Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Shu-How Time at Oracle!

It's gonna be fun tonight:

Jeremy Lin goes home, a year after Linsanity

Finally, Linsanity comes home - SFGate

Jeremy Lin ready for Bay Area homecoming - San Jose Mercury News

Rockets-Warriors Preview - Yahoo! Sports

105 comments:

  1. Let's hope the Warriors keep dirty play to a minimum.

    Playing dirty does not win games in the NBA. If anything, it makes opponents play better.

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    1. I predict another Linsane DUNK in this game!

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    2. After last times embarrassment (3pt shoot out) we have to consider the possibility that GSW is going to play hard and even dirty. They dont want to be embarrassed at home and they have a bill to settle (not my logic but some people think so).

      So - I sure hope Lin will wear some protective gear and look out. Sure - it could be a great game for Lin - his teammates have supported him at every "home game" so far but it could end up in a big brawl as well. Just imagine all the GSW fans and the Lin-Only-Fans :)

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    3. warriorsworld ‏@warriorsworld
      Jeremy Lin going to get MVP chants at Oracle tonight?
      11:36 AM - 12 Feb 13

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    4. As long as McHell keeps Beverley in check, I think Lin will be fine.

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  2. shuhow's coming out aggressive this game. you can see it was like a switch that went off in his head. i don't think he questions the knee, his shooting, his conditioning, his playmaking any longer. this kid is coming in and taking it to the warriors. Proud of you shuhow. It's about damn time!

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  3. animated gif of dunk

    http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/webdr03/2013/2/11/18/anigif_enhanced-buzz-22582-1360624682-1.gif

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  4. Folks are tearing out their hair, saying Houston is going to go on a long losing streak. Nothing's changed. If Houston can't beat Golden State, Brooklyn, and Washington, they aren't really that good. Individual wins and losses aren't too important. What's important is how they play and what it portends for the future. If they're getting better, and they are, the future is bright for the youngest team in the NBA, with Jeremy Lin, whose legs are just getting back under him.

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    1. Exactly, people are expecting too much out of this young team. They have only beaten 3 Western conference teams on the road so far, New Orleans, Minnesota, and Utah ... that's all. We should not expect too much, other teams have several veterans and dominant post players who can score inside.
      Rockets only have a veteran Carlos Delfino and Omer Asik inside.

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    2. Er no one is panicking, its just a crying shame considering the one team they should beat (KINGS OMGWTFBBQ) they lost to and now they're faced with nothing but playoff teams in the next 3 games in GSW, LAC, and OKC (as in, it just gets worse).

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  5. [For anyone interested in this Insider article]

    ESPN Insider: James Harden's rising star power
    ESPN Insider: James Harden's rising star power
    Houston guard has become a franchise player who ranks among NBA's elite
    Updated: February 11, 2013, 2:13 PM ET
    By Joe Kaiser | ESPN Insider

    Let's get hypothetical for a second. Your team is down by one point with 15 seconds to play in a decisive Game 7. The home crowd sits nervously in stunned silence. As the coach, you call a timeout and draw up a play to get the ball in the hands of the one player who can hit the game-winning shot.

    If you could choose any current player, who would it be?

    Do you turn to Kobe Bryant? Or do you get the ball in the hands ofLeBron James? Is Kevin Durant your guy? And what about Carmelo Anthony? A strong argument could be made for each of them. Now, pretend for a second that none of those guys are available. Who then would you depend on with the game on the line?

    As hard as it might have been to believe a year or two ago, there may not be a better answer to that question than James Harden (no, we didn't forget about Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce). The point is, this should illustrate just how good Harden's been in his first season with theHouston Rockets.

    Earlier this season, Trendwatch pointed out that Harden's transformation into a "go-to" guy followed his trend of constantly attacking, which has allowed him to get to the free throw line, a trademark of any player whose team relies on him to produce a bulk of the scoring.

    But it isn't like Harden came out of nowhere. He was regarded highly enough to be drafted No. 3 overall in 2009 and went on to become one of the game's best reserves during his highlight-filled tenure in Oklahoma City.

    What's shocking, though, is the rapid manner in which he transformed from a player who started just seven games in three seasons with the Thunder into one of the game's brightest young stars with the Rockets.

    Because make no mistake, that's just what he's become -- a star.


    This goes well beyond the hot start Harden had in his opening two games with Houston, when he followed up his 37-point performance in the season opener with a dazzling 45-point effort. As impressive as that was, it was fairly easy to dismiss as a temporary hot streak. The general assumption at the time was that the league would eventually adjust and create defenses that would slow Harden down.

    Yet he hasn't slowed down, not even a little.

    He went on to average 23.6 points per game in November, topped that with 27.7 points per game in December and is averaging 26.0 points per game for the season, which ranks fifth in the league behind Durant (29.1), Anthony (28.7), Bryant (27.4) and James (26.9).

    And he's been on fire of late. Consider his averages over the past three contests: 33.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 63.5 percent (33-of-52) from the field and 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from 3-point range.

    As you can see, this clearly goes beyond a short-term trend. What Harden has proved over the first half of the season is that he's undeniably one of the most unstoppable players in the NBA and a rising star whom the Rockets can build around for years to come.

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    1. Here are three areas in particular that make the 23-year-old such a promising part of Houston's future:

      Versatility
      Harden's 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame is ideal for an NBA shooting guard, and he uses it to his advantage whenever he's on the court. What's impressive is the way he impacts the game in so many ways other than scoring. He's great at creating off the dribble and is a willing passer (5.7 assists per game). He's big and athletic enough to battle for boards (4.7 rebounds per game). And he's so quick and rangy on defense that it often translates to steals and high-percentage fast-break opportunities. Harden ranks No. 20 in the league in steals per 48 minutes (2.34). Plus he's more than a player who can score with the best of them; even at this early stage in his career, he's a player who can positively impact the game on both ends of the court.

      No player in the NBA gets to the foul line more than Harden, who averages 10 free throws per game.
      Getting to the foul line
      Few players in the game are as committed and polished at driving to the basket and attacking the rim as Harden. The former Arizona State star's strength and aggressive style put the defense on its heels, often resulting in trips to the free throw line. In fact, if you look at the free throw numbers in the NBA this season, Harden's jump off the page.

      Entering Monday, he has attempted a league-leading 510 free throws. That puts him 45 ahead of second-place Kevin Durant (465). More impressive is that only five other players have even attempted more than 300 free throws this season -- Dwight Howard (411), Bryant (374), Russell Westbrook (336), James (312) and Anthony (302). Harden is attempting a league-best 10.0 free throws per game and shooting 85.5 percent from the line, giving Houston a big advantage in the final minutes of close contests.

      Transition game
      Harden's aggressiveness, quickness and ability to handle the ball and finish at the rim make him an absolute dream in transition. According to Synergy Sports Technology, he averages 1.318 points per play in transition, which puts him in the 83rd percentile. (The only surprise there is that he isn't ranked even higher than that.) When Harden isn't leading the break, he likes to set up on the right wing, and from there he's particularly lethal; Synergy shows that his 1.698 points per play when operating from the right wing in transition ranks No. 6 in the league.


      [thrusting/ 虎扑]

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    2. "And he's so quick and rangy on defense that it often translates to steals and high-percentage fast-break opportunities."

      That's overstating Harden's defense by quite a bit, in my opinion. Harden is absolutely amazing at a lot of things, but defense isn't one of them.

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    3. Yeah, steals and fast break opportunities for the other team.

      Harden gives up more points than he produces. When Harden (and now Beverly) get beaten off the dribble or get targeted in pick and rolls, he immediately heads downcourt to catch a fast break outlet even if the other team still has possession. Meanwhile the Rockets bigs are taking the blame for not stopping Harden's man, and the Rockets bigs are justifiably irritated.

      Harden's run of offensive stats is nothing like Linsanity where Lin put up MVP numbers AND played great defense.

      I'd like to see James Harden put up more of a fight defensively. If he put even minimal effort into defense, the Rockets would win more and he'd score less.

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    4. I would give the last shot to KD any time, any game. As good as Harden is, he is not the last shot player. Good defender can stop him.

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  6. Replies
    1. I think JLin should add behind the back pass to his arsenal. It would be useful when trapped and double teamed.

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    2. @Kenoshi, I don't know if you watched the LAL vs MIA game recently but Nash was trapped like JLin did and he passed it out of the trap behind his back. I can't find a clip but it was effortless, rather than trying to twist and turn to evade the trap but to no avail.

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    3. Hehe agreed Racha just pokin' fun at Perkins :P

      Problem is Asik, 50% of those behind the back passes would be TOs :/

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  7. John Buccigross ‏@Buccigross
    Remaining Strength Of Schedule Jazz .535 3rd Rockets .492 20th Trail Blazers .544 1st Lakers .497 18th
    9:25 AM - 12 Feb 13

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    1. Good to know but the Roxs keep shooting themselves in the foot. As JLin and McHale noted in the previous game, weak-side D and allowing the Kings to get to their spots were problematic. Even if the Roxs are sputtering on offense with missed shots, playing solid defense will get them over the hump. Hope the Roxs learned from their shortcomings in the Kings game. No shootout tonight, lets D it up.

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  8. Replies
    1. He's articulate and pretty reasonable when he talks. Wish him well. The Roxs definitely wouldn't mind playing baby Barkley if he can get his act together.

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    2. Royce White is more baby than Barkley.

      Charles Barkley was a trampoline jumping, fast running, body bruising, fast twitching ATHLETIC FREAK that has Hall of Fame speed and strength and quickness and coordination. Royce White is none of those things.

      A lot of people have compared Royce White to Charles Barkley. I'm just not seeing it. What I see is a slow leadfooted player with limited skills and a low motor that likes to dribble the ball on the break and make fancy no look passes when a simple pass will do.

      If we want to talk about a true baby Barkley, that would be Tyler Hansbrough of Indiana. Now THAT is a player who has NBA starter athleticism and has produced Barkley level results as a starting PF. Hansbrough was a much better college player than Charles Barkley was.

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    3. Awaiting White to play an NBA game before passing more judgement on my part, but I do like his dexterity, ability to pass, and nimble footwork among some of his positives.

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    4. Once again, Racha, I WANT you to be right.

      I was very happy that you were right about Lin against Portland, and I want you to be right about Royce White as well!

      good going.

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    5. Well, just sharing my perspective. I could be DEAD wrong.

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    6. I think White would be a great addition.

      Watched about couple hours of his old footages, decent rebounder, boxes out well and gots some sweet post moves to boot, and is a decent enough defender and above average athleticism.

      Lin could actually throw fast passes to him in the lane without it be an instant TO.

      Just not as fast as say psycho T like KHuang pointed out.

      At worse case he'd be average defender and somewhat above average on offense, which is more than I can say for our nopower forwards right now.

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  9. JOSH SMITH BRACES FOR HAWKS DECISION
    ---

    The SPURS are among the teams with interest in Josh Smith. Hawks general manager Danny Ferry was previously with the Spurs.]

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    1. I hate rumors. Just go to the Roxs already Josh Smith.

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    2. He's a turd!!! A cancer!! We don't need him on the rockets!!!

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    3. Wow, a cancer? That's rough. I do agree he sometimes lack discipline and maturity.

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  10. Game is going to be on at 10:30 PM EST. It's gonna be too late for me to catch the whole game. It's a good thing I have DVR. Go Rockets.

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  11. TheSportsKing ‏@TheSportsKing
    Golden St C Andrew Bogut (rest) is probable and G Jarrett Jack (hip) is questionable tonight versus Houston.
    9:23 AM - 12 Feb 13

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    1. And Bogut tweeted what after the game? C U next Tuesday? Yeah, C U on the bench.

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    2. So both TD and Jack are both hipped up tonight. An eye for an eye.

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    3. LOL C U on Bench. He's a cubs fan.

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  12. Replies
    1. I was expecting Steph to take Jlin off the dribble for shots after shots in the last game. Thankfully he had an off night. I expect Steph to shoot better tonight though. JLin will need to stick with Steph every step of the way.

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    2. Wondering if JLin/Parsons/Lee/Steph went out last nite. Steph could be hung over again...or probably it's JLin this time, lol, hope not.

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    3. Jlin will be slowed down by all the caloric intake from ingesting too many burgers and milkshakes.

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    4. I thought that's what happened to Parsons in the last game. Those 6 in-n-out double cheese, I bet 4 of them went to Parsons.

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    5. And the milkshakes went to Asik and Aldridge.

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  13. Replies
    1. They started playing like the Roxs D that's what happened, but it still doesn't get any worse than the Roxs 29th ranked D. I'd be happy even if the Roxs ranked 20th.

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    2. They are playing Haren D. Rox players were getting pass their defender at will during the previous match up.

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  14. Replies
    1. I saw Poor Man's Commish's article linked here by Via, and remember him being one of the first people to write up Jeremy as 1st round pick out of Harvard. It is still a great read after 3 years and all that has transpired. He took a lot of abuse from the readers for his unbiased work.

      http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2009/12/15/1201646/bow-to-the-jeremy-lin-movement-b-o

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  15. Jason Friedman ‏@JasonCFriedman
    Both James Harden (knee) and Toney Douglas (hip) taking part in this morning's shootaround.
    10:54 AM - 12 Feb 13

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Will need James and TD tonight. I don't want JLin to overexert himself playing without these two. They still got the Clips awaiting in the wings.

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    3. Don't even want to think about the Clips right now.

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    4. Great link via. Looking forwards to the match up against the Twin Towers and JL7 v CP3.

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    6. I'd like to see some small lineups with Beverly and Douglas playing together.

      Just as Lin's dogged defensive pursuits offsets Harden's utter refusal to even pretend to play defense, Toney Douglas's defensive energy and willingness to go after people could possibly offset Patrick Beverley's slow defensive reaction time.

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    7. One game at a time. I want Harden to play, but I don't want him to force it. I hope McHale can make adjustments and limit his minutes if Harden is struggling on the court. I hope TD is well enough to play since I think he's a better offensive player than Beverly.

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    8. Yeah... Jeremy Lin coming to my town(L.A) tomorrow. I got pair of Box Suite tickets. Wohoo...... Seeing JL7 vs CP3 live tomorrow.

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    9. I don't recall Houston ever doing well when McHell decides to go small... they usually end up giving up a lot of points. Maybe cuz the team hasn't mastered that Sony Motion Flow offense yet.

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    10. This can turn out to be a great game for Lin if they want to limit the risk of Harden getting injured by driving to the rim.

      Perhaps they will let Lin initiate the attack and find Harden for wide open 3PT shots.

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    11. Jonathan Feigen ‏@Jonathan_Feigen
      Harden said he will play tonight. Still sore. Was definitely worried. Lots of praise for treatment from Jason Biles.
      11:50 AM - 12 Feb 13

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    13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKeoyDxRcOs

      Lin to Griffin.

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    14. @Etane "Sony Motion Flow Offense" LOL!

      They have done well going small for stretches though. Just ask Knicks, who went small to counter...And failed miserably.

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    15. Well, unlike the Knicks, you won't see too many small guys on the court for the Clips.

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  16. "But the Rockets have been better when they treat games as somehow more important, pointing to the standings before playing the Jazz, Warriors and Trail Blazers, as opposed to poor efforts against the last-place Kings or Hornets.

    The similar loss in New Orleans, where they also let a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead slip away, sent the Rockets spiraling to a seven-game losing streak.

    But they said they better know who they are and how they must play.

    Not to guarantee a win tomorrow or the day after (at the Los Angeles Clippers), but I know for a fact as a team we’re a lot more mature, and we have a solidified identity right now,” Lin said. “We know what we have to get back to.

    “We spent all day drilling it. After the first New Orleans game, we had an idea, but we were just trying a lot of different things in that seven-game slump to change.

    “We got back to what was working for us. We have a blueprint for what we want to do.”

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    1. As JLin said, I believe they can bounce back from losses better and they have solidified their offensive identity, but the inconsistencies on defense is still a problem.

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  17. Daryl Morey ‏@dmorey
    .@jlin7 dropping the H-Bomb on ESPN "This is Sportscenter"! Clearly needed someone from MIT 2explain terminal velocity! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vijg_JwRAL8 …
    11:28 AM - 12 Feb 13

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  18. Replies
    1. Coming from Magic, you better believe it. I used to hate MJ in his playing days for the Bulls, but I came to appreciate his game after he played for the Wizards and then retired.

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    2. Magic speaks the truth.

      Noone has played with more intensity and desire to win like MJ. I got the same first impression of smugness and selfish play but he was willing to change to share the ball with his team to win. It was always great to see him in the playoff because you knew he's going to come back by the sheer strength of his will. At the same time, he was sincere, brilliant (high >150 IQ) and so accommodating to fans.

      He's a conundrum because what made him great on the court destroyed him in his personal life. He wants to win so much at gambling, ping pong, cards that even his father's death was rumored to be linked to shady gambling characters.

      And his HOF speech full of spite and some imaginary slight was such in contrast with David Robinson's gracious speech.

      I hope he finds peace in his heart someday.

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    3. Can't have everything in life. It's almost always true that a person's strength is his weakness. But I give MJ all the prop as a basketball player because he gave it his all and his best. Kobe probably comes closest in terms of dedication to the game and competitiveness.

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    4. yup, be careful what you want in life, it might just come true but you miss the big picture.

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  19. Beyond The Buzzer ‏@BeyondTheBuzzer
    Derrick Rose tells USA TODAY he is not coming back until he's 110%: "Right now, [I'm] probably in the high 80s. Far away. Far away."
    8:30 AM - 12 Feb 13

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    1. Do you think any Bulls fan would complain that DRose isn't back when he's in the high 80s percentage-wise like how Knicks fans threw JLin under the bus when he said he's about 85%? I think not.

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    2. The Stephen A crowd were looking for any excuse.

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    3. DRose copying Lin...What is this world coming to?

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    4. Maybe he's just trying to expose the double standard haha...

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  20. James Robinson ‏@jalrobinson
    Covering a Rockets shoot around. Got asked to leave practice (with other media) by Kevin McHale. Today is a win!
    10:50 AM - 12 Feb 13

    [Press Q&A after shoot around.]

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  21. I saw Poor Man's Commish's article linked here by Via, and remember him being one of the first people to write up Jeremy as 1st round pick out of Harvard. It is still a great read after 3 years and all that has transpired. He took a lot of abuse from the readers for his unbiased work.

    http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2009/12/15/1201646/bow-to-the-jeremy-lin-movement-b-o

    I don't know how to make the link work

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    1. For Wei Lin:

      Dis boy can ball!

      Now the real question is, why is Lin not dunking more often?!? Some of the dunks people described is like wow.

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    2. Can you imagine if Lin is a reckless dunker?

      He'll be battling a stereotype of Asian MJ's wannabe. He can only dunk but not a true PG material :D
      People will always find ways to criticize.

      In perspective, people will target Lin more if he was dunking ala Blake Griffin to posterize people. Lin is a smart dunker, only dunk when necessary.

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    3. and thanks, wei lin. I never knew this Poor Man Commish was also Nostradamus.

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    4. What makes me sad is that he was much higher on Jeremy then than many of the Rockets writers are on him now.

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  22. Looking forward to the reception Jeremy will receive from the GSW crowd. He was a fan favorite there, and I believe they are proud he grew up in the area. Also, it is Asia Heritage Night. Also, we are two days from VaLINtine's day and are in the month of February, where Linsanity started. It would be appropriate if Jeremy had another Linsanity moment tonight.

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