Too bad I wasn't able to watch this game. I checked the box score, looks like Lin had another great game, and he actually closed. Can anyone provide additional recap on Lin's game?
Good win, the Kings have been playing tough lately.
He made winning plays all game long, despite the customary bad play from Patrick Beverley and the horrifically bad play of James Harden.
Harden singlehandedly put the Rockets bigs in foul trouble by letting his man penetrate at will. That's why Greg Smith and Omer Asik were in foul trouble all game long.
Chandler Parsons had a great game cherrypicking off Lin's hockey assists.
As usual, McHell tried to "help out" Beverley, but it didn't work out for either one of them, as *every single time* Beverley subbed for Lin (even when other starters remained on the court at times), the Rockets lead decreased. Otherwise, I have no doubt that Lin's allergy to 4th quarters would have remained.
Lin shut Thomas down the last game at SAC also, but the ref kept calling bogus shooting fouls in Thomas' favor the last 6 min in the 4th; Lin got bogus fouled out with 3 quick fouls in the 4th, and the Rox's other players also were given bogus fouls in the 4th Q. I remember the ref manipulated the trajectory, the tempo and momentum of the game 180 degrees. the former Lin-hating coach Keith Stupid was giddy with pleasure like a kid in a candy store with all the referee's gifts for the hometown fans. The Rockets last game in Phoenix was somewhat similar, but that was more dirty plays and hard fouls that were not called on Phoenix players, particularly Dragic: Hacking the necks, heads, and faces of Lin and Harden. Lin had a cut lip; still no foul on Dragic and McHell thought his beloved Dragic played like an All-Star MVP. LMAO my tummy hurts.
I'm cuttin' Harden some slack since he just came back from an injury. But wow that last possession was gawd awful.
JLin with a double double and TJ showed up. DMo needs to get his act together.
How did Isiah do tonight...3/16 LOL is this because of Lin? :D
How was JLin's shooting...Just looking at stats its not exactly good (5/13...But at least he is 50% for treys). Then there's Harden's 7/19...Wow his shooting slump continues.
Wow PB is inconsistent or what. He's like a mini-JLin at beginning of the season, except he wasn't injured...
He just got greyhounded tonight. Watching PB is like watching a New Kids on the Block concert in today's era. That guy has been playing his sub NBA game all season, getting beaten to death like that.
3/16 from Isaiah was because of Lin, yes.
Lin shot great. He had a lot of bailout shots and made them.
I won't cut Harden slack. He missed so many defensive coverages and didn't even pretend to contest. He had no trouble jacking up shots, so the ankle ain't no excuse.
I don't mind Harden (or anyone) missing shots if they're good shots. But he was taking TERRIBLE shots in the 2nd half and hogging the ball, leading to turnovers/fastbreaks that the Kings couldn't finish (thankfully).
Not to mention his usual swiss cheese defense that drags down the entire team as KHuang has repeatedly mentioned.
He wasn't even passing. He didn't get calls. He tried to force too much but in the first half, I thought he tried more to play more of a team game than he usually does. That went out the window in the second half.
I like Beverley a lot and he's a good backup (although I liked Douglas better), but he's overall definitely NOT better than Lin. McHell clearly disagree; he plays Beverley like a defacto starter, though he doesn't have the power to grant him the starter's title on paper.
Easter bunny battery powered.... sparky plugy.... jumping jack energy.... waving hands while legs dancing side to side with speed.... bricks a 3-pointer, blocks a shot, gives up a lot of points and shrink the lead that Lin left with..... Then repeat all over, except next time replace Beverley's block with stolen.
The more Lin. The more Win. He was cheated by refs as usual on both ends...reduced to secondary ballhandler...and only played 34 minutes.
Still had 15/10 with usual superb help-defense and the super-clutch game-clinching 3 to ice it.
If Jeremy were allowed to play 4th quarters in the first 2/3 of the season, he'd easily be averaging 16/7 despite playing off the ball. That's his best quarter! And he gets to close out the game maybe 1/3 the time.
I didn't think Lin was cheated, especially defensively.
Sure there was that one bad play where he got pushed by a moving screen Jason Thompson into a 2 point shooting Thomas who legkicked Lin off the flop. But the refs corrected that by letting both teams bash each other equally.
For once, I was happy with the NBA officiating. It was totally fair.
Well, it wasn't as atrocious as last time out...I'll give you that. But I think we've gotten so used to seeing him bashed on every drive with calls on 1/4 of them, we forget that most attacking PGs get those calls 3/4 of the time.
And I'm sorry, but that 3pt call was so laughable and horrendous, it cannot be brushed off. That could have changed the ENTIRE course of the game. Luckily, the Kings couldn't convert off Harden's late TOs/misses so the refs weren't allowed to give Jeremy his 5th foul.
He has good enough handles. Great court vision. Great when he is not tired. He just need to stop passing up open shots... If he became a more confident shooter, he would be even better.
He has solid not great handles for PG. I can concede that.
His court vision is now OUTSTANDING. Most his assists are dunks/layups/wide-open 3s. Most other "elite" PGs make their hay with phony Rondo/Vazquez assists (long/contested 2s, 3-dribble ISOs, dump-offs to quality bigs).
The vast majority of his TOs are overpassing (like Solidz said), clumsy teammates (youngest team in the league) and travels/carries (though he's reduced those).
He's assist totals will go up next year as our bigs get more established with their offensive game. I mean getting 10 assists despite playing with harden? Freaking awesome.
The knocks about his handles are due to persistent misconceptions about his TO's . That gets overplayed because that was the only knock against him during Linsanity.
His handles improved a lot since last year. I would say it was a weakness during Linsanity, but he is significantly better esp at protecting the ball while driving through or around defenders, and especially when he is double teamed.
I want to see how well he does against Miami at his current state.
Fans of the NBA are idiots. In what sense is PB's "superior handles" in any way comparable to Lin's penetration ability for winning games? Please explain where Lin's "horrible handles" come into play. If Lin's handles don't keep him from penetrating and getting assists and breaking down the defense to create nth level assists, what exactly does he need better handles for? Does Lin REALLY have unpressured turnovers significantly more than other guards? Do these turnovers ever cost games?
Here is his answer @RedNinetyFour: regarding lin, just overall has extremely poor fundamentals. doesnt get low when dribbling, jumps to pass, elbow out when shooting @RedNinetyFour: his production is pure physicality, quickness and innate passing ability and intelligence
I think I'm the only person on the planet who thinks Jeremy Lin plays average to a tad better than average against the Miami Heat! I tell you why I think that, as foolish as it may sound to everyone else (;~/): It's simply that the referees cheat games in the Heat's favor by allowing them to ILLEGALLY BLOCK Lin when they double or triple team him BY NOT PREVENTING Lin FROM BEING ABLE TO *CHANGE DIRECTION* by not allowing *ENOUGH DISTANCE* by 2 or 3 opposing players boxing in Lin:
One of the rules regarding BLOCKS http://www.nba.com/features/misunderstoodrules_051128.html : "... the defender must get into position and allow enough distance for the offensive player to stop and/or CHANGE DIRECTION.
Lin struggled with his outside shot but he did a great job on the defensive end by not letting Thomas go off like the last time they met. He made a HUGE 3 at the buzzer when the Kings cut the lead to 5 with about 2 mins left and that was the momentum killer. Overall, solid game for Lin. If he would've shot better this would be a Linsanity type game.
I didn't think Lin struggled with his outside shot.
He had to shoot at the end of the clock, plus the Kings were all over him defensively. Keith Smart was right in defending Lin with a double team.
The Kings doubled Lin by cheating off Lin's teammates all game long. What that meant was that Chandler Parsons was able to penetrate the gaps and Terrence Jones was left completely unguarded. Even James Harden faced only single coverage en route to his bricks and turnovers.
Respect. Double/triple teamed and still pulls off a 15pt/10 assist outing because he was drawing defenders allowing his teammates to get open or cut to the rim? All star material to me.
No this was not a great shooting game for him. Missed few makable shots and passed on wide open threes leading up to 0 points. But he more than made up for it with the dagger three.
The Kings jammed him with the point guard, and whoever was on the wing would step in if Lin drove. This is why Chandler Parsons just WENT OFF, because he was unguarded when Lin was on the court.
Off the pick and rolls, the Kings sent the big man after Lin up top. Lin somehow managed to find open guys who then found open guys for scores.
James Harden was single covered all game long. If he called for a screen, the big man would flash Harden up top and then literally turn his back on Harden to catch up with Houston's rolling big man. The Kings acted like Harden was a NOBODY on offense, and it WORKED.
I thought that Keith Smart coached effectively against Coach Killah. However, Coach Killah killed Smart again just like has has in the past.
Khuang you didn't even watch the first half... He was defended but u can't deny that he missed makable shots. U act like he had a hand in his face with every shot,,
Well like I said, that dagger three made up for all the misses. IMO, he just needs to stop thinking too much and let it go like he did with that three. Rely on muscle memory. He passes up too many open looks with fakes that leads to nothing. He can shoot. He just needs to believe he can make those shots.
He just needs to work on his jumpers cuz he's too inconsistent. He had some open threes which he should have shot but passed on it. If you have confidence in your shot, then you will take it without any hesitation. Jason Kidd used to do this a lot when his threes weren't going down. Once Lin starts hitting his outside shots consistently then he will have the defenders off balance cuz they won't know whether he will pass or shoot. Right now defenders do not respect his outside shots and they are playing him to pass.
Khuang he wasn't double teamed when he passed up two clear open looks. He even faked the shot with the much shorter Thomas on him with one of them. And neither led to any points.
And you wonder if Lin would've taken that dagger three instead of passing off if he didn't have to shoot it with time running out.
It's. clearly a mental issue ( like folders thinking too much to miss an easy putt) and he needs to get over it because he can make those shots.
Nobody should shoot with two defenders on them ever unless the shot clock is about to expire but one on one you have to be able to create space for yourself so that you can have a decent look at the basket. Nash does it all the time. Yeah I don't think he's really comfortable taking open shots right now and he needs to just shoot it. He's a streaky shooter so he can heat up fast but when he's cold he can't hit anything. There's no consistency in that. Open shots should be almost automatic makes for a NBA player.
Yeah when a player blatantly passes up open looks, it's because he has no faith in his shots. It's a confidence issue period.
However, if there are better, higher percentage shots available than I'm fine with him passing it off (like that pass to harden underneath the basket).
But those oops are rare and he just needs to trust his shots. Even as far back as last sac game in feb, he was draining threes comfortably during warm ups. No problems at all. He just needs to trust that and let it go.
Stop ARGUING in EXTREMES, KHuang. I'm not saying he should shoot everytime. But ususljt when there is an open shot, u should take it, just like Lin expects his teammates to when he gets them a good shot. It is NO secret that lin passing up on WIDE open looks has been a BIG problem for him this year. It's not NITPICKING. It's a valid criticism of his game. Chill out.
@KHuang, agree with Solidz75. Open shots should be almost automatic makes for an NBA player. Lin has to make open shots and FT to be considered an elite PG. Period. Raise the 3 pointers PCT and work on ONE ON ONE skills. Then you can call him an all star.
Unfortunately for you, Lin's not going to hit or take every shot. GET USED TO IT.
What you don't understand about Lin is that when he passes up those open shots to find guys, it gets the ENTIRE TEAM going offensively. This is why the Rockets have the top offense in the NBA, because of Lin's unselfishness.
You're the one talking extremes with your constant ANTI LIN carping!
Great win! Rockets played controlled basketball, did not jack up a ton of 3's and limited turnovers. Defense against Cousins, Thornton, and Evans was weak. Lin had only 2 turnovers, and played smart basketball most of the time. Only blemish was giving the ball up to Harden to go ISO. Notice that Harden rarely passes it back to Lin.
James Harden is the sole culprit for the bad defense against Cousins, Thornton, and Evans.
Cousins went off against Asik because every time Harden got caught flatfooted, Harden's man rolled to draw Asik away from Cousins. Then Cousins would roll to the rim and draw the foul on Asik.
This game, James Harden gave up at least 40 points via blown defensive assignments.
Just because Lin brings the ball upcourt doesn't mean he'll get the ball back.
The Rockets typically run plays where the dribbler is not the first option. When Lin passes off in that pseudo flex set of theirs, he runs to the corner but then flits around without the ball probing the defense for openings.
Lin is getting the shot at the END of possessions more, particularly when he spots up on that deadly right side 3 pointer 45 degrees from the basket.
I don't understand all the hatred toward parsons. Lets give credit when due. He played terribly the last time he was in sac. He played great tonigh, a big part of Rox win.
Harden on the other hand .... Didn't get calls... He got sticky at the end.
You never see him get yelled at for making homerun passes tho. Maybe its because he glows or something when he does and McHale is mesmerized by his beauty...
And I know McHale just hates lin's homerun passes. I remember him saying that after one of the games. But I'm glad Lin has continued to do them. Morey should know, those are low risk high reward plays - ESP when u succeed more often than not with Lin throwing it.
In the beginning of the season, everybody really tried to play pg esp like delfino and parsons which caused TO a lot. But now it seems that Lin and harden are mainly play point guard. I think it works when everyone just do their own job
I don't mind parsons, he is fulfilling his role as scorer, like Novak. Without Lin, he'll fall back into obscurity because he can't create his own space or shots. Rox needs a pure scorer, whether he'll be clutch or not is still to be proven. My take is that he'll drop off as well as pressure mounts because he isn't used to it.
Lin always passes up shots to promote his teammates in the beginning of the game because he is the coach. In his mind, the long term strategy is to build up the confidence of the bigs and see if they can gain confidence. As the game progresses he then knows who's hot or not and gage how much he has to score to make up the difference to win. Lin owns the 4th because he goes into Lin's sane mode (pun intended) to pull the dagger like tonight. Lin makes his teammates better because he knows that no team can win with just 2 scoring threats.
One of the unique aspects of tennis is that winning is not as depennt on total points won. It's more about the correct points won. It takes a long time to learn this mental skill. Lin understands this better than anyone. Close games are all about who can get the last shot. Often the last minutes of play takes 10 minutes to play because there is so many timeouts and changing tactics. A great coach will take note of player tendencies early in the game to call the right play. Since Mchale can't do that, Lin is doing it for him. Making the right basket at the right time is often the fatal blow that kills the opponents will. In close battles between well matched opponents, the battle is won when you can psychologically beat them down. Lin has that ability to crush your heart and make you bow in defeat inside.
Parsons is a great talent and will continue to improve. His chemistry with Lin is great. I believe he will be a more consistent scorer than Landry Fields.
He finished Lin's assists tonight, not forcing to dribble-penetrate to the rim, just cut to the basket waiting for Lin's handoff.
When everyone realizes the Rockets' offensive flow is better when Lin plays PG 70% then that's when they become consistently dangerous.
Parsons let the game come to come tonight and not forcing things. Harden was the opposite and even worse, his ankle is still hobbled affecting his dribble-drive and defense.
McHale was clearly crazy playing Harden for 40min in his first game back, not being 100%. One wrong turn when not being 100% and he can be done for the season.
The case in point about Lin making players better is Patterson. Now where was he tonight, I remember Lin getting him easy mid range ir three pointers. He didn't look great in offense at all.
Same with Novak .. Clearly not as great as he was last year.
That is what Lin does. Post game teachings from McHale or not, I don't think Asik would have ever improved so much on offense if Lin didn't sacrifice hos TO's to keep giving him in game opportunities. I even remember reading that Morey was shouting people not to pass to Asik during a game (to himself).
Parson's game is definitely elevated by having Lin as his pg..
I definitely disagree with Bob that Parsons can't create his own shot. There are plenty of times that I see Parsons creating his own shot. Parsons is more versatile than you guys give him credit for. It's true that his ball handling skills aren't great and lead to TO, but he does have a bevy of moves to the basket, jump shots and hops for alley oops.
It makes me laugh when Mchale puts his second scoring option Parsons/ person on court with the second unit and sit Lin with Harden. How has that worked out? The only 2 guys on the Rox with enough game to create offense for himself and the rest of the team is Harden and Lin. Parsons is a good finisher with a few other skills but to lead the second unit is a joke.
I just hope Lin doesn't over help on defense. McHale needs to make sure Lin stays with him all the time. Lin overhelping inside led to a lot of open threes for him.
He's been a horrible coach for Lin. I wish they treated Lin at least like an average starting point guard (I DON'T GIVE SH_T whether McHell is a winning coach or not - or coaching a young or old team - or coaching a cheap or rich roster. I don't like an extremely unfair coach to ANY player) I'm not talking about enough minutes, which he *IS* getting - even if it's a little less than the average starter minutes that I read about.
Great post-game quote from Jeremy: ------------------------------- Lin said he passed the ball to Jones in the corner, but by the time he got it back the shot clock was ready to expire.
"I was thinking you better pass that ball back to me rookie," said Lin with a smile. ------------------------------ Ha! But just so you know, he did praise Jones big time for persevering through D-League and having a great game tonight.
If anyone knows about waiting for a chance it's Lin. Like Khuang said he probably played better because he wasn't on their scouting list, but I saw a lot of power and athleticism from him tonight. No wonder he 's been ripping it up in the d league.
He's already more polished than TRob and Greg Smith. Letting him get consistent playing time in the D-League for most of the season was genius, because now he comes up to the NBA and doesn't have to go through growing pains in getting big minutes having rotted on the pine all season long, getting minutes only in garbage time.
Oh noooooo, Terrence Jones is not more polished than Thomas Robinson and Greg Smith.
He is fortunate to have played a very soft and defensively weak Sacramento team that was focused primarily on stopping Lin with double teams.
Once teams start hitting Terrence Jones and getting physical with him, his game is going to dry up even worse than Thomas Robinson's and Greg Smith's games did. Enjoy Terrence Jones for now until the hits start coming.
Greg Smith was hit with foul trouble because Harden kept losing his man in Smith/Asik breakdowns. When Harden lays down on defense, Smith/Asik have to cover both their man AND Harden's which usually is a bad situation.
Uh, Jones was playing with Harden too and he didn't get into foul trouble.
And you have it all wrong about Smith and TRob. Smith and TRob are raw and unpolished, not because they've gotten beaten up by NBA players, but because they haven't gotten very much playing time in the NBA. If Greg Smith had consistently gotten 15-20 minutes a game this season, he would be more polished too right now, like how Asik's game has improved since the first game of the season.
Jones, on the other hand, has been playing starter minutes all season long in the D-League against professional players, and that shows in his game.
KH, I'm talking about now, and for the rest of this season. Jones will probably be the starting PF for the rest of the season, and if he can just be serviceable, he'll be a big boost for the team come playoff time.
Greg Smith has been taking and giving NBA hits all season. Now his game is starting to come around too, especially now that he's paired with Lin.
Dmo has more skill than Smith, but the hits have gotten to him. Thomas Robinson can take the hits, but McHale needs to teach him the game. Terrence Jones has neither the skill nor the hits, but he's unscouted and will enjoy his fun in the sun for a few more games!
McHell as a big man developer gets an F from me. He has tons of raw talent to work with but manage to squeeze nothing out of them. Only when they play with Lin do these "raw" talent forwards play like they belong in the NBA on both the offensive and defensive end.
Not only does McHell do very little to develop them but also puts them in games where it's awkward for them to play their game ie move the ball and get out of the lane.
As we saw in the two games without Harden, GS and OA both played like seasoned players.
I am sure Terrence Jones has what it takes to be a serviceable big man this season if he gets consistent minutes and play with the star maker guru Lin.
Same can be said for GS. He's a double double talent who has been buried on the bench all season long by McHell. Dunno about you guys, but I've been saying it all season long that GS is Houston's best big man and just needs more development off court and more minutes on court.
Let him play with Lin and what happens? He plays like an all star. Let him play with Harden in the awkward move the ball offense? He's a scrub. It's the coach, guys.
That being said, TRob is the least polished. Like Dmo, he has too many exaggerated movements in the post. And, he doesn't recognize when he's holding on to the ball for too long.
Dmo, as I've been saying for a month now, plays like a small forward and not like a power forward. He always camps out at the three. When he does stand at the post, he immediately starts running towards the perimter when the PG brings the ball up.
Dmo should be doing the opposite. He should stand at the perimeter then run to the post when the PG brings the ball up. Dmo is best used when the PG tosses the ball over the defenders and Dmo makes a wide receiver catch while running towards the rim.
Why is Dmo even allowed to camp at the perimeter is another reason why McHell should be fired.
Agreed etane Teaching someone skills is easy, making them own it in game time is very hard. No skill is ever owned by anyone unless used in stressful situations. It's Lin that tries to lead the bigs by forcing them to own up to the skills within them, building them up step by step. He paid for it with lots of TOs.
Personal example, I was a pretty good musican and singer in my teens and my buddy and I used to perform in our college stairwells to numerous people all the time. We actually got a pretty good following of fans. I couldn't find the nerves to take it to the next step and do it in a real gig. My buddy went on to become a lifelong successful sessions player, backing up many traveling acts including one with James Taylor. That's the difference between winners and wanna bes. Having the talent or skills is never enough to make it. You have to dare to fail!
I give McHale an A++++ for his work and usage of the big men.
I have no doubt that Omer Asik, Chandler Parsons, Greg Smith, Donatas Motiejeunas, and Terrence Jones would NOT be used as scorers by any coach other than Kevin McHale.
When the season began, I wrote that Dmo lacked the strength and speed to acquire and hold inside position against tough NBA big men. There were a few games where he surprised opponents because he was unscouted, but now people know his game. Dmo has been "bashed around" pretty hard, and yet there's no other way to gain that strength than to go out and play real games. That's why DMo is pushed out to the perimeter, because he can't get that inside position yet.
Thomas Robinson had the misfortune of playing under the coach we're all too familiar with, Keith Smart. Robinson never learned to play under Keith Smart and there's no time in midseason for McHale to work with him. Don't blame McHale for SMART'S coaching fail.
I was writing in preseason that Terrence Jones needed to get stronger and get more skills. Those Kentucky players that learn from One-and-Done Calipari always come into the NBA with poor fundamentals and deficient conditioning. Terrence Jones is still not physically ready to compete in the NBA, though he's currently benefiting from being unscouted. Once opponents start laying hits on him, he'll surrender his roster position to Robinson and Smith and Dmo.
McHale has only 1 lottery pick big man in Thomas Robinson, and McHale didn't even have Robinson for most of the season. His other big men are an 18th pick, a 20th pick, a second rounder, and an undraftee. Given that McHale has tutored those guys enough for them to compete straight up against Fake Griffin, that's an A++++ coaching job!
Anyways, the Knicks are on a 10 game winning streak. Melo is scoring 30, 50, and 40 a night. I can't already hear SAS saying "I told you the Knicks are better without Linsanity" :(
SAS has backed off his dissing of Lin lately, I believe.
As for Knicks winning with Carmelo scoring 50% of the team's points, that is NOT a formula for winning in the playoffs.
The Knicks are playing better for two reasons - One, amare is out. Ever since, Carmelo has been playing like he did earlier in the season, when, not coincidentally, Amare was injured. I think that's because Amare forces Carmelo to play the three, where defenders can defend him better, whereas playing power forward, most power forwards cannot guard him at all, because if they play Melo tight, he can blow past most PGs and get to the rim; if they play off of him, he just stays outside and shoots his jumper, basically uncontested.
That's why last year the Lin v. Melo controversy was overblown - the real conflict was between Melo and Amare, because they effectively play the same position.
The second reason Knicks are playing better - they put Prigioni in the starting line-up to play with Felton, taking pressure off the eternally out of shape Felton from having to do things like drive to the basket and dribble the ball. Now, he can just stand around and take 3 point shots.
This Knicks team I think have a shot against Miami.
And despite the 10 game winning streak, Houston and any other team that plays up-tempo and are athletic are still better, and in a 7 game series, would just wear out the geriatric Knicks.
The Knicks are 75% different team. And I predicted that the Knicks were going downhill and they WERE on tract to go downhill to about 5th in the EC..... After their 18-5 start, the Kniks were 50-50 on a consistent basis for quite a while. HOWEVER, WHEN THEY SIGNED the free agent Kenyon Martin (who had earlier held out - all the luxury paying large market teams had wanted to sign him - for more pay than the vet's minimum) on March 5, soon after that EVERYTHING CHANGED for the better for the Knicks. Just before they signed KMart, the Knicks were on a fairly long losing streak. JR Smith also started to step up his play along with KMart. The Knicks have now won 10 straight games! The Celtics were stupid to pass him up. Kudos to the Knikcs.
The Knicks are winning is because they are playing weaker teams, acquired K-Mart which sure up their defense a little, Smith been shooting better, Kidd is no longer in the rotation longer than needed, Melo is hitting all his shots, Shumpert has stepped up and start hitting his shots from 3 points range and did I mention they have a soft schedule. Mark my word, the Knicks will fold against the Miamis, the Indianas, the Celtics, and even Milwalkee.
No, I don't remember any team winning a title with a high volume scorer like that. Basketball is really a team game. Melo can pad has stat all he wants, but I don't see knocks going anywhere.
The Knicks have a chance to go deep in the playoffs because they are in the east, and they match up pretty well with all the teams in the east. The best teams, Miami, Indiana, Boston, Chicago, don't play up-tempo and are defensively oriented, especially Indiana and Chicago. Miami doesn't play up-tempo, either. Their offense is set up by their defense.
The Knicks can definitely win a series, and getting to the eastern conference championship is not totally unrealistic.
But, they do need more balanced scoring, especially when they play good defensive teams.
Great game by Lin. Incredible that he got 10 assists while relegated to standing in the corner while Harden is doing his isostickyball thing.
If he was the primary point guard the entire game and Harden didn't play, this game would've been much more fun to watch and a blow out win. Because now he's got several big guys that can finish at the rim - DMo, Terrance Jones (where did he come from? He was awesome), Greg Smith, and an improved Asik.
Nice steal and dunk by Lin, and wow, an alley oop play! Those have been so rare.
The Kings announcers are idiots. They said Parsons was the second best player on the team.
The Kings announcers were enchanted by his beauty and hair products :D
Credit to Lin for staying aggressive, trying to involve Parsons and Harden while trying to assert himself in dishing 10 assists building his confidence from the previous 2 games. On he did great in slowing down Isaiah Thomas' penetration.
I hate grant naper with passion, but just because they praised parsons over Lin doesn't mean they are idiots.
One of the most insightful thing they said about lin after he made that three was that Lin usually tries to make plays for his teammates so he doesn't look to score but when he has to, he makes these shots. That is more insight than what drexler has given all year. Sure parsons got the accolades from them tonight because face it he played really well. However they in no way discounted Lin's game or not recognize his contributions.
Eh, they weren't much better than the Houston clueless crew.
The other thing that made me cringe was when Lin hit a three pointer, and then they rave about PARSONS for getting him the assist. No mention at all about Lin hitting the shot!! Unbelievable.
Actually, they said that "Parsons is their second best player" .... and that Lin is playing very well for the Rockets. To me Asik and Lin are the most valuable players. Harden is the Franchise offensive beast. Parsons is really good player, imo; he seems to improve a lot every month!
Harden and Parsons play with a lot of confidence because the Rockets believe in them, which goes a long way.
Garcia wasn't in sync because Harden and Parsons was back. Several times he was calling for the ball and either Beverly missed him or Harden was not passing him the ball.
A what if question ... both Parsons and Lin were in the draft two years ago. Parsons goes in the second, Lin goes undrafted. If teams, knowing what Parsons and Lin have done in the NBA could go back in time with that knowledge and re do the draft, how high would Parsons and Lin go?
The Sac announcers said that with hindsight, Parsons would be a top 5 or 6 pick. Probably right. What about Lin? He'd definitely get drafted, and drafted in the first round. Would he have been a lottery pick?
I think there was a similar question on clutch few weeks ago.
Who were the pg in that draft? Wall, gervious, bledsoe? Lin would've definitely been top 10. Would he have been chosen over Wall? Probably not.. Again I'm trying to think in the eyes of the gm and not my personal view.
1 CLE Kyrie Irving Duke 2 MIN Derrick Williams Arizona 3 UTA Enes Kanter Turkey 4 CLE Tristan Thompson Texas 5 TOR Jonas Valanciunas Lithuania 6 WAS Jan Vesely Czech Republic 7 SAC Bismack Biyombo Congo 8 DET Brandon Knight Kentucky 9 CHA Kemba Walker Connecticut 10 MIL Jimmer Fredette Brigham Young 11 GSW Klay Thompson Washington State 12 UTA Alec Burks Colorado 13 PHO Markieff Morris Kansas 14 HOU Marcus Morris Kansas 15 IND Kawhi Leonard San Diego State 16 PHI Nikola Vucevic Southern California 17 NYK Iman Shumpert Georgia Tech 18 WAS Chris Singleton Florida State 19 CHA Tobias Harris Tennessee 20 MIN Donatas Motiejunas Lithuania 21 POR Nolan Smith Duke University 22 DEN Kenneth Faried Morehead State 23 HOU Nikola Mirotic Montenegro 24 OKC Reggie Jackson Boston College 25 BOS MarShon Brooks Providence College 26 DAL Jordan Hamilton Texas 27 NJN JaJuan Johnson Purdue 28 CHI Norris Cole Cleveland State 29 SAS Cory Joseph Texas 30 CHI Jimmy Butler
1 WAS John Wall Kentucky 2 PHI Evan Turner Ohio State 3 NJN Derrick Favors Georgia Tech 4 MIN Wesley Johnson Syracuse 5 SAC DeMarcus Cousins Kentucky 6 GSW Ekpe Udoh Baylor 7 DET Greg Monroe Georgetown 8 LAC Al-Farouq Aminu Wake Forest 9 UTA Gordon Hayward Butler 10 IND Paul George Cal State Fresno 11 NOH Cole Aldrich Kansas 12 MEM Xavier Henry Kansas 13 TOR Ed Davis North Carolina 14 HOU Patrick Patterson Kentucky 15 MIL Larry Sanders Virginia Commonwealth 16 MIN Luke Babbitt University of Nevada, Reno 17 CHI Kevin Seraphin France 18 OKC Eric Bledsoe Kentucky 19 BOS Avery Bradley Texas 20 SAS James Anderson Oklahoma State 21 OKC Craig Brackins Iowa State 22 POR Elliot Williams Memphis 23 MIN Trevor Booker Clemson 24 ATL Damion James Texas 25 MEM Dominique Jones South Florida 26 OKC Quincy Pondexter Washington 27 NJN Jordan Crawford Xavier 28 MEM Greivis Vasquez Maryland 29 ORL Daniel Orton Kentucky 30 WAS Lazar Hayward Marquette
Looking at Lin's draft year, look at all those busts. Cole Aldrich at 11. Yup, Lin would have been a lottery pick.
Interestingly, James Anderson and Cole Aldrich both were drafted while Lin was not, and both have been bench warming teammates of Lin this year, lol. And Patterson, while a starter, got traded.
The players in that draft that are starters and/or getting substantial minutes and are potential all-stars - John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Gordon Hayward, Paul George, Avery Bradley, Greivis Vasquez, and Eric Bledsoe. And Jeremy Lin, of course. Am I missing anyone?
Evan Turner - a bust at number 2. Derrick Favors - jury is still out on him. Cousins is good, but is a head case. Seraphin has some potential.
As for the 2011 draft, wow, that draft sucked. Derrick Williams - big time bust at number 2. Imagine if Cleveland had drafted Irving and Parsons or Kenneth Fareed, instead of Irving and Tristan Thompson. Yeah, Parsons definitely is a high lottery pick with hindsight.
I think with hindsight, Parsons would have been the second pick by Minnesota, instead of Williams.
I hate to say this but, none of those guys above have yellow skin like Lin. Cold hard and sad facts.
There were times that I hoped things turned out differently but I'm still somewhat glad it did not turned any worst (which is not playing in the NBA at all)
If Parsons got drafted onto a different team, who knows what his performance would be like now. He's never been the main guy. Lin, at least experienced being the focal point of opposing defenses and being the main guy. Lin can and has adjusted. I can't say much for Parsons.
Not gonna say anything about where Lin should have gotten drafted. It doesn't matter.
It's not a question of should, but would. Asking the question is a way to force a person to genuinely evaluate Lin's talent, by having to admit he has turned out better than 95% of the players teams thought were better than him.
Lin would be second or third pg in the draft. I still think wall goes first because of his age. The other standouts are obviously Paul George, cousins and Larry sanders. Because this is an era of the Pgs and there are so many good ones, I still think cousins, Larry sanders would go before Lin.
I think Lin would be the second pg chosen at 5 or 6? But lim would definitely been top 10 easily.
@Solidz I think Lin won't drafted that high, especially during that time, Lin still don't have a lot of muscle yet. You know NBA scouts have hard on for muscles athletic guys
I am changing my mind about Parsons and now feel that Parsons is definitely a good player who should get paid anywhere between 5 to 8 Mill per year. But I don't know if Rockets can pay him that much and still have a cap to get a "star" player. The reason it's hard to judge is that Parsons really benefits from playing with Lin and Harden. As long as he doesn't try to be like LeBron, I think he can do a little bit of everything, i.e., dunk, shoot 3s and 2s and pass and play tough D. Also, he deserves some freebie points for being marketable and hard working. He's pretty athletic given his size, I have to say that. If he can post up, that would be good.
Regardless of what general managers think of Lin's game, he's been the best young talent to enter the NBA since 2010.
I still consider Lin a "young" talent because his mind and body are not burned out from the basketball treadmills that most Division I schools grind their players through.
Chandler Parsons has turned out great, though I will never consider him a true "star" who can change a game by himself the way Lin can.
So funny when JLin either assists on a nice bucket or finishes and is the scorer -- it's uncanny how often the play by play announcers will compliment Jeremy' Rocket teammate but do not mention Jeremy's name at all!
Also, someone needs to train cameramen or game production team to keep the cameras aimed on Houston's inbounding of ball after opponents score. How many times this season have we missed seeing JLin's great "touchdown" passes for easy lays by his teammates .... ugh!
And you just noticed it now? It's always been like this ever since Jeremy left New York. I think they don't really meant it but more like subtle racism, their eyes just automatically filter the yellow skin player
It's so ironic that many of Lin's lob passes never show Lin throwing the ball because of Lin's linvisibility. All we see is someone else scoring the basket, and that player gets all the praise, and most of the time, they don't even mention it was Lin who threw the pass.
That only happens in several arenas. Orlando announcers were very complimentary of Lin to the point of being on his you know what. Even Toronto announcers are complimentary about Lin.
Not that this would ever happen, but the Rockets rotation would be much more effective if they moved Harden back to 6th man. Old school thinking is that you play your best players (at each position) together as a unit. But in actuality, you should optimize all units collectively.
Asik, Smith, Parsons, Garcia, Lin. This unit would be great because Lin has good chemistry with them and can raise their games. Asik and Smith can finish inside. Parsons can score from anywhere. Garcia is the team's highest 3-pt % shooter.
A center, DMo, Delfino, Harden, Beverley. These guys are the perfect complement for Harden's game. They're all good at standing on the perimeter and watching Harden go to work. Harden can iso all day long without diminishing their games. And if Harden needs to kick it out, they are capable of shooting the 3.
this whole thing has turned around with shuhow taking command of the huddles, the time outs, LEADING the team. He's directing everyone on that team and this is producing victories. PBev is great for energy off the bench and a spark, but if Lin gets anything less than 34 minutes from here on out, McFail should be fired instantly. I don't care if it's in the middle of the playoffs, the coach should be fired for sabotaging his own team.
His off court persona has improved. At this level, it's less about talent and more about your mental makeup.
He seemed like a lost puppy on and off the court to start the season, calling wrong rookies about being cut etc. as just 1 example and honestly looking really bad at times in the pre-season. Yeah his knee, new team - sure but nobody cares about those things...
Now he is calling his Coaches out with a bit of a sense of humor, and he's making it clear the rookies should defer to him in his interviews. He's said Harden and him need to mesh to work together. He called the coaches out on the spacing between him and Harden after the Orlando game.
I don't even watch these games anymore, but I checked the boxscore out live and it looked like him and Harden were competing for highest assists in the game to almost out-do one another.
If they can keep that energy positive and effective on the court, Parsons will continue to score 25-30 efficiently as the 3rd wheel that teams forget about. One thing that is obvious is that when Harden came back, the starting big's production goes down both on offense and defense. It's just a numbers game since Harden's usage is so high and he doesn't try or is incapable on defense.
Garcia has shown he is ready to play and should be getting 10-15 min a game but I guess Delfino has the role locked down...
"What can you say?" Lin said. "You're a rookie and you go to D-League 10 times. You don't play at all and you come off the bench with a double-double and a huge road win. That has to feel great. I couldn't be happier for stories and people like that because you spend months and months waiting for your turn, and he really capitalized tonight."
the most frustrating part for me is how good dmo and smith are in the low post, how athletic tjones and trob are, yet they're languishing in no man's land all the time. The point i'm trying to make is that mcfail isn't utilizing them correctly, not really creating plays or situations where they can flourish and have more chances. BUT shuhow hooks them up anyway. It's shuhow that got that rookie a double double, NOT the coach.
Dmo and Smith are not as good in the low post as you think, TRob and TJones are athletic but lack real skills (Tjones lacks the NBA toughness that Trob already has).
McHale IS tutoring and utilizing these players correctly, and Lin is doing an unbelievable job by setting these guys up. Plus these guys are stepping up, as best they can.
However, these guys all fall apart after having their moments. All of them are ROOKIES and will need another season before they become steady contributors. That's just the way the NBA works.
we all agree harden forces the issue way too much. when he burst onto the scene as the "star" for houston, he was getting all the calls because no one was prepared for his style of play. But by now everyone is aware of how to defend him and while he's still an unquestioned star and a huge talent with super basketball skills, you're only as strong as your weakest link. When shuhow is able to control the ball and the pace, the team is balanced. when harden controls it, it's lopsided to him, and that is where the adjustment needs to come in. harden needs to check his ego and "purpose" at the door and distribute the ball like he was just another cog in the wheel. I really don't care who brings the ball up the court, but once it gets across that half court line, it needs to goto shuhow everytime. I'm not saying harden needs to be standing in the corner, but how hard could it be to set a few screens for your star player? Heck, set a double screen or a triple screen to get him open. but the plays have to start with shuhow at the healm. Anyone else impressed with how DEEP the rockets are? It's like all their pieces are peaking at the right time. Sure, they're rather inconsistent and some of the veterans and starters are feeling worn down from a long season, but you gotta respect the games of garcia, beverly, tjones, dmo, trob, and especially big smith. i haven't even gotten to aaron brookes yet. I mean, wow! It's going to be a great playoffs. I think houston can make the right adjustment. This team wants to win and even if mcfail is riding on harden like a prized pony, i'm sure harden will wise up and distribute the ball to keep the team balanced all the way to victory. LET'S GET THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Too bad I wasn't able to watch this game. I checked the box score, looks like Lin had another great game, and he actually closed. Can anyone provide additional recap on Lin's game?
ReplyDeleteGood win, the Kings have been playing tough lately.
Lin opened, middled, and closed.
DeleteHe made winning plays all game long, despite the customary bad play from Patrick Beverley and the horrifically bad play of James Harden.
Harden singlehandedly put the Rockets bigs in foul trouble by letting his man penetrate at will. That's why Greg Smith and Omer Asik were in foul trouble all game long.
Chandler Parsons had a great game cherrypicking off Lin's hockey assists.
The only knock on Lin was shooting but he made it up by making that dagger three at the end.
DeleteHe did a great job on Thomas... Completely shut him down. Very nice revenge game for him.
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Deletereal-dsb,
DeleteAs usual, McHell tried to "help out" Beverley, but it didn't work out for either one of them, as *every single time* Beverley subbed for Lin (even when other starters remained on the court at times), the Rockets lead decreased. Otherwise, I have no doubt that Lin's allergy to 4th quarters would have remained.
Lin shut Thomas down the last game at SAC also, but the ref kept calling bogus shooting fouls in Thomas' favor the last 6 min in the 4th; Lin got bogus fouled out with 3 quick fouls in the 4th, and the Rox's other players also were given bogus fouls in the 4th Q. I remember the ref manipulated the trajectory, the tempo and momentum of the game 180 degrees. the former Lin-hating coach Keith Stupid was giddy with pleasure like a kid in a candy store with all the referee's gifts for the hometown fans. The Rockets last game in Phoenix was somewhat similar, but that was more dirty plays and hard fouls that were not called on Phoenix players, particularly Dragic: Hacking the necks, heads, and faces of Lin and Harden. Lin had a cut lip; still no foul on Dragic and McHell thought his beloved Dragic played like an All-Star MVP. LMAO my tummy hurts.
Deletethanks!
DeleteGreat win by LinVP who carried the team all night long on both ends of the court.
ReplyDeleteThe most effective Sacramento Kings player was James Harden who let Tyreke Evans score more than his season average in a single quarter!
Lin played a nearly flawless game, which was necessary because of James Harden playing for Sacramento and not Houston tonight!
I'm cuttin' Harden some slack since he just came back from an injury. But wow that last possession was gawd awful.
DeleteJLin with a double double and TJ showed up. DMo needs to get his act together.
How did Isiah do tonight...3/16 LOL is this because of Lin? :D
How was JLin's shooting...Just looking at stats its not exactly good (5/13...But at least he is 50% for treys). Then there's Harden's 7/19...Wow his shooting slump continues.
Wow PB is inconsistent or what. He's like a mini-JLin at beginning of the season, except he wasn't injured...
PB is consistently BAD with those slow reflexes.
DeleteHe just got greyhounded tonight. Watching PB is like watching a New Kids on the Block concert in today's era. That guy has been playing his sub NBA game all season, getting beaten to death like that.
3/16 from Isaiah was because of Lin, yes.
Lin shot great. He had a lot of bailout shots and made them.
I won't cut Harden slack. He missed so many defensive coverages and didn't even pretend to contest. He had no trouble jacking up shots, so the ankle ain't no excuse.
I don't mind Harden (or anyone) missing shots if they're good shots. But he was taking TERRIBLE shots in the 2nd half and hogging the ball, leading to turnovers/fastbreaks that the Kings couldn't finish (thankfully).
DeleteNot to mention his usual swiss cheese defense that drags down the entire team as KHuang has repeatedly mentioned.
Was he going ISO and burning the shotclock then forced to take bad shots or passing it off to Lin with 3secs left?
DeleteYes Kenoshi, that's what Harden was doing.
DeleteThe Rockets would hot potato the ball LOOKING for Lin when Harden passed off after wasting the shot clock. That's because Lin DELIVERS.
He wasn't even passing. He didn't get calls. He tried to force too much but in the first half, I thought he tried more to play more of a team game than he usually does. That went out the window in the second half.
DeleteKHuang,
DeleteI like Beverley a lot and he's a good backup (although I liked Douglas better), but he's overall definitely NOT better than Lin. McHell clearly disagree; he plays Beverley like a defacto starter, though he doesn't have the power to grant him the starter's title on paper.
Easter bunny battery powered.... sparky plugy.... jumping jack energy.... waving hands while legs dancing side to side with speed.... bricks a 3-pointer, blocks a shot, gives up a lot of points and shrink the lead that Lin left with..... Then repeat all over, except next time replace Beverley's block with stolen.
Oh btw DeAleck predicted the game again.
ReplyDeleteThis guy is effin' scary...
Give a little more info please. Who?
DeleteThe more Lin. The more Win. He was cheated by refs as usual on both ends...reduced to secondary ballhandler...and only played 34 minutes.
ReplyDeleteStill had 15/10 with usual superb help-defense and the super-clutch game-clinching 3 to ice it.
If Jeremy were allowed to play 4th quarters in the first 2/3 of the season, he'd easily be averaging 16/7 despite playing off the ball. That's his best quarter! And he gets to close out the game maybe 1/3 the time.
I didn't think Lin was cheated, especially defensively.
DeleteSure there was that one bad play where he got pushed by a moving screen Jason Thompson into a 2 point shooting Thomas who legkicked Lin off the flop. But the refs corrected that by letting both teams bash each other equally.
For once, I was happy with the NBA officiating. It was totally fair.
Well, it wasn't as atrocious as last time out...I'll give you that. But I think we've gotten so used to seeing him bashed on every drive with calls on 1/4 of them, we forget that most attacking PGs get those calls 3/4 of the time.
DeleteAnd I'm sorry, but that 3pt call was so laughable and horrendous, it cannot be brushed off. That could have changed the ENTIRE course of the game. Luckily, the Kings couldn't convert off Harden's late TOs/misses so the refs weren't allowed to give Jeremy his 5th foul.
Red94 just said in tweeter,
ReplyDeletelin is opposite bc has horrible handles for a pg but top tier as penetrator for pg
Meaning PB is opposite. good handle, bad penetrator.
DeleteJLin has bad handles, really?
DeleteHe has good enough handles. Great court vision. Great when he is not tired. He just need to stop passing up open shots... If he became a more confident shooter, he would be even better.
DeleteLin handles just fine as a point guard.
DeleteHe gets double teamed, and any point guard struggles with dribbling against NBA doubleteams.
He has solid not great handles for PG. I can concede that.
DeleteHis court vision is now OUTSTANDING. Most his assists are dunks/layups/wide-open 3s. Most other "elite" PGs make their hay with phony Rondo/Vazquez assists (long/contested 2s, 3-dribble ISOs, dump-offs to quality bigs).
The vast majority of his TOs are overpassing (like Solidz said), clumsy teammates (youngest team in the league) and travels/carries (though he's reduced those).
He's assist totals will go up next year as our bigs get more established with their offensive game. I mean getting 10 assists despite playing with harden? Freaking awesome.
DeleteThe knocks about his handles are due to persistent misconceptions about his TO's . That gets overplayed because that was the only knock against him during Linsanity.
His handles improved a lot since last year. I would say it was a weakness during Linsanity, but he is significantly better esp at protecting the ball while driving through or around defenders, and especially when he is double teamed.
DeleteI want to see how well he does against Miami at his current state.
Fans of the NBA are idiots. In what sense is PB's "superior handles" in any way comparable to Lin's penetration ability for winning games? Please explain where Lin's "horrible handles" come into play. If Lin's handles don't keep him from penetrating and getting assists and breaking down the defense to create nth level assists, what exactly does he need better handles for? Does Lin REALLY have unpressured turnovers significantly more than other guards? Do these turnovers ever cost games?
DeleteFans of basketball prefer style over substance.
Here is his answer
Delete@RedNinetyFour: regarding lin, just overall has extremely poor fundamentals. doesnt get low when dribbling, jumps to pass, elbow out when shooting
@RedNinetyFour: his production is pure physicality, quickness and innate passing ability and intelligence
who is @RedNinetyFour? media analyst, fan?
DeleteI wouldn't say Lin's fundamentals are extremely poor, but sure, he can improve in those areas: lower dribble, less jump passes, elbow out.
Perhaps Beverley's handles seem so good because he doesn't penetrate, so he doesn't get stripped.
@Kenoshi,
DeleteI think I'm the only person on the planet who thinks Jeremy Lin plays average to a tad better than average against the Miami Heat! I tell you why I think that, as foolish as it may sound to everyone else (;~/): It's simply that the referees cheat games in the Heat's favor by allowing them to ILLEGALLY BLOCK Lin when they double or triple team him BY NOT PREVENTING Lin FROM BEING ABLE TO *CHANGE DIRECTION* by not allowing *ENOUGH DISTANCE* by 2 or 3 opposing players boxing in Lin:
One of the rules regarding BLOCKS http://www.nba.com/features/misunderstoodrules_051128.html : "... the defender must get into position and allow enough distance for the offensive player to stop and/or CHANGE DIRECTION.
To clarify: Lin has played average against the Heat - NOT poorly. But the refs were crooks.
DeleteBeverley doesn't get double teamed!
DeleteThat's why his ballhandling is "better" than Jeremy Lin's!
Teams encourage Beverley to dribble and shoot, knowing that he can't find guys or impact the score.
Lin struggled with his outside shot but he did a great job on the defensive end by not letting Thomas go off like the last time they met. He made a HUGE 3 at the buzzer when the Kings cut the lead to 5 with about 2 mins left and that was the momentum killer. Overall, solid game for Lin. If he would've shot better this would be a Linsanity type game.
ReplyDeleteIf he shot better, he will be on the bench for 4th Q LOL
DeleteI didn't think Lin struggled with his outside shot.
DeleteHe had to shoot at the end of the clock, plus the Kings were all over him defensively. Keith Smart was right in defending Lin with a double team.
The Kings doubled Lin by cheating off Lin's teammates all game long. What that meant was that Chandler Parsons was able to penetrate the gaps and Terrence Jones was left completely unguarded. Even James Harden faced only single coverage en route to his bricks and turnovers.
Lol
DeleteSo Lin was defended heavily?
DeleteRespect. Double/triple teamed and still pulls off a 15pt/10 assist outing because he was drawing defenders allowing his teammates to get open or cut to the rim? All star material to me.
No this was not a great shooting game for him. Missed few makable shots and passed on wide open threes leading up to 0 points. But he more than made up for it with the dagger three.
DeleteHe missed a couple of baskets in the paint and at least three or four open jumpers.
DeleteLin was defended EXTREMELY HEAVILY.
DeleteThe Kings jammed him with the point guard, and whoever was on the wing would step in if Lin drove. This is why Chandler Parsons just WENT OFF, because he was unguarded when Lin was on the court.
Off the pick and rolls, the Kings sent the big man after Lin up top. Lin somehow managed to find open guys who then found open guys for scores.
James Harden was single covered all game long. If he called for a screen, the big man would flash Harden up top and then literally turn his back on Harden to catch up with Houston's rolling big man. The Kings acted like Harden was a NOBODY on offense, and it WORKED.
I thought that Keith Smart coached effectively against Coach Killah. However, Coach Killah killed Smart again just like has has in the past.
Khuang you didn't even watch the first half... He was defended but u can't deny that he missed makable shots. U act like he had a hand in his face with every shot,,
DeleteTrue I missed the 1st half.
DeleteHowever, his percentage at the end of the game was just fine if you subtract that 3 pointer where he tried to gun it on his own.
Lin got bashed a few times in the 2nd half on missed layups. I was OK with that because the refs let him defend on the other end.
Most importantly, Lin hit the shots that the team needed him to hit at critical junctures of the game.
Well like I said, that dagger three made up for all the misses. IMO, he just needs to stop thinking too much and let it go like he did with that three. Rely on muscle memory. He passes up too many open looks with fakes that leads to nothing. He can shoot. He just needs to believe he can make those shots.
DeleteYeah, it was a physical game by both teams. It's okay to miss shots...when you cause misses on the other end.
DeleteAlso, he shot 3-6 from the arc (including a garbage time miss), so his eFG% was fine.
I did like Lin's hockey assists off the shots he passed up.
DeleteHe just needs to work on his jumpers cuz he's too inconsistent. He had some open threes which he should have shot but passed on it. If you have confidence in your shot, then you will take it without any hesitation. Jason Kidd used to do this a lot when his threes weren't going down. Once Lin starts hitting his outside shots consistently then he will have the defenders off balance cuz they won't know whether he will pass or shoot. Right now defenders do not respect his outside shots and they are playing him to pass.
DeleteHe made a great, unexpected skip-pass to Parsons who then passed to Jones for a dunk...Parsons got all the credit of course.
DeleteI think it's a more confidence/ mind issue than skills. Hopefully the shots like dagger three will give him more confidence.
DeleteI don't think Lin lacks confidence or technique at all.
DeleteLin shouldn't be shooting against those hard doubleteams that shadow him all game long.
Khuang he wasn't double teamed when he passed up two clear open looks. He even faked the shot with the much shorter Thomas on him with one of them. And neither led to any points.
DeleteAnd you wonder if Lin would've taken that dagger three instead of passing off if he didn't have to shoot it with time running out.
It's. clearly a mental issue ( like folders thinking too much to miss an easy putt) and he needs to get over it because he can make those shots.
Golfers..
DeleteNobody should shoot with two defenders on them ever unless the shot clock is about to expire but one on one you have to be able to create space for yourself so that you can have a decent look at the basket. Nash does it all the time. Yeah I don't think he's really comfortable taking open shots right now and he needs to just shoot it.
DeleteHe's a streaky shooter so he can heat up fast but when he's cold he can't hit anything. There's no consistency in that. Open shots should be almost automatic makes for a NBA player.
Yeah when a player blatantly passes up open looks, it's because he has no faith in his shots. It's a confidence issue period.
DeleteHowever, if there are better, higher percentage shots available than I'm fine with him passing it off (like that pass to harden underneath the basket).
But those oops are rare and he just needs to trust his shots. Even as far back as last sac game in feb, he was draining threes comfortably during warm ups. No problems at all. He just needs to trust that and let it go.
Nobody should shoot the ball every single time on an open look.
DeleteYou're just NITPICKING.
Stop ARGUING in EXTREMES, KHuang. I'm not saying he should shoot everytime. But ususljt when there is an open shot, u should take it, just like Lin expects his teammates to when he gets them a good shot. It is NO secret that lin passing up on WIDE open looks has been a BIG problem for him this year. It's not NITPICKING. It's a valid criticism of his game. Chill out.
Delete@KHuang, agree with Solidz75. Open shots should be almost automatic makes for an NBA player. Lin has to make open shots and FT to be considered an elite PG. Period. Raise the 3 pointers PCT and work on ONE ON ONE skills. Then you can call him an all star.
DeleteSorry, agree with ShutChoAssUp!
DeleteGo ahead and NITPICK, Solidz75.
DeleteUnfortunately for you, Lin's not going to hit or take every shot. GET USED TO IT.
What you don't understand about Lin is that when he passes up those open shots to find guys, it gets the ENTIRE TEAM going offensively. This is why the Rockets have the top offense in the NBA, because of Lin's unselfishness.
You're the one talking extremes with your constant ANTI LIN carping!
Harden and Parsons returned, helped Rockets past Kings
ReplyDeleteTypical subject
DeleteWhat can you do but laugh? More accurate headlines:
Delete"Despite Harden's Return, Rockets Triumph"
"Parsons is Beneficiary as Lin leads Rockets Past Kings"
"Balanced Effort from Rockets Too Much for Kings."
"Despite Harden's Return, Rockets Triumph"
DeleteHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Freaking choked on my soda LOL!!!
Okay, I give you a a good article title here :)
DeleteIts for the previous games...
Jeremy Lin Can Win Even Without Harden as Rockets Make Run for 6th Place in Western Conference
After tonight's game, it should read " Jeremy Lin can win even WITH Harden as Rox make a run at the 6th playoff spot" =)
DeleteLove it, Solidz75!!
DeleteGreat win! Rockets played controlled basketball, did not jack up a ton of 3's and limited turnovers. Defense against Cousins, Thornton, and Evans was weak.
ReplyDeleteLin had only 2 turnovers, and played smart basketball most of the time. Only blemish was giving the ball up to Harden to go ISO. Notice that Harden rarely passes it back to Lin.
James Harden is the sole culprit for the bad defense against Cousins, Thornton, and Evans.
DeleteCousins went off against Asik because every time Harden got caught flatfooted, Harden's man rolled to draw Asik away from Cousins. Then Cousins would roll to the rim and draw the foul on Asik.
This game, James Harden gave up at least 40 points via blown defensive assignments.
I now wish Harden is hurt for the remaining of the season and let Linsanity fly!
DeleteOh, no, don't say that...... let's just hope that Jeremy gets to bring the ball up a larger % of the time from now on.
DeleteJust because Lin brings the ball upcourt doesn't mean he'll get the ball back.
DeleteThe Rockets typically run plays where the dribbler is not the first option. When Lin passes off in that pseudo flex set of theirs, he runs to the corner but then flits around without the ball probing the defense for openings.
Lin is getting the shot at the END of possessions more, particularly when he spots up on that deadly right side 3 pointer 45 degrees from the basket.
I don't understand all the hatred toward parsons. Lets give credit when due. He played terribly the last time he was in sac. He played great tonigh, a big part of Rox win.
ReplyDeleteHarden on the other hand .... Didn't get calls... He got sticky at the end.
Not to mention bad d.
DeleteI just hate him cause he reminds me of Bieber...
DeleteI'm just glad he didn't waste Lin assists like he usually does. And that alley oop was beautiful. He is developing a good chem with Lin.
DeleteHe just needs to stop thinking he's a pg.
Yeah Parsons ball handling is terrible.
DeleteParsons actually did a fine job defending Tyreke Evans in the 4th quarter.
DeleteBesides, Parsons was guarding John Salmons and Salmons had ZERO points!
I thought Parsons played good defense today, particularly in cooling off Evans after he waltzed by Harden so easily.
His passing is even worse, how many time do you see him try to bounce pass to Asik? It turned out to be automatic TOs almost every time..
DeleteYou never see him get yelled at for making homerun passes tho. Maybe its because he glows or something when he does and McHale is mesmerized by his beauty...
DeleteWell technically, those were not home runs passes, it was home run TOs.
DeleteAnd I know McHale just hates lin's homerun passes. I remember him saying that after one of the games. But I'm glad Lin has continued to do them. Morey should know, those are low risk high reward plays - ESP when u succeed more often than not with Lin throwing it.
DeleteAs long as parsons plays within himself I don't have a problem. I have major issue with him when he tries to play pg.
DeleteIn the beginning of the season, everybody really tried to
Deleteplay pg esp like delfino and parsons which caused TO a lot. But now it seems that Lin and harden are mainly play
point guard. I think it works when everyone just do their own job
I don't mind parsons, he is fulfilling his role as scorer, like Novak. Without Lin, he'll fall back into obscurity because he can't create his own space or shots. Rox needs a pure scorer, whether he'll be clutch or not is still to be proven. My take is that he'll drop off as well as pressure mounts because he isn't used to it.
DeleteLin always passes up shots to promote his teammates in the beginning of the game because he is the coach. In his mind, the long term strategy is to build up the confidence of the bigs and see if they can gain confidence. As the game progresses he then knows who's hot or not and gage how much he has to score to make up the difference to win. Lin owns the 4th because he goes into Lin's sane mode (pun intended) to pull the dagger like tonight. Lin makes his teammates better because he knows that no team can win with just 2 scoring threats.
One of the unique aspects of tennis is that winning is not as depennt on total points won. It's more about the correct points won. It takes a long time to learn this mental skill. Lin understands this better than anyone. Close games are all about who can get the last shot. Often the last minutes of play takes 10 minutes to play because there is so many timeouts and changing tactics. A great coach will take note of player tendencies early in the game to call the right play. Since Mchale can't do that, Lin is doing it for him. Making the right basket at the right time is often the fatal blow that kills the opponents will. In close battles between well matched opponents, the battle is won when you can psychologically beat them down. Lin has that ability to crush your heart and make you bow in defeat inside.
Bob cf chan, you are correct. Parsons can't create his own space or shots.
DeleteParsons is a great talent and will continue to improve. His chemistry with Lin is great. I believe he will be a more consistent scorer than Landry Fields.
DeleteHe finished Lin's assists tonight, not forcing to dribble-penetrate to the rim, just cut to the basket waiting for Lin's handoff.
When everyone realizes the Rockets' offensive flow is better when Lin plays PG 70% then that's when they become consistently dangerous.
Parsons let the game come to come tonight and not forcing things.
Harden was the opposite and even worse, his ankle is still hobbled affecting his dribble-drive and defense.
McHale was clearly crazy playing Harden for 40min in his first game back, not being 100%. One wrong turn when not being 100% and he can be done for the season.
The case in point about Lin making players better is Patterson. Now where was he tonight, I remember Lin getting him easy mid range ir three pointers. He didn't look great in offense at all.
DeleteSame with Novak .. Clearly not as great as he was last year.
That is what Lin does. Post game teachings from McHale or not, I don't think Asik would have ever improved so much on offense if Lin didn't sacrifice hos TO's to keep giving him in game opportunities. I even remember reading that Morey was shouting people not to pass to Asik during a game (to himself).
Parson's game is definitely elevated by having Lin as his pg..
I definitely disagree with Bob that Parsons can't create his own shot. There are plenty of times that I see Parsons creating his own shot. Parsons is more versatile than you guys give him credit for. It's true that his ball handling skills aren't great and lead to TO, but he does have a bevy of moves to the basket, jump shots and hops for alley oops.
DeleteIt makes me laugh when Mchale puts his second scoring option Parsons/ person on court with the second unit and sit Lin with Harden. How has that worked out?
DeleteThe only 2 guys on the Rox with enough game to create offense for himself and the rest of the team is Harden and Lin. Parsons is a good finisher with a few other skills but to lead the second unit is a joke.
Agree with LY. Parson is a very versatile player, jack of all trades as well as being a rather consistent player as well.
DeleteBieber sometimes go into cruise control with his dribbles as does Delfino. But, I see that more as lack of discipline and structure by the coaches.
Got revenge on isiah Thomas. Lillard is next...
ReplyDeleteI just hope Lin doesn't over help on defense. McHale needs to make sure Lin stays with him all the time. Lin overhelping inside led to a lot of open threes for him.
DeleteLin had no trouble with Lillard last game.
DeleteThere's nothing to worry about.
Glad to hear that. Lin usually has more trouble with smaller guards who can change direction faster.
DeleteLin needs to be aggressive attack Lillard on the offense, putting him into foul trouble will really take the wind out of the Blazer's sails.
DeleteLin did get his revenge? I just hate seeing Lillard draining that three when he leaves him to help inside.
DeleteI totally agree. Lin helps a little bit too much and leaving his man open for the three. That's a definite no no against good shooters.
DeleteYou guys are worrying about nothing.
DeleteHouston destroyed Portland last game, and Lillard did nothing against Lin.
Harden, you are clearly not 100% tonight. Please rest until playoff starts, and let JLin play his style of TEAM basketball!
ReplyDeleteYeah McHale is crazy to play him 40 min again. He's clearly not 100%
DeleteWord.
DeleteEveryone can see it but McHale, the young coach.
Huh? McHale is fairly old - in mid for late 50's.
DeleteHe's been a horrible coach for Lin. I wish they treated Lin at least like an average starting point guard (I DON'T GIVE SH_T whether McHell is a winning coach or not - or coaching a young or old team - or coaching a cheap or rich roster. I don't like an extremely unfair coach to ANY player) I'm not talking about enough minutes, which he *IS* getting - even if it's a little less than the average starter minutes that I read about.
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DeleteMcHell as a coach is "young", inconsistent and inexperienced as well as having A LOT to learn both as a strategist and regarding his temperament.
DeleteGreat post-game quote from Jeremy:
ReplyDelete-------------------------------
Lin said he passed the ball to Jones in the corner, but by the time he got it back the shot clock was ready to expire.
"I was thinking you better pass that ball back to me rookie," said Lin with a smile.
------------------------------
Ha! But just so you know, he did praise Jones big time for persevering through D-League and having a great game tonight.
If anyone knows about waiting for a chance it's Lin. Like Khuang said he probably played better because he wasn't on their scouting list, but I saw a lot of power and athleticism from him tonight. No wonder he 's been ripping it up in the d league.
DeleteHe's already more polished than TRob and Greg Smith. Letting him get consistent playing time in the D-League for most of the season was genius, because now he comes up to the NBA and doesn't have to go through growing pains in getting big minutes having rotted on the pine all season long, getting minutes only in garbage time.
DeleteOh noooooo, Terrence Jones is not more polished than Thomas Robinson and Greg Smith.
DeleteHe is fortunate to have played a very soft and defensively weak Sacramento team that was focused primarily on stopping Lin with double teams.
Once teams start hitting Terrence Jones and getting physical with him, his game is going to dry up even worse than Thomas Robinson's and Greg Smith's games did. Enjoy Terrence Jones for now until the hits start coming.
Greg Smith was hit with foul trouble because Harden kept losing his man in Smith/Asik breakdowns. When Harden lays down on defense, Smith/Asik have to cover both their man AND Harden's which usually is a bad situation.
No Harden, no Greg Smith foul trouble.
Uh, Jones was playing with Harden too and he didn't get into foul trouble.
DeleteAnd you have it all wrong about Smith and TRob. Smith and TRob are raw and unpolished, not because they've gotten beaten up by NBA players, but because they haven't gotten very much playing time in the NBA. If Greg Smith had consistently gotten 15-20 minutes a game this season, he would be more polished too right now, like how Asik's game has improved since the first game of the season.
Jones, on the other hand, has been playing starter minutes all season long in the D-League against professional players, and that shows in his game.
Just watch what happens, Roberlin.
DeleteTerrence Jones is much rawer and softer than those two guys.
He WILL be exposed - just not against the NBA's worst defense in Sacramento.
KH, I'm talking about now, and for the rest of this season. Jones will probably be the starting PF for the rest of the season, and if he can just be serviceable, he'll be a big boost for the team come playoff time.
DeleteI'm talking about now too.
DeleteI'm telling you, he's in for a rude but necessary rookie shock once the hits start coming in the next few games.
i want Terrence Jones to succeed too, but it's so late in the season for him to be starting out.
so for now, who's better? DMO, TRob, Jones, or Smith?
DeleteG. Smith by far, he's proven himself against much tougher competition.
DeleteI agree with AlbinoSwordfish.
DeleteGreg Smith has been taking and giving NBA hits all season. Now his game is starting to come around too, especially now that he's paired with Lin.
Dmo has more skill than Smith, but the hits have gotten to him. Thomas Robinson can take the hits, but McHale needs to teach him the game. Terrence Jones has neither the skill nor the hits, but he's unscouted and will enjoy his fun in the sun for a few more games!
if McHale would have played Jones earlier this season he might have been more polished.
DeleteMcHell as a big man developer gets an F from me. He has tons of raw talent to work with but manage to squeeze nothing out of them. Only when they play with Lin do these "raw" talent forwards play like they belong in the NBA on both the offensive and defensive end.
DeleteNot only does McHell do very little to develop them but also puts them in games where it's awkward for them to play their game ie move the ball and get out of the lane.
As we saw in the two games without Harden, GS and OA both played like seasoned players.
I am sure Terrence Jones has what it takes to be a serviceable big man this season if he gets consistent minutes and play with the star maker guru Lin.
Same can be said for GS. He's a double double talent who has been buried on the bench all season long by McHell. Dunno about you guys, but I've been saying it all season long that GS is Houston's best big man and just needs more development off court and more minutes on court.
Let him play with Lin and what happens? He plays like an all star. Let him play with Harden in the awkward move the ball offense? He's a scrub. It's the coach, guys.
That being said, TRob is the least polished. Like Dmo, he has too many exaggerated movements in the post. And, he doesn't recognize when he's holding on to the ball for too long.
Dmo, as I've been saying for a month now, plays like a small forward and not like a power forward. He always camps out at the three. When he does stand at the post, he immediately starts running towards the perimter when the PG brings the ball up.
Dmo should be doing the opposite. He should stand at the perimeter then run to the post when the PG brings the ball up. Dmo is best used when the PG tosses the ball over the defenders and Dmo makes a wide receiver catch while running towards the rim.
Why is Dmo even allowed to camp at the perimeter is another reason why McHell should be fired.
Agreed etane
DeleteTeaching someone skills is easy, making them own it in game time is very hard. No skill is ever owned by anyone unless used in stressful situations. It's Lin that tries to lead the bigs by forcing them to own up to the skills within them, building them up step by step. He paid for it with lots of TOs.
Personal example, I was a pretty good musican and singer in my teens and my buddy and I used to perform in our college stairwells to numerous people all the time. We actually got a pretty good following of fans. I couldn't find the nerves to take it to the next step and do it in a real gig. My buddy went on to become a lifelong successful sessions player, backing up many traveling acts including one with James Taylor. That's the difference between winners and wanna bes. Having the talent or skills is never enough to make it. You have to dare to fail!
I give McHale an A++++ for his work and usage of the big men.
DeleteI have no doubt that Omer Asik, Chandler Parsons, Greg Smith, Donatas Motiejeunas, and Terrence Jones would NOT be used as scorers by any coach other than Kevin McHale.
When the season began, I wrote that Dmo lacked the strength and speed to acquire and hold inside position against tough NBA big men. There were a few games where he surprised opponents because he was unscouted, but now people know his game. Dmo has been "bashed around" pretty hard, and yet there's no other way to gain that strength than to go out and play real games. That's why DMo is pushed out to the perimeter, because he can't get that inside position yet.
Thomas Robinson had the misfortune of playing under the coach we're all too familiar with, Keith Smart. Robinson never learned to play under Keith Smart and there's no time in midseason for McHale to work with him. Don't blame McHale for SMART'S coaching fail.
I was writing in preseason that Terrence Jones needed to get stronger and get more skills. Those Kentucky players that learn from One-and-Done Calipari always come into the NBA with poor fundamentals and deficient conditioning. Terrence Jones is still not physically ready to compete in the NBA, though he's currently benefiting from being unscouted. Once opponents start laying hits on him, he'll surrender his roster position to Robinson and Smith and Dmo.
McHale has only 1 lottery pick big man in Thomas Robinson, and McHale didn't even have Robinson for most of the season. His other big men are an 18th pick, a 20th pick, a second rounder, and an undraftee. Given that McHale has tutored those guys enough for them to compete straight up against Fake Griffin, that's an A++++ coaching job!
Anyways, the Knicks are on a 10 game winning streak. Melo is scoring 30, 50, and 40 a night. I can't already hear SAS saying "I told you the Knicks are better without Linsanity" :(
ReplyDeleteSAS has backed off his dissing of Lin lately, I believe.
DeleteAs for Knicks winning with Carmelo scoring 50% of the team's points, that is NOT a formula for winning in the playoffs.
The Knicks are playing better for two reasons - One, amare is out. Ever since, Carmelo has been playing like he did earlier in the season, when, not coincidentally, Amare was injured. I think that's because Amare forces Carmelo to play the three, where defenders can defend him better, whereas playing power forward, most power forwards cannot guard him at all, because if they play Melo tight, he can blow past most PGs and get to the rim; if they play off of him, he just stays outside and shoots his jumper, basically uncontested.
That's why last year the Lin v. Melo controversy was overblown - the real conflict was between Melo and Amare, because they effectively play the same position.
The second reason Knicks are playing better - they put Prigioni in the starting line-up to play with Felton, taking pressure off the eternally out of shape Felton from having to do things like drive to the basket and dribble the ball. Now, he can just stand around and take 3 point shots.
This Knicks team I think have a shot against Miami.
And despite the 10 game winning streak, Houston and any other team that plays up-tempo and are athletic are still better, and in a 7 game series, would just wear out the geriatric Knicks.
The Knicks are 75% different team. And I predicted that the Knicks were going downhill and they WERE on tract to go downhill to about 5th in the EC..... After their 18-5 start, the Kniks were 50-50 on a consistent basis for quite a while. HOWEVER, WHEN THEY SIGNED the free agent Kenyon Martin (who had earlier held out - all the luxury paying large market teams had wanted to sign him - for more pay than the vet's minimum) on March 5, soon after that EVERYTHING CHANGED for the better for the Knicks. Just before they signed KMart, the Knicks were on a fairly long losing streak. JR Smith also started to step up his play along with KMart. The Knicks have now won 10 straight games! The Celtics were stupid to pass him up. Kudos to the Knikcs.
DeleteThe Knicks are winning is because they are playing weaker teams, acquired K-Mart which sure up their defense a little, Smith been shooting better, Kidd is no longer in the rotation longer than needed, Melo is hitting all his shots, Shumpert has stepped up and start hitting his shots from 3 points range and did I mention they have a soft schedule. Mark my word, the Knicks will fold against the Miamis, the Indianas, the Celtics, and even Milwalkee.
DeleteNo, I don't remember any team winning a title with a high volume scorer like that. Basketball is really a team game. Melo can pad has stat all he wants, but I don't see knocks going anywhere.
ReplyDeleteThis article agrees with you...
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/sports/basketball/teamwork-wins-the-1973-knicks-will-remind-us.html
The Knicks have a chance to go deep in the playoffs because they are in the east, and they match up pretty well with all the teams in the east. The best teams, Miami, Indiana, Boston, Chicago, don't play up-tempo and are defensively oriented, especially Indiana and Chicago. Miami doesn't play up-tempo, either. Their offense is set up by their defense.
DeleteThe Knicks can definitely win a series, and getting to the eastern conference championship is not totally unrealistic.
But, they do need more balanced scoring, especially when they play good defensive teams.
The current Knicks best players are JR Smith, KMart (he makes everyone better), and Tyson - in that order, imo.
DeleteThe weird thing about the Knicks is that they can beat the good teams but fall so easily to middle teams.
DeleteThat's to be expected of an iso heavy Carmelo Anthony team with JR Smith and Raymond Felton firing 3 pointers from outside.
Great game by Lin. Incredible that he got 10 assists while relegated to standing in the corner while Harden is doing his isostickyball thing.
ReplyDeleteIf he was the primary point guard the entire game and Harden didn't play, this game would've been much more fun to watch and a blow out win. Because now he's got several big guys that can finish at the rim - DMo, Terrance Jones (where did he come from? He was awesome), Greg Smith, and an improved Asik.
Nice steal and dunk by Lin, and wow, an alley oop play! Those have been so rare.
The Kings announcers are idiots. They said Parsons was the second best player on the team.
The Kings announcers were enchanted by his beauty and hair products :D
DeleteCredit to Lin for staying aggressive, trying to involve Parsons and Harden while trying to assert himself in dishing 10 assists building his confidence from the previous 2 games. On he did great in slowing down Isaiah Thomas' penetration.
Steal of the night, baby! :p
I hate grant naper with passion, but just because they praised parsons over Lin doesn't mean they are idiots.
DeleteOne of the most insightful thing they said about lin after he made that three was that Lin usually tries to make plays for his teammates so he doesn't look to score but when he has to, he makes these shots. That is more insight than what drexler has given all year. Sure parsons got the accolades from them tonight because face it he played really well. However they in no way discounted Lin's game or not recognize his contributions.
Eh, they weren't much better than the Houston clueless crew.
DeleteThe other thing that made me cringe was when Lin hit a three pointer, and then they rave about PARSONS for getting him the assist. No mention at all about Lin hitting the shot!! Unbelievable.
The Kings announcers are right! Guess what? Lin is the best player on the team! Ho Ho.
ReplyDeleteActually, they said that "Parsons is their second best player" .... and that Lin is playing very well for the Rockets. To me Asik and Lin are the most valuable players. Harden is the Franchise offensive beast. Parsons is really good player, imo; he seems to improve a lot every month!
DeleteHarden and Parsons play with a lot of confidence because the Rockets believe in them, which goes a long way.
Steal of the Night: Jeremy Lin | Rockets Vs Kings | April 3rd, 2013
ReplyDeleteJeremy Lin to Chandler Parsons alleyoop
ReplyDeletePaging via! Where is via when we need her? :D
Rockets vs Kings | Lin ( 15 pts, 10 ast ) + Team Highlights (4-3-2013) by Blaiyan
ReplyDeleteMy favorite play if the night other than the dagger three was his 10th assist from harden to Lin to parsons. That was just beautiful.
DeletePass from Parsons is my favourite play. LOL!
DeleteYou know Garcia is like "I'm glad I don't have to worry about getting dunked on by Lin again".
DeleteGarcia wasn't in sync because Harden and Parsons was back. Several times he was calling for the ball and either Beverly missed him or Harden was not passing him the ball.
Deletewhat happened to Delfino tonight? Injured??
ReplyDeleteYup foot issue. Nothing serious I think.
Deletetotally attracted by T-Jones and thats why we almost forget Delfino
DeleteLol... I completely forgot about him too ..Until after the game,.
DeletePersonally I would choose Gar3ia over Del3no
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ReplyDeleteA what if question ... both Parsons and Lin were in the draft two years ago. Parsons goes in the second, Lin goes undrafted. If teams, knowing what Parsons and Lin have done in the NBA could go back in time with that knowledge and re do the draft, how high would Parsons and Lin go?
ReplyDeleteThe Sac announcers said that with hindsight, Parsons would be a top 5 or 6 pick. Probably right. What about Lin? He'd definitely get drafted, and drafted in the first round. Would he have been a lottery pick?
For a guy that really can't create his own shot or for anyone else (consistently), he's a top 5 or 6 pick? No.
DeleteI think there was a similar question on clutch few weeks ago.
DeleteWho were the pg in that draft? Wall, gervious, bledsoe? Lin would've definitely been top 10. Would he have been chosen over Wall? Probably not.. Again I'm trying to think in the eyes of the gm and not my personal view.
Yes, because most players drafted are busts or merely serviceable.
DeleteA correction - Parsons and Lin were not in the same draft. Parsons was in the Kyrie Irving draft, and Lin was in the draft the year before.
1 CLE Kyrie Irving Duke
Delete2 MIN Derrick Williams Arizona
3 UTA Enes Kanter Turkey
4 CLE Tristan Thompson Texas
5 TOR Jonas Valanciunas Lithuania
6 WAS Jan Vesely Czech Republic
7 SAC Bismack Biyombo Congo
8 DET Brandon Knight Kentucky
9 CHA Kemba Walker Connecticut
10 MIL Jimmer Fredette Brigham Young
11 GSW Klay Thompson Washington State
12 UTA Alec Burks Colorado
13 PHO Markieff Morris Kansas
14 HOU Marcus Morris Kansas
15 IND Kawhi Leonard San Diego State
16 PHI Nikola Vucevic Southern California
17 NYK Iman Shumpert Georgia Tech
18 WAS Chris Singleton Florida State
19 CHA Tobias Harris Tennessee
20 MIN Donatas Motiejunas Lithuania
21 POR Nolan Smith Duke University
22 DEN Kenneth Faried Morehead State
23 HOU Nikola Mirotic Montenegro
24 OKC Reggie Jackson Boston College
25 BOS MarShon Brooks Providence College
26 DAL Jordan Hamilton Texas
27 NJN JaJuan Johnson Purdue
28 CHI Norris Cole Cleveland State
29 SAS Cory Joseph Texas
30 CHI Jimmy Butler
That was the 2011 draft, and all the first rounders picked ahead of Parsons.
Delete2010 Draft (Lin's year)
Delete1 WAS John Wall Kentucky
2 PHI Evan Turner Ohio State
3 NJN Derrick Favors Georgia Tech
4 MIN Wesley Johnson Syracuse
5 SAC DeMarcus Cousins Kentucky
6 GSW Ekpe Udoh Baylor
7 DET Greg Monroe Georgetown
8 LAC Al-Farouq Aminu Wake Forest
9 UTA Gordon Hayward Butler
10 IND Paul George Cal State Fresno
11 NOH Cole Aldrich Kansas
12 MEM Xavier Henry Kansas
13 TOR Ed Davis North Carolina
14 HOU Patrick Patterson Kentucky
15 MIL Larry Sanders Virginia Commonwealth
16 MIN Luke Babbitt University of Nevada, Reno
17 CHI Kevin Seraphin France
18 OKC Eric Bledsoe Kentucky
19 BOS Avery Bradley Texas
20 SAS James Anderson Oklahoma State
21 OKC Craig Brackins Iowa State
22 POR Elliot Williams Memphis
23 MIN Trevor Booker Clemson
24 ATL Damion James Texas
25 MEM Dominique Jones South Florida
26 OKC Quincy Pondexter Washington
27 NJN Jordan Crawford Xavier
28 MEM Greivis Vasquez Maryland
29 ORL Daniel Orton Kentucky
30 WAS Lazar Hayward Marquette
Looking at Lin's draft year, look at all those busts. Cole Aldrich at 11. Yup, Lin would have been a lottery pick.
DeleteInterestingly, James Anderson and Cole Aldrich both were drafted while Lin was not, and both have been bench warming teammates of Lin this year, lol. And Patterson, while a starter, got traded.
The players in that draft that are starters and/or getting substantial minutes and are potential all-stars - John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Gordon Hayward, Paul George, Avery Bradley, Greivis Vasquez, and Eric Bledsoe. And Jeremy Lin, of course. Am I missing anyone?
Evan Turner - a bust at number 2. Derrick Favors - jury is still out on him. Cousins is good, but is a head case. Seraphin has some potential.
As for the 2011 draft, wow, that draft sucked. Derrick Williams - big time bust at number 2. Imagine if Cleveland had drafted Irving and Parsons or Kenneth Fareed, instead of Irving and Tristan Thompson. Yeah, Parsons definitely is a high lottery pick with hindsight.
DeleteI think with hindsight, Parsons would have been the second pick by Minnesota, instead of Williams.
I hate to say this but, none of those guys above have yellow skin like Lin. Cold hard and sad facts.
DeleteThere were times that I hoped things turned out differently but I'm still somewhat glad it did not turned any worst (which is not playing in the NBA at all)
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DeleteIf Parsons got drafted onto a different team, who knows what his performance would be like now. He's never been the main guy. Lin, at least experienced being the focal point of opposing defenses and being the main guy. Lin can and has adjusted. I can't say much for Parsons.
DeleteNot gonna say anything about where Lin should have gotten drafted. It doesn't matter.
It's not a question of should, but would. Asking the question is a way to force a person to genuinely evaluate Lin's talent, by having to admit he has turned out better than 95% of the players teams thought were better than him.
DeleteLin would be second or third pg in the draft. I still think wall goes first because of his age. The other standouts are obviously Paul George, cousins and Larry sanders. Because this is an era of the Pgs and there are so many good ones, I still think cousins, Larry sanders would go before Lin.
DeleteI think Lin would be the second pg chosen at 5 or 6? But lim would definitely been top 10 easily.
@Solidz I think Lin won't drafted that high, especially during that time, Lin still don't have a lot of muscle yet. You know NBA scouts have hard on for muscles athletic guys
DeleteI am changing my mind about Parsons and now feel that Parsons is definitely a good player who should get paid anywhere between 5 to 8 Mill per year. But I don't know if Rockets can pay him that much and still have a cap to get a "star" player. The reason it's hard to judge is that Parsons really benefits from playing with Lin and Harden. As long as he doesn't try to be like LeBron, I think he can do a little bit of everything, i.e., dunk, shoot 3s and 2s and pass and play tough D. Also, he deserves some freebie points for being marketable and hard working. He's pretty athletic given his size, I have to say that. If he can post up, that would be good.
DeleteRegardless of what general managers think of Lin's game, he's been the best young talent to enter the NBA since 2010.
DeleteI still consider Lin a "young" talent because his mind and body are not burned out from the basketball treadmills that most Division I schools grind their players through.
Chandler Parsons has turned out great, though I will never consider him a true "star" who can change a game by himself the way Lin can.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djRwG3Kmqrw
ReplyDeletethanks blaiyan:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9DCaWDXjLI
a must watch thanks lin libra
So funny when JLin either assists on a nice bucket or finishes and is the scorer -- it's uncanny how often the play by play announcers will compliment Jeremy' Rocket teammate but do not mention Jeremy's name at all!
ReplyDeleteAlso, someone needs to train cameramen or game production team to keep the cameras aimed on Houston's inbounding of ball after opponents score. How many times this season have we missed seeing JLin's great "touchdown" passes for easy lays by his teammates .... ugh!
It's because Jeremy is Linvisible. :(
DeleteAnd you just noticed it now? It's always been like this ever since Jeremy left New York. I think they don't really meant it but more like subtle racism, their eyes just automatically filter the yellow skin player
DeleteHaha. Exactly ... as if they just don't see Jeremy at all... and his consistently making big, clutch plays.
DeleteI've noticed it all year. It's not just about literal blindness, but, about their continued under-estimation of Lin as a player.
DeleteIt's so ironic that many of Lin's lob passes never show Lin throwing the ball because of Lin's linvisibility. All we see is someone else scoring the basket, and that player gets all the praise, and most of the time, they don't even mention it was Lin who threw the pass.
Deletemeant "easy lay ups"
DeleteNever shown on t.v., I mean.
DeleteOk, I need to get some sleep because I just wrote a comment saying what TK had written in his post.
DeleteThe Asian man is the Invisible Man.
DeleteThat only happens in several arenas. Orlando announcers were very complimentary of Lin to the point of being on his you know what. Even Toronto announcers are complimentary about Lin.
DeleteLin showed how dumb Smart was/is.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAcie Law, not Acid Law, you dumb iPad auto-correct! Wait, it kind of makes sense...
DeleteNot that this would ever happen, but the Rockets rotation would be much more effective if they moved Harden back to 6th man. Old school thinking is that you play your best players (at each position) together as a unit. But in actuality, you should optimize all units collectively.
ReplyDeleteAsik, Smith, Parsons, Garcia, Lin. This unit would be great because Lin has good chemistry with them and can raise their games. Asik and Smith can finish inside. Parsons can score from anywhere. Garcia is the team's highest 3-pt % shooter.
A center, DMo, Delfino, Harden, Beverley. These guys are the perfect complement for Harden's game. They're all good at standing on the perimeter and watching Harden go to work. Harden can iso all day long without diminishing their games. And if Harden needs to kick it out, they are capable of shooting the 3.
I will just add James Anderson has to play with Lin.
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB4-7-RPNKM
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndd7st74j2k
ReplyDeletethis whole thing has turned around with shuhow taking command of the huddles, the time outs, LEADING the team. He's directing everyone on that team and this is producing victories. PBev is great for energy off the bench and a spark, but if Lin gets anything less than 34 minutes from here on out, McFail should be fired instantly. I don't care if it's in the middle of the playoffs, the coach should be fired for sabotaging his own team.
ReplyDeleteHis off court persona has improved. At this level, it's less about talent and more about your mental makeup.
DeleteHe seemed like a lost puppy on and off the court to start the season, calling wrong rookies about being cut etc. as just 1 example and honestly looking really bad at times in the pre-season. Yeah his knee, new team - sure but nobody cares about those things...
Now he is calling his Coaches out with a bit of a sense of humor, and he's making it clear the rookies should defer to him in his interviews. He's said Harden and him need to mesh to work together. He called the coaches out on the spacing between him and Harden after the Orlando game.
I don't even watch these games anymore, but I checked the boxscore out live and it looked like him and Harden were competing for highest assists in the game to almost out-do one another.
If they can keep that energy positive and effective on the court, Parsons will continue to score 25-30 efficiently as the 3rd wheel that teams forget about. One thing that is obvious is that when Harden came back, the starting big's production goes down both on offense and defense. It's just a numbers game since Harden's usage is so high and he doesn't try or is incapable on defense.
Garcia has shown he is ready to play and should be getting 10-15 min a game but I guess Delfino has the role locked down...
Wanna watch Jeremy plays against the Suns on the NBA Fan Night? This game garners 40% of total votes. Keep voting.
ReplyDeleteSome highlights here on today's game
ReplyDeletejay910221 (3:52)
Blaiyan (4:46)
PostGame JLin on TJones
ConservativeNewMedia
I always said Lin was gonno be a great coach one day:
ReplyDeletehttp://24.media.tumblr.com/a250961abf0b22544c63beae91ea8ce9/tumblr_mkpvmhjNRF1rhpt5ro1_500.jpg
He's the coach right now. = P
DeleteHarvard Lecture series in the NBA :)
DeleteAsik got an A for paying attention.
Coach got a passing grade for not dropping the clipboard.
hahahahahahahah....
Deletelol....sweeeet!!!
DeleteHouston Rockets – Jeremy Lin Makes Chandler Parsons & James Harden Look Great
ReplyDelete"What can you say?" Lin said. "You're a rookie and you go to D-League 10 times. You don't play at all and you come off the bench with a double-double and a huge road win. That has to feel great. I couldn't be happier for stories and people like that because you spend months and months waiting for your turn, and he really capitalized tonight."
ReplyDeleteLin on Terrence Jones.
Source is espn game recap.
Subtle dig at McHell?
Deletethe most frustrating part for me is how good dmo and smith are in the low post, how athletic tjones and trob are, yet they're languishing in no man's land all the time. The point i'm trying to make is that mcfail isn't utilizing them correctly, not really creating plays or situations where they can flourish and have more chances. BUT shuhow hooks them up anyway. It's shuhow that got that rookie a double double, NOT the coach.
DeleteDmo and Smith are not as good in the low post as you think, TRob and TJones are athletic but lack real skills (Tjones lacks the NBA toughness that Trob already has).
DeleteMcHale IS tutoring and utilizing these players correctly, and Lin is doing an unbelievable job by setting these guys up. Plus these guys are stepping up, as best they can.
However, these guys all fall apart after having their moments. All of them are ROOKIES and will need another season before they become steady contributors. That's just the way the NBA works.
Congrats Jeremy! Let the good games roll!!!
ReplyDeletewe all agree harden forces the issue way too much. when he burst onto the scene as the "star" for houston, he was getting all the calls because no one was prepared for his style of play. But by now everyone is aware of how to defend him and while he's still an unquestioned star and a huge talent with super basketball skills, you're only as strong as your weakest link. When shuhow is able to control the ball and the pace, the team is balanced. when harden controls it, it's lopsided to him, and that is where the adjustment needs to come in. harden needs to check his ego and "purpose" at the door and distribute the ball like he was just another cog in the wheel. I really don't care who brings the ball up the court, but once it gets across that half court line, it needs to goto shuhow everytime. I'm not saying harden needs to be standing in the corner, but how hard could it be to set a few screens for your star player? Heck, set a double screen or a triple screen to get him open. but the plays have to start with shuhow at the healm. Anyone else impressed with how DEEP the rockets are? It's like all their pieces are peaking at the right time. Sure, they're rather inconsistent and some of the veterans and starters are feeling worn down from a long season, but you gotta respect the games of garcia, beverly, tjones, dmo, trob, and especially big smith. i haven't even gotten to aaron brookes yet. I mean, wow! It's going to be a great playoffs. I think houston can make the right adjustment. This team wants to win and even if mcfail is riding on harden like a prized pony, i'm sure harden will wise up and distribute the ball to keep the team balanced all the way to victory. LET'S GET THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
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