I still can't get over how bad Harden's defense was tonight. He was so off of Foye that it was he just daring Foye to shoot.
It's an interesting question. I think part of it is that this year he tends not to drive unless the lane is open, so there is less contact from a second, help defender. Tonight, there wasn't much traffic when Lin decided to penetrate, reducing the chance of contact. Part of it may also be that Lin doesn't seem to be taking his body into the defender to draw contact as much this year. There were many instances that he did that last year and did NOT get the call, which messed up some possessions, and for his long term health, maybe this diminished aggressiveness is good, though it's a huge drop off in his production to not get to the line. I still think the primary reason is that he is looking to set others up and only takes it in when the paint looks open. One interesting aspect of the OKC game was that Harden's old teammates knew his game so well that, aside from not biting on his eurostep, they backed off of him and gave him space when he penetrated, resulting in very few trips to the line, which really hurt his production. (Some of it was officiating, but most of it was how they handled Harden.) I think a more developed scouting report for both Harden and Lin may suggest backing off of them somewhat so they don't get to the line repeatedly. So far, no one has handled Harden that way except OKC, which had the luxury of having Ibaka so giving space wasn't a big concession.
I think it's a little of both. Even if he doesn't do it intentionally his body probably instinctively shies away from contact. Sometimes you can be physically healthy but your brain still unconsciously remembers the pain. There have been a lot of no calls though.
Thanks for the response. Honestly, I can't complain to much about a lack of contact. Last year he was taking so much contact but your body can't withstand that bashing for an entire season. If he is taking less contact & getting to the FT line less but he stays healthy I can't really complain. As long as he keeps doing what he has been doing so far over these last few games I am chill. Also thanks to sidestep & yuanac010 for there responses as well.
Please explain why Lin got only 33 minutes tonight in spite of playing very well. It's clear that TD got most of his playing time at Lin's expense (which is untrue of Miller and LeBron). It's obvious that Lin is still on a short leash.
Wow, Lin scored 19 points that game didn't even notice it. The point distribution is very exciting, shows anyone of the starters can be relied on the offense. Defensively we just seem weak as all hell. Very exciting team, I can't wait to go see them live!
I don't mind keeping Lin fresh. Less means more sometimes. He needs to go balls out when he's on the court.
33 minutes is fine. You don't want to kill the guy. Tony Douglas won't be on this team for long. I believe his contract is an expiring one also. On a side note, here is some video of the Rockets warming up & Lin is shooting from the top of the key. He is hitting all his shots from what I can see. Hopefully it continues to translate into games. http://www.tout.com/m/ddjnm6?ref=tweh3z2q
dude, he's coming from an injury and still finding his game, its a long season he doesnt need to play 40 minutes per game, no need to ride him like the Secretariat when the Rockets have other options in the scoring department
Let's also remember that our back up PG is Toney Douglas. Lin in foul trouble or taking too much physical abuse would leave the Rockets with TD and Machado... BIG downgrades in terms of the team's overall offense and defense. I honestly believe that last year D'Antoni told him to ease off on his man to man defense at several points during his initial run of games as he was getting in too much early foul trouble forcing the Knicks to sit him and put in either Toney Douglas or Iman Shumpert as the PG's. The drop offs in offensive production were dramatic. I wouldn't be surprised if Sampson told him to not get too crazy with charging into traffic for the moment. Not only to preserve his body, but to reduce the chance of ending up in early foul trouble due to potential charging calls.
I read an article about D'Antoni and how he didn't realize Lin had scored 38 on the Lakers until after the game when he looked at the box score. He thought it was, like, 15 or 20. What's up with that? It's pretty funny.
He started the season not getting many calls. In recent games, he hasn't tried to force the contact. So ... I don't know. But when your shots don't fall, defenses will try to pressure you without fouling, especially when you started the season >90% from the foul line and is still shooting 80%. Once Lin gets more consistent with his shot, it's going to open up the driving lanes even more. A split second in the NBA is much bigger than you think. And then the free throws will probably come. To be honest, with this Rockets team, I'm happy with Lin taking 10-14 shots a game. Just take what the defense gives, until the fourth quarter. The Rockets team are plenty good enough to put up 110 points per game on most nights.
33 minutes is an insult for a starter who is playing superbly. I'm not saying that Lin should be ridden like Secretariat, but the occasional 40-minute game shouldn't hurt him. Lin can't earn more minutes even by playing well -- that's how short a leash he's on.
It's probably due to emotional bias. Essentially, our memory is very much linked to how dramatic that memory is. We remember flashy scoring like dunks, breaking double teams, circus shots and spectacular contested shots. Lin's shots tend to be more quiet and efficient offensively and defensively. He doesn't go out specifically looking to rack up points, and his scoring tends to be of the mundane variety. IE, Drive and layup, or catch and shoots. If you aren't actually tracking the box score, it will appear like he isn't scoring a lot, or even making a lot of assists... even when he is. And when you think back, it's hard to remember most of his points or even his assists save a few of the flashier ones. It's just the way our memory works.
