true, but the pressure and intensity will be very high as well. there has been a lot of hall-of-famers that have struggled or been swepted out of their first playoff experience. it's just another level.
To be honest, I think the whole Linsanity period where Lin was under a microscope from the whole country gave him more pressure than any playoff series will ever give him. He was on radio, tv, and newspaper headlines everyday, and players were outright gunning for him to expose him. And every superstar player in the league was asked what they thought about him. I mean even the POTUS made a comment about Lin. Playoffs? Unless it's the NBA Finals, it's like a whole level lower. :grin:
I agree, I really had my doubts about his toughness but I have been pleasantly suprised at his aggressiveness as of late.
There are several starting PGs who average less minutes per game than Lin. If you plot MPG vs production in terms of PER, Lin's minutes are pretty much in the normal range.
Interesting how someone with a wages of wins link in their sig would fall back on box scores when it serves. PER, WS, WP, all say Lin is average. You want to throw out his November numbers? Well, how about we throw out January(42%, 12.4pts, 5.5ast) as well? I'm sure there was a reason he didn't play as well then, also. I think Lin will ultimately be above average, but reality is still reality.
Please don't hate me for dragging the Knicks into this again... But if Lin becomes a good PG, how bad will the Knicks' decision be judged in the eyes of NBA history?
My post was specifically in response to your statement of his numbers. Now, if you want to discuss other topics like PER (which is a score skewed stat), WS/WP (Lin is one of the team leaders), or statistics like PPP (Lin is a net positive), that type of discussion is always welcome. So... if you weren't referring to basic scoring numbers like per game, or per 36 (18 ppg), then exactly what numbers WERE you referring to when you stated that you expected better? :grin:
Are there names to identify who are the blue dots of the pgs getting more less or the same amount of mins as Lin. And what are their averages in terms of points and assist per game. And of the pgs getting slightly more playing time how many of them are all-star or borderline all-star pgs and what is there playoff position and what is their teams offense ranking in the league? Another piece of info that would be great would be the standard deviation of the time that they are subbed out of the first qtr and sit on the bench to the time that they are subed back in the 2nd and like wise the time in the 3rd to 4th qtrs. That would help in the comparison of the guy who said Lin is slightly underperfoming to his so called expectations. He wanted one more point and assist from Lin. I'm fine either way. But if people want border line linsanity or borderline all star performances its unrealistic for Lin to acheive this if he is not being played as much or have the same usage rate as the other all-star level pgs in the league. True or not true?
On an additional note, the reasons why I would toss out his November numbers is... 1) New team, with new roster, 13 new players 2) Change in role with acquisition of James Harden 3) No training camp with Harden 4) Loss of head coach for multiple weeks due to death of daughter 5) First month of active play after a knee surgery Now, if you can think of contextual circumstances similar in impact for January, I'm open to the idea of discounting his January production...
Those expectations were fair before we traded for Harden, or maybe before people realized how much the offense would go through Harden. Minus the first month, I think Lin has met realistic expectations considering the sort of offense we're running and his role within it.
Your ignoring the fact that he was coming off a knee injury, adjusting to a new team and role. Its a lot harder to be effective when you play off the ball as much as Lin too. He has made a lot of adjustments to his game.
The fudge? This is another headscratcher LOF post. It is absolutely possible for a PG to play at a borderline all star level PG in this offense. Will their stats decline a little? Yes of course. Check Lebron's and Dwades. Are they still all stars? Absolutely. Lets not forget this team has only one true superstar. Miami has 2 or 3 (if you include Bosh) so the 2nd most shots on the team is available to whoever is hitting shots and that can be Lin if he is consistent. If the team is winning (top 3 in West) there is always going to be a little relaxation for stats. Jameer Nelson made the all star team averaging 17 and 5. No star PG will average 12 and 6 in this offense. but of course JEREMY LIN WOULD BE A SUPERSTA, BUT MCHALE IS HOLDING HIM BACK. am i doing it right?
Like all the rest of their flails post Starks and Ewing. The biggest indication that JL is a future star is that Knicks let him go when they could've kept him--obviously!
I agree Lin is doing fine. I'm just glad he is trending upward and currently as of today seen as a bust or not worth his contract like earlier in the season. Not bad for someone around 100 starts and coming from the eastern conference to the west. Down the stretch should be fun and entertaining if these last couple of games are an indicator of anything. Lets just get to the playoffs!!!
It's obviously possible, I mean Lin has had many huge games next to Harden, in fact I think they lead the league in most combined 50+ point games for a backcourt duo. The variable has been Lin's role, whether it be self-inflicted or a coaching decision, though I tend to think it's a combination of both. Games where Lin runs point more and is given more playmaking duties are the games where he shines. Then there are those games and stretches like the losing streak where Lin stands around in the corner after dumping the ball off and everyone including Delfino and Parsons starts playing PG. If his role in the offense was more consistent like say Harden I think his production would have been a bit more consistent as well. I have noticed that recently his role HAS been a bit more steady and Lin's taking advantage for the most part. I have also noticed McHale complimenting Lin a lot as of late including last night's game whereas previously he'd rarely give him props, which hopefully means he finally trusts him a bit now.
