The Houston Rockets have 15 games remaining in the season and Jeremy Lin is turning it up late in the season as he attempts to push his team into the playoffs. Though the Rockets are stumbling, Lin is putting up decent numbers allowing his team to remain in the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
For the first time all season long, Lin has dropped over 20 points in back-to-back games. This is an accomplishment, especially with James Harden leading the scoring in the Rockets this season. The Rockets went 1-1 in those two games where Lin scored at least 20 points.
He scored 24 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game that ended 108-100 in the Rockets'. However, in their most recent game, they were blown out 108-78 by the Golden State Warriors as they played them for the second time in less than 10 days.
The Rockets' lead in the Western Conference might not seem safe, but with the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz's inconsistencies, the Rockets appear to be safely in the playoffs. The Lakers are without Kobe Bryant and the Jazz have simply been struggling.
With Lin as the ball handler and having played big games with the New York Knicks when given a chance to start, he looks more than capable to lead the Rockets to the playoffs. Harden is the shooting guard, but while his job is to score, it's Lin's job to organize the offense. The stats show that when Lin has the ball and sets up his teammates, the Rockets' chances of winning are augmented.
It's interesting to see how Lin can play down the stretch. This is the first time in his career where he's played an entire season. Unlike his days with the Knick, although fatigue may kick in, Lin is doing a great job holding on to the ball. When playing in New York, Lin suffered from turning the ball over, but he's decreased that number throughout the season. In 2011-2012, he averaged 3.6 per game and now it's down to 2.9 per game.
Let's see if Lin can take another team to the playoffs. Though he didn't close out the season with the Knicks last year, he was responsible for raising their level of play and invigorating a team that was in the depths of the Eastern Conference. The Rockets are in at the bottom of the west, but again, they currently look better than the Lakers and Jazz and Lin seems to be playing his best basketball right when they need it most.
