrong for edge cases. People think NFL QBs must be tall. It turns out QBs must have big hands. Usually, only tall people have big enough hands. But, occasionally, a short person like Russell Wilson will have freakishly large hands. He's an edge case.

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    3. *Whether it's racism, that is.

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    4. some how I can't copy and paste, I like what you mention in the third paragraph.

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    5. Good post Michael. I like hearing about opinions from people who are non-Asian and Lin's use. I think Lin has dealt with overcoming obstacles/usage/and racism in a very very enlightened way as some have pointed out. As an Asian-American, he really stands out culturally and I am proud of the way he has handled himself.

      I think his game is very underrated because he is so unselfish and wants the team to succeed. As some have pointed out, he is changing the way people play the game in that he is team-oriented. Lebron has a team-oriented approach and creates opportunities and lets the guy who is open shoot the ball - even at crucial moments, which he has taken criticism for in the past. When people buy into the team and add flair to the game they create the type of excitement that we as fans are all looking for. That is what people are drawn to.

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    6. *non-Asian Lin fan's and Lin's use

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  34. Howard Chen ‏@ho_chenCSN
    Toney Douglas did not take part in today's shootaround. Considered doubtful for tonight. Suffered left hip pointer v Blazers #RedNation

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  35. Great match up now bet lakers and heat.if only both of them could lose, i would prefer that.but since not possible, i hope lakers lose so they will go down in the standing, less chance to steal the 8th spot for the playoffs.

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    1. Rootin for lakers but miami caught up...damned that LeBron. Howard not lookin good in past 5 mins.

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    2. Not really worried about Lakers unless rox starts doing bad.

      Just want heat to lose.

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    3. originally a Laker fan here , before Lin came into the picture. Let's go Rox! lol

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    4. I'm not worried, the last spot in the playoffs should come down to between Lakers and the Jazz (Who are playing terrible lately).

      I am worried that the Rox might get swept in the playoff 1st round because they don't have any low post scoring threat. The fact that they are this good without a high scoring big man really speaks volumes about Lin and Harden's leadership.

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    5. Really a very tight and great game between Lakers vs Heat. One thing that is evident is that looks like it is a slower tempo game and Lakers have > defense than Houston even with Mike D'Antoni coaching. Also, Kobe > Harden and Howard > Asik and so far Earl Clark is channeling Clarksanity so he is > Marcus Morris or Patpat.

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    6. As Jeff Van Gundy said Lakers are a high TO team cause of Kobe, Dwight and Nash. Part of Nash TO stems from his creativity so you will expect that. I am sure Houston still beats Lakers in turn of TO.

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    7. One last point, MWP is able to guard LBJ better than Parsons can guard LBJ. James only has 19 points so far and 3 assists.

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    8. Really close game...its like watching playoffs they have tied 9 times so far.

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