It’s been a rough first playoff series for Jeremy Lin.
Not only are the Rockets down 3-0 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but Houston’s starting point guard has been ineffective so far against the Thunders.
The Ultimate Rockets reports that Lin decided to give it a go yesterday despite a chest contusion that is still obviously painful.
He started the game, but only played 18 minutes.
At one point, he winced in pain and clutched his chest after a collision in the first half.
Lin didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter in a 104-101 loss.
He scored only two points on 1 for 6 shooting.
In three playoff games, he averaged less than 5 points per game.
That’s way down from the 17 points per game he averaged in April.
In fact, after a strong April, many predicted it would be Lin, not Harden that would determine the Rockets playoff success.
In a way those predictions have come true. Lin has played well below expectations, some might say even horribly.
The Rockets are down 3-0, one game from elimination against the top seed in the Western division.
It would truly be Linsanity if somehow Lin could turn it around and lead the Rockets to four straight victories over the Thunder. But in the playoffs, where reputations are made, Lin has disappeared and so appears will the Houston Rockets.
this is a highly biased article. You mentioned the first three playoff games and his scores, but forgot to include the fact that everyone played poorly the first game, that Lin was injured during 2nd game and could not play, thus affecting his score. During game 3, he tried to play, but his injury was aggravated by KD. You should be fair as a journalist, and not cherry pick your numbers: "way down from 17 pts".
Thanks, Anonymous, for your comment re: Jeremy Lin's disappearing act during the playoffs. I think if you search for stories about Jeremy Lin on this site, the vast majority of them have been overall positive about his play. I love the guy, but unfortunately he has not had a good playoff series. You're right, however, he deserves credit for playing through his injury in Game 3.