3pt % .30 .33
FT % .81 .79
FTM/FTA 5.3/6.6 3.5/4.5
FGM/FGA 7.4/17.2 5.4/12.2
REBS 5.1 3.6
ASTS 7.3 7.0
STLS 1.7 2.0
BLKS .3 .4
TO'S 3.6 3.5
PTS 20.9 15.7
US RATE 29.7 22.2
For the people who are panicking after one bad game by JLin, just look at the 36 min. career stats above of Russell Westbrook and Jeremy Lin. What's the difference? Westbrook has a much higher usage rate meaning he has the ball in his hands much more and thus shoots much more. Besides his higher usage rate and RW being a better rebounder than JLin, they're stats are basically identical at this point and both being 24 years old. Also, Westbrook has played for two more seasons and has played a ton more minutes overall and in the playoffs and he's had much better teammates.
Guys, lets remind ourselves why we believe in JLin. It's not just because he's Asian American and a mediocre player and talent. It's because he's A.A. and has the ability, talent, athleticism and heart, to truly be up there with the best point guards in the NBA. It may not happen in game 2, it may not happen in this series, but it will happen. I'll be driving the bandwagon when it happens and all the fair weather JLin fans can jump back aboard then.
I hope JLin does good in G2. If not, then let PB play both G3/G4. I'm getting really tired of the unresolved question always lingering over people's heads. We'll see once and for all if PB is really better than JLin at being the PG.
ReplyDeleteIf PB is really as good as the majority of his fans claim, then just let JLin go over the off-season. Better for JLin himself and the team.
I'm getting so sick of the constant BS coming from the Rockets coach and some of the so called Rockets fans who crap on JLin for every bad game. While other players like Parsons, PB & Harden almost always gets a pass.
Who knows, maybe if Lin left the team, they'll miss him once the crap hits the fan....
Ummm no. U don't make this change during the playoffs. McHale should've done on during the regular season when he was tinkering with the line up up till the end of the season.
DeletePeople forget that the Rox are not expected to win this series. People act like the Rox are desperate to win.
U go with what brought you to this point. U don't bench someone after 2 bad games.
captain Marvel, why would you even think of letting only Beverly play in the 3rd and 4th game when you know and even Lin haters know Lin is far better than Beverly will ever be in his dreams. Lin will bounce back this coming game and play well. Guarantee it. But yes, he needs to get the f**k out of Houston. He will be a Laker next year--mark my words, my gut feel. He will lead the Lakers to a championship mainly without Kobe--and I think they will trade Asik too, Lin and Asik for Dwight Howard.
DeleteAs much as I want Lin to leave Houston, he is not going anywhere this off season. This I'm sure of. The only way Lin is going is if Morey gets cp3. That is the only way for Lin to be out this off season.
DeleteNope, Solidz75, I continue to disagree with you on that. The Lakers know that Nash is getting older and older and can't last a full season--he's too injury prone now. The Rox will be desperate for Howard--I bet Hardon will implore management that he needs help (even though he sucks!). So I'm sure Rox management will make every effort to get Howard (I don't think, even though Kobe will be hurt most of next season, that Howard wants to be in Laker land with Kobe always breathing down his neck).
DeleteNo way spencer. The time for Lin to move will be in the next trading deadline next season at the earliest. I mean we both agree that Lin needs to get out of Houston... But I really can't see Morey just giving up on Lin until he gets to see what lin does next season. Cp3 is the only hope. All others are just our desperate wishes.
DeleteI wouldn't mind Lin being traded to Orlando for Jameer Nelson.
DeleteMaybe the Rockets will decide that they need a "veteran" PG and bring over Nelson who is a fine PG but not the game changing All Star talent Lin is.
Orlando finished with the worst record in the NBA, though they sure have some really promising players. They have a higher payroll and better talent than the Rockets do.
I like Orlando's young talent a lot. Tobias Harris is gonna be a stud. Their center is similar to Asik. Not as good on D but better on O. JLin would fit great here.
Delete@Spencer Haywood, if you think Lin haters think Lin is better than PB. You really need to read the comments on twitter, facebook, realGM and clutch fans. Only a minority of people who are unbiased see that Lin is better.
DeleteRockets gimmicky offense is getting them nowhere and when they lose, everyone blames Lin. He needs to get off the team ASAP. It's stunning his growth and hurting his image as a capable player.
This team either gets a new better coach or Lin needs to be gone.
Over a season and McHale still can't see what he has in Lin or manage his players/rotations/subs.
Peace.
Let's hope Lin's performance in this playoff series (4 or 5 games) reflects Lin's progress/improvements in the regular season, which was: really lousy at the beginning and then improving each month to finish with very solid numbers with everything considered). Just give me one good game out of 4 or 5 games Jeremy, and I will be happy and know you can compete during the playoff and wait for next year.
DeleteJlinfan#1, I also wanted Lin to go to Charlotte.
DeleteHowever, the Bobcats just declared their faith in Kemba Walker after firing Coach Mike Dunlap (probably was a mistake to fire him, as he did improve the team). So no Lin to Charlotte.
I'll also keep hoping that the Suns somehow trade Dragic for Lin, even though they're absolutely smitten with Dragic. From a sheer basketball standpoint, Dragic doesn't have the athleticism and court vision and team spirit that Lin has. Houston can have him back and the Suns can have Lin and Houston's record!
I would like to repeat after @Captain Marvel:
DeleteRockets gimmicky offense is getting them nowhere and when they lose, everyone blames Lin.
He needs to get off the team ASAP.
It's stunning his growth and hurting his image as a capable player.
+1
JLIN'S COOL PASSES
ReplyDeleteSuperb post, Jlinfan#1!
ReplyDeleteWhen you post information like this, it is very enlightening for me. Honestly, I'm startled but not surprised at your unbiased and accurate insights.
What does not show in the stats is how incomparably better a defender Lin is than Westbrook. There is not a defensive guard in the entire NBA who plays better defense than Lin. I'd attribute Lin's inferior rebounding numbers to his willingness to close out on shooters, which Westbrook will not do.
I've been saying since January 2012 that Lin is a great athletic specimen who's physically more than a match for any point guard in the NBA. The numbers here reflect that.
KHuang, I totally agree with you--Lin is one of the best defensive guards in the league. It's ironic that these biased Bleacher Report, SB Nation, etc., writers now say Lin is a defensive liability, lying through their teeth. And simpletons believe them from their racist and biased articles of Sunday's game that Lin was the one defending Westbrook when Westbrook scored at will, when in fact it was Beverly guarding him on those jaunts to the rim!!! JLin will shine tomorrow night--no question about that.
DeleteI am sorry Spencer Haywood, but I literally was imagining you casting banana magic on OKC players when I see your posts. jk....don be mad :P
DeleteLin gets no credit for stopping dribble penetration, even on this site.
DeleteEvery game, every point guard Lin faces gets all happy and thinks he can just blow by Lin at will. Opposing team scouting reports probably say that Lin is the weak link defensively and should be attacked. And every game, Lin plays the best LOCKDOWN defense on opposing dribblers.
What amazes me is that opponents keep plowing the ball into Lin even though he gets stop after stop. Opposing pgs always have to struggle to get their points against Lin, and it often results in Rockets victories. I guess NBA opponents are more interested in beating the unbeatable Asian guy than actually winning games.
If Lin were white or black, he'd be heralded as the greatest defensive guard in the game over the wildly overrated Avery Bradley and Tony Allen (both of whom got their defensive reputations in Boston with Kevin Garnett's Hall of Fame defense behind them).
Another skill Jeremy excels at is funneling. When the refs are ready to cheat him, he still manages to contain his man by simply funneling him towards a waiting Asik (who hardly has to move to meet the penetrator).
DeleteThe penetrator thinks they just beat Lin off the dribble...only to run straight into a 7-foot 270lbs Asik who just has to put his arms up to force a miss. This is a great way to defend during the regular season, but refs seem to allow more contact during the playoffs, so I want to see ball-hawk Lin return against OKC. If he picks up a quick foul or two...then back off. But he should see what the refs will allow early on.
Just my two cents.
I love how Lin generally tries to funnel his man AWAY from the Rockets bigs.
DeleteI would say that opposing PGs try to burn Lin off the dribble 20-30 times a game. Lin outright stops the majority of those attacks, which nobody else in the NBA can do. Most of those stops never appear in box scores and likely not even in advanced stats, but they're blatantly obvious to people like me who watch the games regularly and even in person.
The bulk of Lin's defensive stops are taken for granted. I, however, have been watching the NBA for too long to take any guy who can actually get defensive stops for granted. At stopping dribble penetration, Lin is the greatest guard I've ever seen.
Have a problem with this stement "We'll see once and for all if PB is really better than JLin at being the PG."
DeleteI never-- EVER, not even when PB is having a "good" game with "lots of energy" thought/believed that he is better PG than LIN, PB has barely a clue how to make and run plays except get the ball then pass to Harden for iso
And also let us not forget Lin is playing through adverse environment (bad system, bad coach, hostile team fans, etc) while PB has the support of everyone including Lin-haters. Lin is playing remarkable given the situation he is in and yes he may have a few bad games but every athlete goes through the same thing.
I will not get off the Lin bandwagon but rather sit comfortably because i know that i am in for a gratifying ride!
As I recalled on April 5, Lin made the rookie of the year candidate 'Damian Lillard' look absolutely horrible in the last game they played. He virtually demolished him. Lin had half about twenty more games ahead of him. The number of games you started in an NBA team indeed has a bearing to the performance.
DeleteDamian Lillard is a very good PG.
Wesbrook has an edge over Lin on his past experience. I think it will take some time for Lin to catch up.
As to Beverly, he played professional basketball in other countries. He sort of picked up the experience of playing in odd situations. I'm not surprised that he maintained his level of competence last game. Lin is not as experienced as Beverly in professional basketball in general. Anyone is entitled to have some bad games which make basketball more interesting; there are just too many variance in the game.
Everything is cool. Of course, what really bugs me are those irrational rockets Lin haters. They held double standards dissing Lin in any possible way. Somehow, I think they really don't deserve Lin at all.
IMO there is no reason for Lin not to play well. He has proven that he can compete with these guys.
ReplyDeleteI definitely believe that it's all mental at this point. He uncharacteristically lost poise the last game, playing his worst of the season. The same happened in Miami last season although I believe that was case more of fatigue than anything else.
Lin needs to look at some of the Linsanity highlights and watch the demeanor with which he played those games.
Great players are made in the playoffs. He just can't afford to play badly in all four games. Like he said, there is nothing that OKC did the last game to make him think that the Rox can't make this a series. It's time to put up or shut up Jeremy.
Why is it time? Gary Payton averaged 6 pts in his first playoff series. He's in the Hall of Fame. Why can't we cut him some slack?
DeleteIt's all too easy to blame Lin.
DeleteLin's teammates have to play too. It wasn't as if anybody other than Beverley was having a great game.
Once Lin's teammates start moving off the ball, Lin's passing and shooting lanes will open up without Lin doing anything different.
Ouch, Jlinfan#1!
DeleteGood post. I had forgotten about Gary Payton, mainly because he SUCKED at the start of his career!
Because the spotlights are on him. Whether its fair or not, IMO Lin has to perform to a different standard to harner respect. There is already a knock against him for getting destroyed in Miami last year. If he struggles like he did the last game, he will known as someone who can't perform when it matters. That is another misperception that he will need to overcome.
DeleteIf Lin feels confident enough in his abilities to say there is nothing OKC did to make it seem like the series is hopeless, then i say, Jeremy bring it. If that means making more sound decisions. Draining open shots. Playing better defense. By all means, do it. I've always seen him as a big time player and I want Jeremy to show the world, all the haters, all the doubters that this is the case.
There is not a better stage for Lin to show this than the playoffs. Lets just seize the respect and not dig himself into another unfair perception about his play.
Lin doesn't have to earn the respect of anyone.
DeleteHe just needs to play his game.
I can't believe we're rehashing that Miami game from over a year ago with a different team.
Haven't all the naysayers that said Lin had no chance at belonging in the NBA been thoroughly PUNKED by Lin's excellent season already??? Why are we still retreading that tired flatlined topic???
@Solidz75 , not completely disagree with you, even following your logic, I think you need to give Lin few more games before you think Lin is not playing well at all. everyone can have 2-3 consecutive games that are terrible. I agree it is worse given the game is nationally TVed.
DeleteIn terms of those LOH and national medias, all those ppl will only remember the most recent games. Lin will eventually shut them up. It is actually good that his opponents think he is weak. Just calm down and watch few more games.
I'm rehashing it not because that is what I believe in but that is another kniwn knock against him.
DeleteLook. It will be easy for us to say Lin should just play his game and be happy he is finally a nba pg..but really, he is treated and viewed differently whether he likes it or not.
He will need to over perform to get the respect from morons like McHale and even Morey, who didn't have the faith in Lin to snatch up harden and declare him the new face of the franchise.
Away from the ny spotlight, Lin has been under less scrunity this year. However, playoffs are where one leaves his mark. If Jeremy is the player who I believe he is, he will seize this moment and prove to the world that he is someone that merely interchangeable with bev.
Once again, I'll counsel you not to worry about what the haters think.
DeletePeople are going to hate on Lin because he's Asian. The better he does, the more they hate him. That's what being Asian American is all about, especially in the media.
Enjoy Lin's game as it is. Don't consider him an "Asian fail" just because he has rough games the way other Hall of Fame basketball players do.
And Brent, I'm not going by his last game. I'm just disagreeing with people who say that Lin doesn't have to play well in this entire series because its his first year.
DeleteOkay I'm also not saying that Lin has to perform to Linsanity levels either because with the current set up McHale has going, it is virtually impossible.
But Lin cannot play the rest of the series as badly as he did the last game. It really looked like he doesn't belong in the nba. I know Jeremy is better than that.
If Lin ultimately wants to find a team where he will be the face of the franchise, the true leader and floor general - where his team is no longer doubting his skill level enuff to find a replacement right before the beginning if the season, this is the time for Jeremy to step up.
Khuang it's not just your garden variety forum haters, it's the entire freaking nba in general. If the "haters" are part of nba ( the gm's, owners, players), don't u think it matters how they view him as a player? Even Morey is a freaking hater the way he threw Lin under the bus.
DeleteThis perception needs to change. Lin will never get that opportunity unless the haters begin to accept Lin as a true nba pg who doesn't to share the ball with another ball dominated guard.
And the playoffs is the perfect time to change that perception.
DeleteImagine what would've happened had Lin made 5 of 7 shots, with 5 assists - with 1 TO's. imagine if Lin was the only player who played well the last game with harden struggling. People would be all over McHale asking him WTF is wrong with him using harden to ISO. The world will be seeing what we've been seeing all season.
I see the playoffs as a great opportunity to showcase to the world how great he is and what his potential is. Only if Jeremy is ready to face that challenge.
@Solidz75, yep, let's see how he performs the rest 3+ games!
DeleteNo they wouldn't Solidz.
DeleteThey'd be saying, "Relax. It was just one/two/three games! And he only did well because Harden/Parsons took pressure off him." How many times have we seen Jeremy make a great play or have a great game and see someone else get the credit?
Don't worry about the haters. They will always hate. Jeremy could be delivering his HOF entrance speech in 15 years and they'll still be saying he "got lucky" because of a system or playing with Harden/Dwight/etc..
Haters will hate no matter how great your record is. Just look at Tiger Woods, who is arguably the most clutch and dominant golfer of all time. His sick winning percentage is around 27%. Jack Nicholas has is the closest rival at 16%. All this even with the self inflicted demise of his family life and injuries.
DeleteTiger has always remind people of his Asian roots and maybe that got a lot of people upset as well as the fact that he is the lone black man beating out all the 100s of white golfers on tour. Tiger has had haters follow him even as he broke countless records.
So if anyone believes that Lin will win the haters over if he plays better, then just look at this season over all. At the beginning of this season, Lin was a fluke, then he was a scrub, a hype publicity stunt, then he is an overpaid starter and now he is an average starter. Has any of this changed the tone of the hate? If you invest emotionally in lin's success in the hopes of proving to doubters in your own lives, then you are sadly mistaken. Haters will hate because they can.
It's not winning over haters. It's winning over the inherent prejudices embedded in the people who remain skeptical of Lin's ability ( which some if u refer to as haters) - the very people ( like the gm's) who need to cone to trust Lin.
DeleteYes Morey is a hater and so is McHale, because they do not think highly of Lin at all by the way they marginalized him this year. These are the people he needs to win over. To do that Lin needs to play well in spotlight like this. He needs to convince people he was not a fluke. This is the stage where he can convince people if that.
To diwngrade the importance of these games for Lin is foolish. He needs to step up his game period. To play like he did the last game will make his ascent to stardom that much more difficult. I know he has it in him to play better. So I will be disappointed if he doesn't.
All Lin can do at this point is move his teammates to spots where they can score.
DeleteIf they comply and fight for position against OKC's terrific interior defenders, then Lin will have the proper court spacing to shoot and drive better.
Lin cannot get into the minds of his own franchise, let alone others. He can only control what happens on the baaketball court. Let others figure out if Lin is legit or not.
I think @Solids75 worry too much about what haters gotta say on twitter.
DeleteKietcharoyx I think u r the one scouring twitterverse to RT positive comments about Lin. Instead of RTing random people like a freaking mad man after every game flling up my timeline, why don't u say your own thoughts about Lin.
DeleteLin is actually a great rebounding point guard. I do agree his reduced stats in rebounds is due to nothing other than the coaching like Khuang said. They want him to stick to his man and gamble less. Lin used to get more rebounds on both offense and defense by gambling many times and following the ball. While the Rox probably have him playing it too safe, it's a conservative approach to playing team ball where you count on the bigs to get boards. However, the Rox allow Harden to roam but that's a whole other story....
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Lin right now, assuming he has to just deal with his 3rd/4th wheel limited usage / spot up shooter role when Harden decides to give up the ball, is simply that he is not a lights out spot up shooter yet and his confidence wanes with his shot. He needs a few more years to build himself into that lights out shooter, and it will happen but it will take 2-4 more seasons before he gets there.
I didn't watch game 1 after Q1, but it looks like he stopped shooting and stopped being aggressive after he was 1-6. He should have just kept gunning but again, I'm sure that issue has been thoroughly rehashed in the prior posts here.
Lights-out shooters/players will keep gunning when they are 1-6 and they are so confident they keep on shooting like CP3 yesterday when he started something like 1 for 5.
Yes, if Lin were the main ball handler on this team without Harden, the team still would have still gotten killed, maybe not by 30 but by 10-15 points. Only difference is Lin gets 20-25pt/7-10asst in a losing effort and gets that all season. He'd be treated more like how D-Will was treated in Utah back in the day as the star of a mediocre competitive team. The sad part is now he's compared unfavorably to a Darius Morris or his own teammate PB.
People only care about stats/wins and most average NBA fans probably only saw Lin play against OKC Gm1 after not following him all season. I do think his personal performances matter because fans, GMs, etc are watching from afar and what he does in this series will leave a lasting impression.
The most comical part of this all is that we Lin supporters are considered "delusional" because we know Lin would be close to a 20/10 guy on a mid level playoff team as the lead guard, ala D-Will in Utah, whereas the rest of the NBA media, coaches, GMs, and average fans think he'd be completely outclassed and that if Lin was in Kemba Walker's position, a Lin-led Bobcats would be forced into the D-league. It's pretty clear that's how others outside us Lin supporters view his abilities and hence why Lin supporters are called deranged and delusional...
DeleteLin is actually a SUPERB shooter who really shows his accuracy in the clutch.
DeleteThere is no player in the entire NBA who shoots those last second bailout shots better than Lin does.
Lin was 1-6 because half those shots were last second heaves after Harden and Parsons wasted time off the clock playing scared and selfish.
Ironically, another solid shooter who appears to me to be just as proficient as Lin at hitting those last second bailout shots that are often contested? RAJON RONDO, who is the point guard that I feel really is a poor shooter but can deliver in the clutch!
I don't mind people outside this forum calling us "delusional."
DeleteBut when the Lin hater trolls come here to flame Lin supporters, I ENJOY burning them off this forum.
I don't think Lin is a superb shooter right now. But he's a good one who can gain or lose confidence with every shot. When he doesn't care and has 100% confidence hit or miss, he'll then be a great shooter. I give him 2-4 seasons and he'll get there...
Delete@swing...
Deletevery well said but I dont want Lin to be a lights out shooter, rather a pure pg that makes his teammates better, elevate the team to get a W, only shoot when it is necessary. I have confident he will improve whatever needs to be improved and join a team by his own wish when he is contract is up, no matter what the pay would be, just join the team that he has the chance to enjoy playing basketball, be happy.
A word to the posters who demanded Lin needs to do this or that in this playoff series or else, etc...I suggest you to jump off his bandwagon NOW and never come back. Shame on you to call yourself a Lin fan.
His poor shooting probably does not have to do with his shooting mechanics but more to do with hesitation. It shows in his body language and little minor habits, i.e. the little hop on the catch and shoot. The little hop is to get some sort of rhythm but in cat is causing him to miss because he has think about it each time.
DeleteI think that Lin's shooting difficulties of late are caused primarily by the year end selfish play of the contract year guys Delfino, Parsons. Harden, and Bev.
DeleteThere's a perimeter logjam with these contract year guys all vying for position. The Rockets perimeter guys battle harder against each other than they do against opponents.
My guess is that Carlos Delfino will be gone next year. That would dramatically free up the perimeter because Francisco Garcia shoots just as well as Delfino but is much more of a two way team player. Even Harden and Parsons will probably calm down once their new contracts are signed.
Lin can't play or shoot with ease because these contract year guys are playjng for their paychecks and not necessarily for wins.
I agree with KHuang and enjoy the insight on the selfish play causing season-end problems. We all know how hard it is to play with some people simply because they don't understand team ball ... nothing you can do about it, just keep trying until the game gets sublime again. Then they go off the reservation, and you start losing ground. That's the way team sports works.
DeleteAs for all these posts about JLin 'panicking', I wish some of youz would not say that. I've never known a quality player on any of the competitive teams I've played on to panic. I've seen people have an off day, execute poorly, devolve to indiv play ... But, I've never seen a quality player panic, get intimidated, or lose hope when there was till time left. I can't remember one. In fact, I remember always being able to have that good player in my mind's eye, being able to chatter or give him/her the ball, and knowing they will respond to the signal by stepping up their game.
When people post here Lin was panicked or got intimidated ... I just don't relate and I wonder ... did they ever have seasons worth of team ball? I've never felt that way in any game either, and I'm nowhere near as skilled as you all ... heh heh ... I mean, as JLin.
On the other hand, though, I've known tons of coordinated people who do not have courage or heart, or the mind to bear down on adversity, and those are the guys you don't want in a 2 minute drill, a clawing back into the game, or in a scrum. I would not want Bev in my scrum, as his side would collapse, and my neck would get twisted.
It's going to be fun to see how the Rox team reacts. I think, though, back to this thread, that they won't react well if we keep getting individualism. Everybody has to focus on the score, their own contribution in context of team ball, and they will rise to at least their potential.
Joeteam, those selfish contract year guys are committing suicide by playing selfishly.
DeleteWhat they should do is give Lin the ball and demand that he give it to them. Lin would be more than happy to feed guys!
Also, those guys don't realize that when they don't play defense and don't play team ball, it makes it harder for them to earn those new contracts. Even a guy like Harden who gets the max contract because of his looks would be much more celebrated if he played team ball.
All season long, there has been a divide between the bigs that are pissed at the selfish perimeter guys for refusing to play defense and hogging the ball. Jeremy Lin got caught up in that, but the bigs seem to have realized that Lin's on THEIR side. If the perimeter guys realized that Lin was on their side too, they'd pad their stats much better while also winning more games.
Parsons still has 2 years remaining on his contract and Harden signed a 5 year max contract extension at the beginning of the season. You'll have to come up with another reason to throw them under the bus.
Delete@exel ... I am with KHuang on this one ...
Delete1. you are picking on him on contract timing so it's semantics
2. the idea they have selfish play is clear if you watched every game
3. they may be coached that way too.
Someone on this thread had a great link to a dish article. Look at that one. It's a great example of fantastic team play, and in soccer or rugby, you draw as many men as you can to you to create space (measured in seconds) for your team mate. Then you lateral or go to the open space. Lin is amazing, because he sees that space or limited seconds he can create on such a small playing area. In soccer or rugby, it's easier because the spaces are vast in comparison, but then again, it's harder to score because of the vastness.
On further example of that great style of play is what I've noted in OKC game and once after ... that drive to the hoop, drawing many defenders, then dish out to 3pt for Bev ... I exaggerated for fun, but it was at least 2 seconds and like a practice horse shot.
So, what is wrong with his assertion that team mates are not playing team ball, because maybe he's emphatic and it's fun to read if you agree with him, and not so if you don't?
Parsons IS playing for a contract.
DeleteHe's earning something like $1 million a year and is gunning for a big payday. I'd like exel to explain why that would NOT motivate Parsons to continue playing selfishly.
Harden is a max contract player who's trying to score like a max contract player. Does exel really believe that Harden's ongoing selfish play is because Harden is such a team guy?
exel, you'll have to do a lot better than what you did if you're gonna use Lin to flame me on this board.
@KHuang
DeleteHow is Parsons selfish? Is it because he shoots the open shots that Lin or Harden create for him? Is it because he initiates a fast break in a system where he is encouraged/told to do so? Is it because he's only ranked 8th for assists per game for small forwards?
Yeah, Harden has his selfish moments. But he has the second most assists per game for a shooting guard.
Explain to me how I'm using Lin to flame you? I don't need to trash Lin's teammate to prop him up. He stands on his own merits and accomplishments.
Lin I feel will bounce back strongly in game 2. However, I think Lin's suffered this whole season from playing constraints imposed on him by his coach. Compounded by having to play alongside horrible Harden. Lin can never play free, unrestrained, with his creative juices flowing in this Rox environment. Harden is his biggest impediment because that jackass had been deemed "the man", the superstar, baloney baloney!!! Lin needs to be off this team not at the end of next year but at the end of this year'm
ReplyDeletetotally agree
Deletethats true,,,,mchale put jeremy lin in a wrong direction....and james harden always dreaming to become a superstar with no quality... no fun watching and most very very very very selfish this fucking player...go jeremy lin..dont gave up..save your money and help the children...
DeleteIn order for Jeremy Lin to succeed, he needs competent bigs on the block that can run the floor. The forwards and center position is just not that great. As much as Asik improve this year, he is goofy with 2 left feet. He has no hand eye coordination period. That is something you cannot learn. Chandler is a good player but is mediocre in defense. The team just can't afford 2 players that cannot defend. Guards will just attack when they see Harden and Parsons on the same side of the floor.
ReplyDeleteThe other weakness is all the forwards are perimeter players, which allows the defense to double up and basically force you to shoot every possession. That translates into no ball movement because the rolling guy does not commit to rolling.
The reason Harden handles the ball so much is because he cannot catch and shoot like Rick Hamilton off screens. He would be more effective if he can run off screens going to the top of the key and drive before the defense can set. Same goes for Lin.
Lin's problem is still his shooting, not the form but his habit with this weird small hop and he tends to dip the ball a little before going into his shooting motion. He also needs a go to crossover and step back jumper for times when he has to iso. Something that does give defenders time to setup. A lot of times he is left with the ball not knowing what to do which gives defense time to setup and close off driving lanes.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYo, guys/gals, guess what happened.
ReplyDeleteI posted a rant on the Rockets facebook page.
And then Kevin McHale(not sure if it's the real one) replied back to me.
Link:
http://imageshack.us/a/img42/4940/36713580.jpg
Ignore the dumbass Josh, like I'm gonna use my real name on facebook.....
Fake.
DeleteIf you're talking about the coach, then it's cool.
DeleteBut if you're saying my image is fake, then go to the Rockets facebook page (right side), you'll see it there.
Jeremy Lin is on this cover photo... irony?
Delete@JasonCFriedman
ReplyDeleteMcHale on J-Lin: "After spending year w/ him, his best attribute is his toughness. He'll bounce back and play much better. Whole team will."
Ask yourself as a JLin fan if you have more faith in him than McHale.
DeleteWhen the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Totally ACCURATE quote.
DeleteAs long as the Rockets bigs make their cuts and scramble to openings, Lin will be able to play without the entire OKC defense collapsing on him.
True, KHuang.
DeleteMcHale understands the whole team got playoff jitters and they will get better. Strategy aside, we gotta give credit to him for building up his team's confidence.
Thank God the Rockets doesn't have a coach with "Asian Parents" syndrome. LOL
We'll have quotes like "That Harvard degree is useless on the court!"
Agreed, exactly what I said in one of my rants that even Mchale had more faith in Lin than some of these so call Lin fans.
DeleteWhat are you guys talking about? McHale is the one who have playoff jitters, it was his freaking first playoff game as a head coach and we can tell enough that he failed to prepare the team and failed to stop the downhill trend since the Phoenix game which even more deflating after beaten by Lakers. McHale is just a bully. How can you give you players confidance if you can't even draw good plays? McHale have more faith in Lin? Gimme a break, sorry
Delete@Rikki,
Delete+1
Rikki, McHale did have his shortcoming in drawing up plays but we can also honestly say that many players including Jeremy were nervous to execute well in their 1st playoff game.
DeleteHe might not come up with better strategy in Game 2-4 but I don't have a problem giving him credit for knowing when not to step on their players' throat after the Game 1 debacle but chose to intentionally gave JLin and others his vote of confidence that they will play better for the next game.
The same cannot be said for many so-called JLin fans here who were ready to give ultimatum for JLin to play better or else.
By no means, I gave McHale a stamp of approval for his coaching strategy which is still flawed until he trust JLin to be the true PG to execute his "move the ball" philosophy.
DeleteBut I can give credit to a coach who publicly supports his players instead of blaming them.
Guys and gals:
DeleteMcHale has been killing Lin's confidence and dissing him all season long !!!!!
His about face at the end of the season makes me think that they are about to TRADE Lin soon. Think about it. The timing is odd, just when it's totally unnecessary - Unless they are trying to make him more tradeable. Either way, for whatever reason, it's a good thing: Either trade him soon (Yeah! I trading will be the best) or start supporting Lin as well for a change.
Trust me that I'm very much aware that we're STUCK with McHale in this Harden's Rockets team. Even though Jeremy still managed to put up amazing numbers this season, it's still very disappointing since we all know Jeremy can do hell lot more better with the RIGHT coach(namely George Karl) and the right team(namely Denver Nuggets). If the Rockets want to trade Jeremy, it better be for Ty Lawson. Jeremy can be the key to Karl's first ever NBA Championship
DeleteI'm also fully behind a trade possibility to a place where he can be the true PG.
DeleteIf Morey/McHale are on board to showcase Jeremy for a trade in the offseason, it's even better!
I would much rather have McHale show Lin tough love in public but believes in Lin as a player enough to stick with him in tough stretches than what McHale is doing. Actions speaks much louder than words. Lets see how much faith McHale shows Lin the next game.
DeleteBy now most of us would doubt if McHale would choose to make Lin the "true PG" in the playoff when Harden and Parsons are playing because they truly believed in their flawed multi-PG system.
DeleteThe only way Lin can shine in the playoff is if he makes his shots and his PnR plays work well with the big men. He wouldn't have much time with the ball after Harden and Parsons so that's the reality. 1 good game might be enough to make him a trade bait that most of us want.
My only beef with some bandwagon fans is with how much faith McHale as a Lin hater has compared to many of us as JLin fans who is unwilling to allow any struggle and bad games.
What does it say about us as fans? We're only proud of him when he does well? Then we're not really fans because Lin is only useful to us when he performs well.
Yes, critique him when he struggled so he can improve but most of all, believe in him and cheer for him to get better.
I seen no point in criticizing Lin at all. Jeremy is already his own harshest critic, he knows each of his flaws and mistakes. Unlike McHale or maybe Harden too which seems immune to criticism. I personally think its justifiable for us Lin fans to hate McHale as much as each of us personally want
DeleteOh so now McHale is awesome because he said some nice things about Jeremy when he was asked about his poor play ( its not like he volunteered to defend lin). What did u expect him to say.. Jeremy played bad, he sucks?
ReplyDeleteGimme a break. Don't get it twisted. McHale is the reason why Jeremy is in this situation to begin with. He is the last person u should be quoting when it comes to Lin.
I know I ain't gonna fall for that shit
Delete+1
Delete+1
DeleteI think you guys are mistaking my sentiment. I can't speak for the rest of the guys but I suspect most would agree with me. My point is that Mchale is the worst Lin "fan" ever and even he gives Lin a pass for choking. That's what upsets me the most that the guys that give up on Lin can't have enough faith than even Mchale. Even Mchale who has never had anything positive to say about Lin, who cringes when reporters ask him about Lin has more faith than some of the people on this board.
DeleteCome on. R u serious? Sure there are disappointed Lin fans .. But it's because they know he can play better. They expected him to step up and he didn't.
DeleteBut to say McHale is great now because he didn't bury Lin under the bus is one of the most moronic thing u can say as.a "true" Lin fan. Is that what your expectation has come down to. U have been so abused by McHale that even the thing he is supposed to do as a coach sounds so thankful to you? The same coach whose lack of any coaching sense has led to this predicament in the first place?
I bet u will be the first one to go nuts when McHale plays bev over Lin in the 4th. Haven't u learned anything?
Gimme a break. Stop admonishing Lin fans who I'm sure believes in Lin as a player and being deceived by this idiot of a coach.
Bob, I have faith in Lin, always have and always will till the end of time. Hell I even have more faith in Jeremy than I have with Jesus. I just don't have enough faith and patience with that old turd McHale and I think that McHale is already beyond saving. I still have faith that Harden can change with the right coach
DeleteWell said Solidz! Actions speak loud than words and some praise doesn't make up for screwing a player for 82 games.
DeleteSolidz75,
DeleteYou're absolutely right. Read my post immediately above your yours.
I think what happened is, after all the negative PR against Lin that his fans have noticed and quoted on the net, it's apparent the Rockets' front office and coaches had a meeting. It was a good idea, since they didn't treat any other player that badly with leaked articles. The funny thing is, if Lin played bad, say he play bad; don't try to sugarcoat to make it up to him..... The only things I thought were unethical of them was the mean-spirited anti-Lin articles that they leaked; and the way they benched him for long stretches even when Lin played well; and also taking him out when he was getting hot; and they mostly took the PG position away from him after signing him as PG..... But now they spew out a phoney polite stuff, when it's not necessary. And no, it will not make it up to Lin; and no, McHell's and Sorey's bad attitude toward Lin haven't changed a bit.
Bob, that's exactly my sentiment.
DeleteSome of JLin faithful fans wouldn't even give a pass to Lin who can struggle because he is only human. And what a contrast with McHale who is supposedly a Lin hater.
I'd like to have some of us imagine being in his shoes and what you would have your fans to do say to you.
"We know you didn't do well but we know you can get better"
OR
"You should've known better because you made me look bad as your fans".
I doubt any would choose the latter.
Wow, I cant believe you guys completely miss my point. I have been the harshest critic of Mchale since day one on this board. I've been advocating Lin to not help Mchale by letting the team not make the playoffs in order to get Mchale fired. Every post I've ever made about Mchale has been about how inept he is.
DeleteThe post I made is directed at the so call Lin fans who bashed him for his bad play and choking his first ever playoff game. I am calling them trash because they have less faith in Lin than even Mchale.
Mchale has been a doubter since day one, some of the bashing of Lin was embarrassing from a Ln fan site. Some of these fans were throwing Lin under the bus. My point is that Mchale is the lowest of the low and yet even Mchale is willing to give Lin a pass. What does that say about the so call fans that were so willing to trash Lin for his very first playoff game.
I ranted about how Jordan didn't win a playoff game for 3 seasons, going 12 games without a win! Lin loses one game, chokes his very first playoff game and his own site bashes him. That's just wrong.
@Psalm
Delete"We know you didn't do well because of McHale and Harden brand of losing basket ball but we know you can get better"
I'd say that. I have faith that Jeremy's brand of basketball is winning basketball. If Jeremy is playing his brand of basketball and struggle or have an off night, I can understand that. But if Jeremy struggle because the team's system sucks then I have a problem.
Rikki, you speak the truth :D
DeleteWe all know it's hard for Lin to excel in the current Houston system because he is not the true PG but it is a testament to his hard work that his spot-up shooting (3PT%) increased every month.
I have faith that Lin can bounce back even in the sucky system that he is not the true PG.
I understand what you're trying to convey, Bob. Those guys you called trash just don't know the cause or the real problem. I think its because their flawed BBall knowledge or lack thereof helped shaped their opinion and perception. Or should I say, they're just as stupid or even more stupid than McHale
DeleteYes you're correct. You see Psalm, the way I see it. Even with all this bullcrap that happened this season, Lin still managed to improve his game. Just imagine if Lin is given confidence and full reign on offense. Just imagine how great will the improvement be and the numbers Jeremy will put up. Few people see McHale is whipping Jeremy to be great, the way I see it McHale is only holding Jeremy back and slowed his improvement
DeleteI don't think McHale's statement was genuine. In fact, I believe McHale is very happy to see Lin fail.
DeleteThe last game was set up(whether intentional or unintentional due to McHale's and Morey's incompetence) for Lin to fail.
Wasn't it the best stage, the best time to demonstrate that McHale and Morey have been right in their assessment of Lin by letting Lin fail in front of his fans and haters?
Lin had been given the whole season to adapt to the system yet he couldn't deliver -- McHale et al can tell the whole wide world loud and clear that why they are not Lin's believer.
Lets see how much trust McHale shows Lin tomorrow. I'm sure all the so called bad Lin fans wouldn't hesitate to play Lin over Bev if they were the coach.
DeleteU think McHale tailor the game plan to allow Lin to play to his strengths?
You think McHale actually has a game plan? :D
DeleteMcHale's game plan actually depends more on the other team falling asleep on defense, than the Rockets executing good offense. Basically, if the opponent doesn't make any dumb mistakes in our favor ... we're screwed.
DeleteHis recent quotes just confirm what we already know. He really likes J-Lin as a person, but as a player, he only sees him as a good backup/fringe starter. Like Jarrett Jack.
DeleteWhatever. I see Jeremy on the Steve Nash Career Track. It'll take a few years to "have his own team," but once he does, it'll be epic. Nash didn't play like a star until he was 27 and had the keys to the Suns' offense. Of course, Jeremy is also a defensive leader as well.
At least he changed his line, I thought he will say, Jeremy will be fine. LOL
ReplyDeleteC'mon, Lin almost had no ball right at all in game 1. And even he occasionally played PG, there were no any teammates screened for his P&R, and any reaction when Lin faced double team defenders who even pulled his hand for a while at arc area. His passion and rhythm got hurt. No ball right means everything.
ReplyDeleteAfter the games vs the Sun and the Lakers(They actually can won this 2games easily but fail, why? They intend to fight the Thunder because Harden insisted it) and the game 1 arrangement(Everyone play PG position except Lin), you can assume that Lin won't be in the Rockets future.
Harden regards himself as the WestBrook of Rockets, and Parsons is the Durant of Rockets. Morey need to brush Harden's statics for fooling Alex, McHale need Morey and Harden help him to deal next contract and Harden intend to play PG and Lin also threatens his leader position. Lin must leave the Rockets because of this 3 person's plan.
Everything is easily to predict, if Lin continue to play a catch-and-shot corner in next game, I don't think Lin can get any good performance.
Nothing to be panicky. Rockets has nothing to lose, aren't they? It can't get any worse, I'll tell you that.
ReplyDeleteyeap, they can only go up from here
DeleteIts very hard for him,rockets has no big guys can do the offense. Asik can't ,smith and Jones are rookies.What can he do? Especially against this strong team.
ReplyDeleteThe Rox won one game againsst the Thunder, but that was a fun anomaly I thought. Maybe it could happen one more time in Houston.
DeleteThe Thunder have all their pieces. The Rockets will have theirs by next Summer with a cap space to use up $$$.
I meant in the *regular* season, the Rockets won a game against the Thunder.
DeleteTo Kuang and anyone else who has followed Lin pre Linsanity, did he always have such erratic performances? I know i asked this question before, but it doesn't seem like Lin is very vulnerable to nerves as he has excelled in very high stress situations in the past, yet sometimes he crashes and burns against a meaningless team. I am trying to wrap my mind around this. How can Lin play so very well, and then lose everything a few games later? Does he just regress into bad habits randomly? I can understand that his shot still comes and goes. I know with practice it will be more consistent. But why is he back to getting to the rim and kicking out for a bad pass instead of shooting? It is so hard to watch. Where is his eye of the tiger? He needs to use his anger instead of run away from it.
ReplyDeletelack of confidence?
DeleteMany reasons.
DeleteHis #1 reason is he needs the ball in his hands to be comfortable in shooting and making plays as evident in Linsanity last season.
Other reasons are not having reliable big like Tyson Chandler to finish PnR plays, inexperience, inconsistent shooting at times, new role as a 3PT spot-up shooter, the desire to fulfill a traditional PG role as facilitator more than a scorer.
I think the last one is the most detrimental in Houston because he'll get benched if he didn't "look" like he can score enough.
The biggest problem is Mchale and Morey. Lin doesn't get to be PG so he stands in the corner. Mchale let's Harden run ISO so everyone clears the middle and wait for Harden to decide to run a play. This freezes the whole team out and no one how's what to do.
DeleteEven during linsanity, Lin had off night's shooting, but he made enough plays to win and D'antoni continue to believe in Lin.
The press and coaches loved Lin in NY. In Houston, if Lin make one mistake, he gets benched. The Houston press is always putting Lin down and their own
Management keeps promoting Bev.
If the Rox had another coach that would let Lin run the point, he could have developed the bigs over the course of the year and taught them how to PNR. Not only that, with Parsons and harden on the wing, the Rox team offense would have had 3 major threats on the floor. The Rox would have had interior attack to collapst the D opening up a field day for both Harden and Parsons. Instead we have Harden ISO. Talk about making it easy for opponents to defend.
Just put yourself in Lin's shoes. If you were put in a negative situation, day in and day out, it take a toll on you in the long run. Lin's human just like us. He's actually a lot stronger than most of us, because through all the obstacles and negativity he's still been able to produce and impact this team in a positive way. I'm sure most of us in that situation would have eventually given up, asked for a trade, kicked a bench chair, and cussed out the coach. But Jlin is better than that, he's showing the world that he can accomplish his long term goal in his own way.
DeleteRose, the explanation is actually very simple.
DeleteJeremy Lin is actually a superbly consistent two way winner who plays on a team that's POISONED by selfish ballhog perimeter teammates (Harden, Parsons, Beverley, Delfino) who are trying to pad their stats at the expense of wins.
Usually when Lin struggles, it's because those selfish teammates are hogging the ball and giving him the ball only when they've exhausted their limited options. Lin is jostled out of the perimeter by those ballhogs, especially when the ballhogs are trying to pad stats against weaker teams or when the game is on the line and those ballhogs want to be the hero (usually FAILS).
What those perimeter ballhogs should do is RELAX and let Lin create shots for them. But no, those ballhogs want the glory all for themselves.
Keep in mind that McHale could be the perfect coach and play Lin 45 PG minutes a game and STILL the Rockets would struggle due to the selfishness of the perimeter players.
I am sure that the Rockets are aware of this, maybe not so much McHale but the other front office personnel. This is why I firmly believe that Carlos Delfino will be let go and not resigned while Harden and Parsons will calm down somewhat once they've signed their new contracts.
KHuang, if McHale is that clueless he shouldn't be in the head coaching business in the first place.
DeleteNo Rikki M, that's not how the NBA works.
DeleteWhen players are playing for contracts, that overrides any kind of coaching decision.
For example, Rick Carlisle in Dallas is one of the best coaches in the game. Yet Steve Nash just said in the press that Dallas was struggling under Carlisle because they had too many players on one year contracts playing selfishly to protect their own futures.
McHale could be the greatest coach in NBA history and still his contract year guys would play selfishly. That's the nature of the NBA game.
And pre-Linsanity, Lin was just like he is now: a super consistent and dependable guard.
DeleteIn the games he played, he always filled up the box score and was tremendously active on both ends of the court. That was the case even with Coaches Smart and D'Antoni who didn't respect Lin's game.
Now that he's playing more minutes, it's the same ol' Lin spread out over the entire game.
Very true. Parsons has even approached Morey about how annoyed he is over his contract situation, repeatedly asking if there's anyway he can receive a big extension even though he's on a rookie contract.
DeleteChandler may be a great guy off the court -- he was the first (and only?) Rocket to welcome Jeremy to the team and express his enthusiasm -- but on the court, he is usually looking out for himself. He wants a contract like Jeremy's and plays selfishly as a result.
Parsons needs to realize is that Jeremy isn't Harden -- Lin's stats don't come at the expense of others; they actually pad the stats of others. And create highlight reel finishes to make them look good. Look how good he made Fields and Novak look last year in NY. Harden should share as well; he'll average fewer assists per game but shoot a much higher FG%.
Parsons is a hot commodity. He is the only American born white player with potential to shine besides K-love, who has been falling apart due to attitude and injury and a crappy GM in Kahn. Plus the female consensus is that Parsons is 100x more attractive than Love.
DeleteEven if his game is marginal, those 2 previously mentioned attributes will carry Parsons far. That's why SAS gave Parsons no love earlier in the season. Guys like SAS don't want a Parsons OR a Lin to shine.
And to hear these commentators of different cities all gush about Parson's game...it's only a matter of time that the Rockets lose him unless they offer him a ridiculous contract and role on the team that nobody else would.
Nobody else would make Parsons a #2 except the Houston Rockets, who are desperate to keep him and Morey, who is desperate to make Parsons into a big star and look like a GM drafting genius.
If what the pundits says about Lin is true and he simply isn't that good and hence he was undrafted, then the same should hold true of 2nd rounder Parsons...but no the consensus on Parsons is that he is a stud in training. Maybe he too was passed over simply for being a white American, which is a dying breed in the NBA when it comes to star players.
The reality is that Parons, Harden, coaches, Mchale, will do what they want to do.
Lin can only control himself and worry about his own play while hoping the team comes together.
I'm pretty certain Lin will struggle again tonight and play better at home, but so will Harden and Parsons, who are both allowed to ball hog as the #1 and #2 guys on the team.
Parsons still has 2 years remaining on his contract and Harden signed a 5 year max contract extension at the beginning of the season. You'll have to come up with another reason to throw them under the bus.
DeletePlayers typically pad stats and build their case to sign lucrative contracts way before their contract expires.
DeleteIf you ever have played in any pro sports, you would know your agent never fail to nudge you to chalk up better numbers before and after each game.
Lin should not blame everything to himself, his doubt about his game is due to the lack of trust from his team mates and coach
ReplyDeleteLin should have learned to be PR savvy by now. Unlike most players (I want to say all other players) - in the name of honesty and humility - he often points out his shortcoming and mistakes, which in turn spreads out like tree roots out into the cyber space, for everyone to read. To me it's not a smart thing to do; let S.A.S and his types to come up with their own materials. Whenever a player admits to something specific (rather than being vague or talk in generalities) or takes the blame, the self-demoting sound bites appear in a million places and they stay there permanently. Self-promotion is one thing, but self-demotion? I'm for being neutral myself.
DeleteLin is a team player, unlike Mchale who never owns up to his own bad coaching. Even Harden admitted that he didn't play well. Leaders do it naturally. They never look for excuses. The first question in their mind is what else could I have done, not what else anyone else should have done.
DeleteLin is a process player and will always focus on his own errors even after wins or stellar games. That's why they don't get too high or low because of performance or losses. They don't define themselves by the moment, they define themselves with their own process.
I had a young player that I coached into a club champion. When I started with him he would lose to the top players in the club easily. I told him to never focus on winning or losing, but to always focus on each tiny step forward. I promised him that one day soon, he'll magically win against the great players that has embarrassed him in the past if he focused on each tiny step forward. Then one day he started to beat them and started win titles. Now he is the top dog. But my proudest achievement was that after his first great victory over someone he thought he could never beat, he came off the court not happy. He was already complaining about some of the bad errors he made. He had truly become a process player.
As a coach, I was able to instill a life lesson into a young mind, a meta skill that will serve him in all areas of his life. The story about AI in contrast is about athletes whose life and self worth was measured by winning. They become drug addicts on the highs of winning. That's why many athletes fail miserably after their inevitable end of their athletic career. AI loved the game for the adulation to the star power that came with winning. But that's not real. What others say you are are just opinions. Lin's focus on his own Self improvement is a lesson he can take off the court to challenges beyond his bball career. Maybe he'll go into politics, become a senator or maybe even the president.
The thing is our opinions of Lin is not what matters to him. Failure to meet our expectations are out of our own broken mirrors. How we define Lin is more reflective of ourselves than it is of him. A human being's life is never defined by a single moment or even a decade of experience, it's defined by who we seek to become.
Nobody advertizes one's weaknesses like Lin. Process internally and with personal coaches - NOT loudly. Harden RARELY makes public admission, which ticked me off to no end (especially coz McHale has always protected him as well). The last game was one of the very few times Harden admitted that *everyone* played poorly, including himself, *AND* Harden TALKED ONLY IN GENERAL TERMS regarding himself: He never admitted "I was a ball hog. Too many of my shots were forced and iso. I was looking to draw fouls too much when my perimeter shots didn't go in; when the calls didn't go my way, I continued the tactic".
DeleteYes, let Lin be the "process player" to analyze and synthesize and learn (This is the reason why CPaul is such a great player: He is the perpetual student of the game and studies his opponents perpetually). However, don't give too much for the haters to say "even Lin himself admitted so and so". Don't self-demote so much. Don't shine such a bright light on his shortcomings. For the most part, practice the law of silence, and be the process player with his trainers and personal coaches. Lin needs to work hard in the offseasons to make quantum improvements in his body conditioning and weak skill areas, because that what even veteran all-stars do.
If anyone wants to see who defended Westbrook better.
ReplyDeleteHere's a highlight video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-5MifuBzJA
Jeremy Lin did a better job defending WB. He at least was able to stay in front of WB most of the time vs. PBev who was getting baked n' shake-d all game long...
DeleteWhat a hue n' cry by some here. I wonder if youz watched the game. Lin was not all that bad. He didn't play great. But ... didn't you notice how badly the other guys played? We should stop with all the talk about how Lin collapsed, panicked, got intimidated, played so badly.
ReplyDeleteA guy on CF said it best:
Harden TO
Lin TO
Lin TO
Bev airball 3
That was the game there.
What he didn't add was Del's selfish attempt at the rim, when he could have fed it back to Harden for an easy follow. I think that started that series.
That was the spread right there.
It was a team loss, so I think we can stop harping on that game and move on, please. Up to you, I dunno what to talk about that is fun either. Except that OP was great on the stats. Maybe we can talk about that great drive by Lin that took almost the whole OKC team to the rim, and he released out to Bev for a shot that was open by about 10 minutes :-)
Well said. I mean I understand most fan's points here. We just approach it differently. PPL hate Harden, McHale and Morey. Some trolls here hate Lin as well.
DeleteI would say, more than anything else, that Lin just played stupid (inexperienced rookie in playoffs) during this game.
DeleteHe is no longer a minor role player off bench, easily replaceable by someone else. He is very important cog to Rockets now, along with Harden, Parsons, and Asik (really could use Jared Jeffries at back up center now).
That first turnover seems like there just wasn't enough ball movement to get defense rotating before attempting pass. That pass reminded me of Harden trying to play point guard when he is freezing out Lin, not when he is already driving down hill, has defense on it's heels, and could take ball to hoop himself as easily as make a slick pass to teammate.
Lin can't even be in position of trying to take charge 28 seconds into game. He needs to step aside and let Durant go in for uncontested layup. It took away his aggressiveness on defense, as was shown by Westbrook's drives to hoop on Lin.
Last two minutes of game, like Greg Anthony said, he needed to be more aware of time remaining in half and pass the ball back out and reset offense.
His instinct is 110% direct aggression, but with two starters on bench, going into halftime down 4 and regroup in third probably would have been smarter move.
I know McHale doesn't call plays, but where was he to tell Lin and rest of youthful experienced Rockets about situational awareness (basically play to hang around game till about 5 minutes left, then try and steal game).
Lin and rest of Rockets wouldn't have looked so bad if they had defined offensive plays where everyone knew where they were supposed to go and what they were supposed to do.
It's seems like pathetic, sloppy journalism to say Lin choked under pressure.
Yes, he was tentative as playmaker to start game, but he is still trying to figure out how to play with and off of James and what McHale wants (more of a pure point guard field general) is not Lin's natural instinct (attack and drive to rim).
If Lin was as scared as some media types want to say, why were his first two free throw attempts nothing but net.
Compare and contrast with Greg Smith's very shaky free throws early on (Smith not confident in his free throw motion now, but his motion looked even more tentative than usual).
"Lin and rest of Rockets wouldn't have looked so bad if they had defined offensive plays where everyone knew where they were supposed to go and what they were supposed to do."
DeleteThis would've helped tremendously - especially when jitters get in the way. Going back to the basics, focusing on your role.
Not going to happen in this self admitted random offense. I'm not optimistic about tonight, but I know Jeremy can't play any worse. I'd be shocked if he doesn't play better.
@Joe ... you were a calming force in one of your comments before, so I know you aren't as amped about the problem play as some others. I meant to say @Joe in that post, but I got so busy.
DeleteSomeone else posted that first TO at the baseline that he was frustrated and wanted to show the other guys where they should have been. I didn't see the replay, but I could see that poster's point, because I've been frustrated myself in sports and I just put the ball into a known place where I know I'm going to give it up just to show my team mate to get off his duff. It always works, because guy-pride can be overcome that way. You can't talk it through sometimes, because of guy-pride. You have to show the loss, and take the hit.
That's not to say this was true, because it looked like a crazy pass for sure. Just sayin' in game, you never know what the guy is thinking, and he might have been po'd.
If people put the whole game in context and not think about every play good or bad, one would 'feel' the anger upwelling at the crazy crazy play all around, and I wouldn't think Lin or Bev or Harden or Parsons would not have moments of anger that cause focus problems. Look at Melo mid-late season. Very upset guy, waiting to talk to opponents after the game.
I'm just saying here that if we lose, as a fan, move your heart to the flow of the game, and then, you know what is the problem. That's the elite, sublime nature of team sports where you get 20pt to 30pt blowouts, and it's not indiv play ... it's overwhelming force from great play, present and maybe in bball 1 second ahead of the other team. Everyone is seeing the open space, the cuts, the alley oops. When it's not team play, you are 1-3 seconds behind mad and like chickens without heads, or swarming ants.
That then is the job for coaching.
@Solidz75, I agree. They need more team structure so they can go back to it to calm things down. Right now, they have limited modes under adversity: iso-harden, time-out to iso-someone-likely-harden, and multi-pg (Del-Parsons-Bev-Harden-Lin).
Delete@Brent ... I always like your short posts that say a guy is thinking so much more. You'd probably be fun on a work team or in a meeting ... helping, but not making a fuss.
For those who want to check out some of Lin's game footage from Game 1, #1 hater is back to provide it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iSGbcJVp38
Yeah, let's see him make a video for Harden, Greg Smith, and Beverly mistakes... it'll be a longer video.
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ReplyDeleteWe need to shoot like GSW did today to beat OKC.
ReplyDeleteThen we will need a lot of set plays and screen to free up space for our shooters. Oh wait, our head coach sucks for those kind of task.
DeleteISO HARDEN ALL THE WAY TO THE GROUND
ha...I guess he will have to make those so we can win.
DeleteNow this is how you step up your game in the playoffs. Aren't these their first playoff games as well? Steph curry showing the world he is special. Quite impressed.
DeleteTrue, let's hope Rox can have a game like this.
DeleteI think Curry and the current GSW team is a product of Mark Jackson. Good to have a former PG as head coach who understand the importance and know how to use PG correctly
DeleteMark Jackson is much more deserving of coach of the year than McFail.
DeleteGWS ran a simple set. The Rox could never do this because it is so basic. This is what the Rox can do to copy what GSW did yesterday:
DeleteLin (Jarrett Jack) gets the ball up top for 80% of the game. He plays 1 on 1 if he can but relies mainly on a steady dose of a high PnR with the big man (yeah the Rockets done really have any good big man options but still..)
Harden( Curry) and Parsons (Thompson) go to the 3 point corner baselines to spread the floor as deadly shooters.
This spreads the floor WIDE OPEN. Now Lin just goes PNR all day as option 1 and Lin can use his driving ability to kill or pass or shoot midrange shots.
The Rox lack a Harrison Barnes and instead they use a POST BIG. I think Mchale uses Delfino as his Harrison Barnes, which is seriously misguided - if anything use Delfino as a 3 man and Parsons as a 4 but that would be too obvious for the Rox. Plus Delfino is just too hot and cold which is the only concern leaving him the designated baseline gunner at the 3.
The only thing I don't know is whether Lin would prefer the Big man PnR partner to be a certain teammate or just whichever big is being guarded by Ibaka to pull him out. The Rockets could also spread the floor with Francisco Garcia and Parsons at the baseline corners and go Lin/Harden PnR all day long with GSmith as the big.
Lin is a 3rd year player, NOT A VIRTUAL rookie. I am tired of hearing that from Lin apologists when guys like Klay Thompson and rookie Barnes torch other teams. These guys have been in the NBA less than Lin so there's no good excuse for crappy performances.
I think Jack, Curry, Klay all scored over 20 with good efficiency. Curry still stayed the star even though Jack was the play maker. This could be the Rox formula against OKC, but no we will probably see more of the same. Still not sold on Mark Jackson or GSW, but they did a good job adjusting in game 2. Will the Rox?
Hey swing, I actually said as much in a previous post about how Lin should be PG at the top of the key running PNR down the middle with harden and Parsons on the wing. This would create a triple threat attack. It's so obvious that even I can see that! Duh, Mchale is supposed to be COTY, hall of fame player...
DeleteSteph Curry didn't do it alone, he got lots of screens both on and off the ball to set him free. But of course they don't show those things on the box score.
ReplyDeleteGSW had an insane FG% 0f 64.6% tonight. Steph Curry=0.5652; Jarrett Jack=0.667; Klay Thompson=0.7273. Even DEN FG% 0.5 wasn't enough to beat GSW.
DeleteI thought curry suffered on the defensive end but wow, did he have his stroke going.. But true he was getting screens left and right. Did u see that screen bogut put on iggy? Ouch.
DeleteCurry is a better scorer but I think Lin is a better playmaker and a defensive player. Only if the offense ran through him instead of harden.
true...yo coach! SET SOME SCREENS FOR SHUHOW! PLEASE!
ReplyDeleteI will always be a JLin fan. No matter what. I can't wait for Game 2!!
ReplyDeleteI will always be a JLin fan. No matter what. I can't wait for Game 2!!
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ReplyDeleteOne can picture attendance to the Rox and Pacers games in Asia will be miserable if JLin has disastrous playoffs performance.
ReplyDeleteMcHale & Morey had better wake up and do real coaching and damage control before it's too late!
Too much individual play in game 1 (I am looking at you Harden and Parsons). Rockets play best when they move the ball. Simple! Do it Mchale you braindead F.
ReplyDeleteTo some ppl's over reactions:
ReplyDeleteNo, Lin is not going to leave next year! They already scheduled Asian trips in 2014. Who will watch them without Lin? I'm sure Lin and other rockets will play well in their home courts even if they don't win the second game.
I'd like to see Lin leave Rockets if they continue misuse him, But Lin has to continue better his shots regardless.
I was so happy to see his friends winning against Denver last night.
When the opponents shoot 67%, any team will lose big time. Golden State Warriors are similar to Rockets in that they live or die by 3s.
DeleteLike I said, even MJ got didn't win a playoff game until the forth year of making it into the playoffs. No one remembers how every great player has had to learn how to handle the nerves and extra adrenalin in the playoffs. Our expectations of Lin is just totally unrealistic and unfair. I believe in Lin and his process to be the best player he could be, and not what each of us hope he could be.
ReplyDeleteChoking is real and no matter what semantics you use it amounts to the same thing. John McKenroe said it best, " everyone chokes, the great ones just chokes less".
You may call it what you want, but being tentative is also a sign of choking. A tentative player is one already fuzzy on what he wants to do. He is already confused by his opponent. He is already not in the present. He is worrying about the past failures and doubting his own future actions. This is the defining moment, or often the turning point of an athletic contest.
At the top of any sport, the difference of skills is so thin that it is not hinged upon physical skills. It is hinged upon the ability to with stand the mental pressures exerted upon each player. That pressure comes from fan expectations, coach expectations and personal expectations. It also comes from fear of failure and even fear of success. It ultimately comes down to with standing the opponent's game pressure. If you are getting beat by your man, then you will experience doubt. That's when pass failures keeps us shackled to the past and allow our minds to worry too much about future events. Once an opponent pushes you into that state, then you are on a slippery slope of doubt that leads into further further deterriations of your physical skills.
Good coaches create a mental anchor in practice for young plapyers in set patterns of play. Phil Jackson used to use his second squad to run through set design plays in real time in practice for his players to learn and logically imprint that pattern into their brain. This is anchoring. When his team breaks down in games, he'll calm them down by forcing them out of that state of panic and reinitiate or reboot that stored memory. He'll say something like, " we've play like crap for the first 3 quarters, but we're only down by ten. We can still win this game, let's go out and win this quarter.". This changes their mindset from what their opponent is doing to them, into knowing what they need to do to succeed. The logic of the learned plays breaks the cycle of fear, just enough to get them to refocus on their own assignments and how to raise their own intensity to meet the challenge of his own man.
Well explained. One comment to your statement: "I believe in Lin and his process to be the best player he could be, and not what each of us hope he could be."
DeleteFirst, if Lin ultimately becomes an average NBA starter, then that's all fine for him and you, but please realize that there are other types of posters who probably "expect" or "hope" he will do a lot better. You explained your position very well, and I think you are a very smart and eloquent person, but do realize that some people like myself expect more from him and get pissed when he plays badly. I get pissed when I don't do well in something when I think I should have done better, and you know what? I am sure Lin himself is pissed. I have no problem at all if all posters think Lin is a second coming of MJ or Magic, but I do have a problem when some posters (not you) call anyone who has different viewpoints a "troll" or "hater" -- that's just the worst kind of bully. The posters who probably reflect my own viewpoints are posters like Etane, Solid and/or Bamboo Forest. There were some more, but I bet some of them probably left this forum because of too much troll hunting from Asian elves.
Lastly, playoffs are like Grand Slams in tennis; they are what really matters and will cement your reputation. This is new territory for Lin, so if Lin plays badly in 4 playoff games, of course, that would make anyone's reputation go down. In some sense I wish Lin sucks in the 4 playoff games, so he would simmer and get pissed inside and practice like crazy during off-season and return as a much better player.
Having said this, Lin played pretty well during regular season, so if his playoff performance reflects the level of his performance during the regular season, that would be great. And I actually place a greater expectation on Lin to play confidently (this may be unfair), because he himself said to the world that "I try to play only for God." If that is his attitude, he should be playing very freely, but no, the first game, I could see his hesitation miles away. Of course, other Rockets players sucked also, but as you say, this is a Lin site. And as I said, I blame Mac and Harden more for any mental lapses by Rockets.
@Bob C Chan, I like your point, easy to understand. So...which is better? Lin suck all four games? or he find a way to beat OKC one or two times?
DeleteEnjoyed your Phil Jackson anecdote. Often I see teams sort of panic as a game snowballs out of their control. I want to huddle them up and say, maybe we ARE out of this game, but that's not important; what we can control is whether we win this possession and the next possession--let's just win this next five minutes. I think sometimes teams see how far down they are or how good the other team is and get overwhelmed. It's never too late to start playing well now.
DeletePeople who flame others on this site using Lin as an excuse are TROLLS.
DeleteYour dislike and disrespect of people here ain't got nothing to do with Lin, eb5attorney.
Phil Jackson could rely on set plays in practice because he always had max contract superstar teams with the best players in the NBA.
DeleteIn the case of the Rockets, their minimum wage team needs to EXCEED its typical standard of play to even stand a chance against this vastly superior OKC team. Everyone, including Lin and Harden, is being forced to raise his game or be utterly crushed.
Fortunately, Lin is not the "average" player that eb5attorney taunts us for overrating. Lin is a special talent who can coax his teammates into playing beyond their self expected capabilities. We saw him do that in Golden State, in New York, and with the Rockets. Lin MAKES GUYS BETTER, and that is a truly rare NBA talent that sets him apart from the majority of players including many All Stars.
Regardless of what people think of Lin's game, opponents play against Lin with the ferocity and intelligence reserved for All NBA 1st teamers like Lebron and Duncan. That's because you can't just beat Lin, you have to beat all of the guys that also feed off Lin. The ongoing double teams (in the case of Beverley's wide open shot, quadruple teams) attest to Lin's true impact even if Lin is not the first offensive option as designated by his coach.
OK Bob, I can agree on team panic vs. Lin or other playmaker panic. I just have never seen a seasoned player more than 10 years in a game to panic ever. It's nothing new - they've all lost in big games before. KHuang has said Harden is less confident than it seems, so I'd vote for Harden 'panic' before Lin panic.
DeleteWhat I note in team and coached sports is that you do have to do what you call anchoring and what I say are contingencies under pressure. That is, you have to have some sort of programmed safety net to get mental base set under pressure. Lin does that on court for the team with the explosive play, then settling into a run. That's why we are all calling for him to have the ball for a few possessions. That didn't work starting in the second half for OKC 1 game, but I'd say OKC is pretty tough and they needed more, like better coaching or better on-court teamwork for Lin's PG stint.
What I learned in org training is you have to watch for teammates' stress behavior, and each person as well as the team leader must know each person's reaction under stress. Some people amp up (maybe Bev?), some people go inside themselves (maybe Harden?), etc.
The key is for coaching to be aware of the stress styles, illuminate these natural personality responses for each, and design a safety net for the team so they can all fuse at the base level.
You see Lin trying to do this for himself on defense. Notice his defensive set is different than Bev. His center of gravity is about the same as Bev, but he's not as jumpy or wavy. It feels like to me that he's got his brain contingencies set on different options. The difference between what I see for him and Bev is that Lin gets the nasty physical pick much more than Bev, so he can't complete his defensive plan. So, there's no result from it. But, I do see his resolve to calm himself down to focus on the step-by-step. On offense, I've noticed lately this season that he slaps the ball a little before crossing the line, and that must be a mental space he's creating to set himself up for some misdirect against the defense.
These things keep me going when the team is out of control. I can't guess who's at fault when they drop 15 points like that, but I do know it should be worked out in time outs, else the team and coaching are all not playing the game like it can be played.
Joeteam, SELFISHNESS is the reason the Rockets suddenly just have these bad stretches where the game gets away from them.
DeleteIt's usually like this: Harden or Parsons or Bev will get badly burned on defense. Those guys then race downcourt to repair the damage by trying to score, and that usually results in a brick or turnover. The cycle worsens with each ensuing mistake.
I remember that one preLinsanity NYK vs Sac game where Lin was hit by triple teams without help and was stripped a few times by Isaiah Thomas. Unlike most players who try to erase their mistakes by scoring, Lin went into "superteam mode" by making steals and drawing an offensive foul for driving to pass off. Everybody on this site were proclaiming how terrible Lin was and how Isaiah Thomas was so vastly superior to Lin, but I was giggling because I was loving Lin's rabid defensive response. I knew right there that the guy was going to be a GREAT defender in the NBA.
To see a team that utterly does not selfishly panic when they get down in score, watch the San Antonio Spurs play. They play with the same unselfish composure whether they're up by 20 or down by 30.
@KHuang ... I shall watch for that with SAS, thanks for the tip.
DeleteOn the cycle of pride-ego recovery vs quality calm team response ... I see you've illuminated for me something I've been feeling intuitively. Yes, that mode is a key to some of their negative runs. Yes, it starts off for them not to get beat defensively, and then to stay cool to say it's another golf hole, or another day. That's why, and the only reason I like golf - you have to reset your mind at every tee off, every shot.
Enjoy the conversation, once it gets beyond Lin bashing or fan bashing. I take these lessons to my work day.
There is only one way the Rockets to win this series. It's let Jeremy Lin be "The" only PG in the games. Too bad, this won't happen until game #4 when we were down 0-3 and McFail ran out of option. Let's be patients wait for that The day to come.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, alan xie, Lin's probably BEING the PG as we speak.
DeleteEven if Lin doesn't get many touches, he's still directing guys on both ends of the floor. Lin is a true floor general on offense and defense.
Thomas Robinson immediately noted after his first practice that Jeremy Lin ran the show. That's what's happening right now.
Really? Tonight? I hope so. I will stop by local sport bar to watch the game then. I was planning to skip tonight game.
DeleteKhuang, source?
DeleteWow. Jeremy looks hella tired today in the pregame interview. Probably couldn't sleep last night because he is nervous as hell.
ReplyDeleteI have a really bad feeling about this game.
I seriously doubt that Lin was "nervous".
DeleteProbably Lin was tired from scouting video and dreaming up ways to move his guys around on the court. In other words, Lin's probably tired from COACHING!
Lin's simply TOO GOOD to get tired from being nervous. He'd never have made the NBA if he were that mentally weak.
I don't know.. I hope he stays off the net/ newspaper/ media. Just so much pressure for a young kid who's already gone thru so much in his life.
DeleteFor his sake, I hope he tunes everything out. I feel lke the Rox are putting too much pressure on themselves. Nothing to lose, playing with house money!!! ( well in Lin's case not true. I still think he can't afford struggling all four games)
I still believe he will not struggle all games, but who knows.
DeleteCom'on people, Lin WILL NOT struggle all the remaining games even if the Rockets loses them all.
DeleteIf Lin struggled today, I still think he will rebound at home. However, I have a sinking feeling that McHale will panic and start Beverley if the outcome is like the last game.
DeleteDespite everything McHale has done to set Lin's career back this year, I will still be shocked if Lin loses his starting spot in the playoffs.
Other that injury, I really don see this happens. If McHale do that, I am not going to buy League Pass next year!
DeleteSeriously, someone that packed the house at MSG and faced off Kobe Bryant is not gunna get intimidated at the Loud City.
DeletePeople need to give it a rest. He looks hesitant, that's due to lack of a plan, this free motion in the ocean offense is garbage against top tier teams, THAT was exposed, not Lin.
He actually looked unfazed by his mistakes. He didn't "crumble" like vs Miami in their first outing against Lin (and that is in dispute, honestly he just had no help against the best team in the NBA), the whole team was running around like chicken with its head cut off.
WB was having a field day blowing past people because they were either out of position or actually didn't know their defensive assignments.
Its coaching, not Lin, that should be blasted.
Agree on Kenoshi and Khang.
DeleteBrent I know it doesn't make sense right? It couldn't possibly happen right.
DeleteWell, there are so many thing that I happeed to lin this year that i thought could NEVER happen to him that I don't know what to expect anymore.
I just hope Lin doesn't play badly tonight. And I freaking hate McHale and the Rox organization for instilling negative expectations when it comes to Lin (plus it doesn't help that I'm a life-ling mets/jets fan).
Nervous? Jeremy Lin won't be nervous other wise he won't gave that many great games before. I am pretty nervous right now until we can blow them out 40 points by half time. Then I will relax after that point.
DeleteI think I am more nervous than Lin does, haha. Still in dilemma here, should I abandon my coaching duty tonight to watch the game or not.
DeleteI am with KHuang. People may not understand how much energy you have to put for analyze data. It is not trivial and it is very time consuming.
DeleteRoc going small . Parson at PF. Bev/Lin/harden/Asik.
ReplyDeleteBev first career start. Will be on RW
DeleteNot sure if this is a nod to bev's good play and/or a ploy to keep Ibaka out of paint but kinda risky.
DeleteI am more worried that PB will get burned badly. But let's see.
DeleteWe are going to shoot 3pt all night long. If we are lucky, we can beat them. We will break the most 3pt attempt record tonight. Hopefully, we can break the 3pt made record also. haha. We will win the game.
Deletefor those who worries about PBev may start over Lin, it would be a welcome act because it will be in Lin's benefit. By starting PBev if:
ReplyDelete1. they win only even one game, mchale will be praised as a genius and COY and that Lin is a scrub and DM will be pushed to trade Lin, that's what we want, yes?
2. they loss all of the remaining games, mchale will be fired in no time and hopefully DM will hire a coach that respest Lin's game, that's what we want, yes?
3. Lin's market value will not be affected because no body will remember what Lin's stat is this year but the 3rd contract year. By then, we know Lin will improve to at least a top 15 if not top 10 point guard and teams will line up to sign him, yes?
4. Lin will get his playoff experience by starting or not. You really think PBev can play long minutes against RW? Lin will get his minutes one way or the other, yes?
So no worries guys, just sit back and enjoy the game. Go JLin (I don't really care about the Rockets, ha)!
#2 is not gonna happen. McHale is staying NO MATTER WHAT.
DeleteThis is clearly a vote of confidence to Beverly, another player to take away ball handling duties from Lin.
I wonder if this a transistion step for Beverley to take over the starting pg spot, especially if he plays well tonight irrespective of how Lin plays.
I see harden getting into foul trouble early trying to guard ibaka or ibaka will just score at will.
The Rockets are Idiots Galore....they are trying to mimick what GSW did but now how I wish they would do it...you need size in basketball, not a bunch of short guys running around who want to dribble all day and dominate the ball...
ReplyDeleteKlay Thompson and Barnes are 6foot7 and 6foot8 I believe. So they want PG Lin in the SF/PF Barnes role now? With PBev playing PG?
Not that I don't like Bev...but to put Bev in with Lin Harden and Parsons? STUPID STUPID MOVE. It's more like ballhogs galore between Lin Parson and Harden now...I hope Ibaka's comments about ballhogs got to Harden and the entire team so we see good ball movement.
OKC is an athletic physical team and the Rox are not the pure shooters that GSW are. We'll have to see some intense scrappiness out to the Rox and I just don't see that from Harden.
I hope what the Rox are thinking is that they will play Harden at SF or even PF to mask his horrible defense and allow Lin/PB to cover Westbrook/Sefoloshia and generally do defensive containment on the defensive perimeter together while Harden gets to go against KD or Ibaka inside.
Pbev and Lin together put a tremendous amount more defensive pressure on the perimeter than any other 2 guys do on the defensive end. It's the ONLY thing I like about this potentially.
On offense, we'll see what happens...I see Lin off the ball a lot hiding, but he and Bev can perhaps do their damage on defense and if they can get some steals, it will open things up....
I will only like this move if they do this to hide Harden as a SF/PF and tell him to play physical inside on defense because he is slow afoot on the perimeter...
Lin will have a great game tonight watch and see :D
ReplyDeleteBtw I understand what Mchale is trying to do in the Offensive end but defensively Idk how this change is going to work out. Those rebounds and Paint points are going to be killer. But this lineup opens off the floor more. This is when Patterson or Morris would be great for use cause they can shoot the 3 and open the space in the paint for Harden and Lin to drive.
DeleteIf Lin plays, it is more than likely that the chest injury will affect his jumper; his layups perhaps not so much. It would be remarkable if he performed at his best, given the circumstances.
Delete