disagree. he was abusing rubio/lidnour/barrea all game long getting into the paint at will, even though they took away the right drive. couldn't finish jack in the 2nd half though. rubio also caused a few turnovers when he caught up from behind and stole it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fREGE1Q7Fcs#t=8m50s
edit: his points will obviously decrease as baron is due back soon, along with stat and melo.
Was at the game last night and it was incredibly apparent Lin has to go right to be effective. Rubio played stellar defense on Lin all night. Most of Lin's points came when someone else was guarding him or Rubio had to switch off.
Lin's a good player but his 15 minutes will be over soon as teams find if you take away his right he comes back down to Earth.
Still pissed that the Wolves played so horribly and lost to Lin, Chandler, and a bunch of bench players.
you've been in denial since they had no business choking away the finals.
I don't buy this. He's not as efficient going left but he wasn't that bad going left. Ive watched a lot of his games and have seen some good drives to the left and some nice lefty finishes. Heck Jason Terry has basically made a career out of going right and hitting a jumper. You might of heard of him. Dirk didnt have a left game early on then once he developed it he actually started to go left more than he did right which was kinda weird. Also keep in mind that this is his 4th game as a starter and developing a more efficient left hand game is not that hard. He's shown he's not afraid of the spotlight and hitting big shots which that can't be taught.
He abused Ridnour and Barrea all game but not Rubio. I was there and Rubio had him locked down the second half and for a few stretches in the first half.
Lin proved that when you take away his right you force him into one of two options: go left (not his preference) and there's a decent chance he'll miss or he'll go left and try to find another way to go right such as a spin move or stop, pump fake, and fade right.
That's a major flaw in his game and the Timberwolves showed just the tip of the iceberg. Other NBA teams will exploit it as the season progresses.
Change 3 baskets over the course of the series and it is a 4-0 sweep for the Heat. Since they lost 4-2, that means it was a very close series and any small thing could (and did) change the outcome of the games. It is hard to say they choked away the finals given how close things were. I mean, you can say it but you would be wrong.
He didn't show much going to his left last night and the few times he drove left and attempted to finish it resulted in a miss. Hell, there was one play he drove left past Ellington, I believe, and despite no one being on the left side of the hoop to contest, he still had to jump to his right and use his right hand to finish. Luckily, Ellington is a subpar defender and there was little risk of him blocking the shot, but it highlighted how heavily dependent Lin is on his right hand.
flaw in his game? he was doing just fine going left in the first half after burning rubio a few times. he had no problem driving left past him in the 2nd half either, but most of his shots 10 feet and under were short. rubio did a great job denying him the ball though at times.
disagree. he was abusing rubio/lidnour/barrea all game long getting into the paint at will, even though they took away the right drive. couldn't finish jack in the 2nd half though. rubio also caused a few turnovers when he caught up from behind and stole it.
You must have been watching a different game then. I was sitting 15 feet from the court watching intently the entire time.
Lin is a good player but he needs to become more proficient going left or it's going to haunt him the rest of his career.
I didn't see that play but I saw a few finishes not last night where he looked completely comfortable finishing with the left. I think last night was more of him coming back to earth a little (still a pretty decent game), teams game planning heavily for him, and fatigue. D'antoni even said he's gonna ride him like a horse and they have.
Not really sure where you're going with this? You really believe this is just a flash in the pan type deal?
Anytime a player goes 8-24 you can't say they abused anyone. That's like saying Kobe abused the Celtics in game 7 of his MVP Finals joke of an award performance on his 6-24 shooting while Gasol threw up a 20-20.
i was watching on league pass. i'd say he needs to finish better using his left. he has no real issues driving left, as he burned rubio left many times.
I don't believe his 26.8ppg since playing heavy minutes is going to hold up. Fatigue will play a factor, yes, but his inability to consistently finish going to his left will also plague him. His current streak of brilliance would have more longevity if he improved in that area.
it wasn't just 3 baskets. it was repeated meltdowns in the 4th, along with deer in headlights play from james. stick to your boxscores, analysis and observations aren't your areas of strength.
Well good for you. He most certainly does have issues driving left and for anyone without blinders on it's evident.
Why the hell do you think Rubio was forcing Lin left and into help all night? For shits and giggles?
They won game 1, lost game 2 by two points, won game 3 and lost game 4 by three points. You change three baskets over the course of those first four games and the Heat sweep the series.
Did those three baskets happen? Of course not. But being that close to sweeping the Finals does not make for a choke job, unless of course you have no idea what a choke job is.
of course you can. nobody stopped lin from getting deep into the paint. at least not yet.
exactly. you're looking at stats only, and not what led up to those chokejobs.
boxscore hero callout again.
If he is shooting 8-24 then getting deep into the paint didn't amount to anything. Mugsy Bogues could get deep into the paint anytime he wanted, but the inability to finish there makes it moot. 8-24 isn't finishing.
He has a good game, but you greatly overstate his case.
Change 3 baskets over the course of the series and it is a 4-0 sweep for the Heat. Since they lost 4-2, that means it was a very close series and any small thing could (and did) change the outcome of the games. It is hard to say they choked away the finals given how close things were. I mean, you can say it but you would be wrong.