Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin recorded 12 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in 22 minutes but didn’t get the game-winning shot attempt he wanted in Friday’s 104-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center.
Lin, who is struggling to find consistency since he was pulled from the starting lineup, provided some spark off the bench, going 5-for-7 from the field with three turnovers and three fouls.
The former Harvard standout has been having another roller-coaster ride of a season, averaging at least 10 points and 5 assists in 25 minutes per game this season.
While criticisms on his offensive inconsistency and struggles to defend athletic guards has been piling up each passing day, Lin seems not afraid to tell everyone that he also likes what Kobe Bryant has been unsuccessfully doing as of late – taking the last shot to win it all.
"I like game winners too. I would love to shoot some," Lin told Baxter Holmes of ESPN Los Angeles after the Lakers’ nail-biting 104-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. "But I get it. That guy is kind of the king of game winners. He's going to hit that shot. He'll figure it out. That's why he is who he is."
It was indeed a bold comment for Lin, a guy who has been labeled as soft and passive throughout his career. Then again, he also understands that taking game-winners is not among his job assignments. Byron Scott and all the Lakers head coaches before him (Phil Jackson, Mike Brown, Mike D’Antoni) all look to Bryant for the final shot of the day, by hook or by crook.
In short, that’s the harsh reality Lin has to accept. For as long as Bryant’s overwhelming presence is there, his wishful thinking of saving the day for the purple-and-gold gold will never happen. Perhaps, Lin’s days of taking game-winner have ended right after this dagger against the Toronto Raptors.
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