The clock is winding down. The game is on the line. And because of those two variables, every single play magnifies.
Kobe Bryant lives for those moments, cementing his 19-year NBA career that feature far too many clutch performances and game winners to count. But so does Jeremy Lin, who has admitted he cares more about finishing games than starting them.
“You just love it,” Lin said. “As a kid you always think about hitting that shot at the buzzer or making that one game-winning play. When the game is on the line, you have a chance to do that.”
The Lakers’ 114-108 preseason loss on Tuesday to the Phoenix Suns may have featured Lin’s first game back since nursing a left sprained ankle that kept him out for the previous three exhibition games. But Lin could not have provided a better audition tape on stating his case for finishing games after finishing with 15 points on 3 of 5 shooting and five assists in 23 minutes off the bench.
Most of Lin’s production happened in the fourth quarter, where he posted 11 points and two assists by driving aggressively through traffic and organizing the offense. He scored seven consecutive points for the Lakers at one point that included a 27-foot three-pointer, a finger roll and a pair of free throws. And he played all but 11 seconds in the final period before fouling out.
Lin provided the 8,037 fans at Honda Center plenty to cheer about beyond Bryant’s late-game scoring. Meanwhile, Steve Nash’s back remains tenuous, while nine-year veteran Ronnie Price started for the fourth consecutive game. So will Lin close out games in the future?
“This was more of a chance seeing him play 20 something minutes and for Ronnie to get some rest,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said. “We’ll see how both those guys feel tomorrow.”
Lin believes he will play when the Lakers host the Portland Trail Blazers tonight in Ontario. Though the Lakers and Lin will not officially know until tip time in case of any unexpected setbacks with his ankle, Lin sure looked comfortable in his first game in the past week. Lin dressed the part even more toward the end.
Lin brought life to an offense that often became stagnant whenever Bryant wasn’t scoring. Lin set up Lakers backup center Ed Davis for a lob and an open dunk off pick-and-rolls, a staple that the two immediately established before Lin’s ankle injury. Lin ran the offense to ensure enough floor spacing that eventually helped Bryant work in isolation on the wing before making three consecutive turnaround fadeaways. Lin
“I’m a Jeremy Lin fan. I’ve been waiting for him to get back,” Price said. “He puts a lot of pressure on the defense. A lot of guys are happy that he’s back because he’s getting them open looks.”
Even for someone who commands the ball, Bryant allowed and encouraged Lin to run the offense.
“Jeremy makes a huge difference,” Bryant said. “Creating shots for others, we’ve got somebody else who can penetrate, make plays for others and put pressure on the defense. It’s a really big difference.”
Yet, Lin downplayed about whether he fulfilled that job description to state his case as the Lakers’ closer at point guard.
“It goes back to my overall mindset this whole season. I’m not trying to prove anything to any human out there,” Lin said. “I’m enjoying the game and playing for God. I’m very free mentally. I’m not even thinking about that right now.”
Instead, Lin said he is thinking about something else.
“Just trying to stay aggressive the whole game and make plays,” Lin said. “That’s how I like to play so as long as I continue to do that, I feel like over time, things will open up and the floor will open up especially as a point guard. You can’t just score all the time. It depends on what the defense is giving you.”
Whether Lin will provide that role late in games hinges on a few variables. Can Nash restore his health and maintain it? How does Lin’s ankle hold up? Will Lin’s presence remain better suited with an energetic second unit or the veteran starting lineup currently manned by nine-year pro Ronnie Price?
Meanwhile, Lin conceded the challenge in guarding Phoenix guard Isaiah Thomas, who posted 26 points on 6-of-12 shooting in 31 minutes. Lin also lamented fouling out after spending the majority of his offseason working on defensive drills.
“It’s going to be a style that refs haven’t seen me play before in terms of being more of an aggressive and attacking defender,” Lin said. “I’d rather foul out now and then slowly build a reputation as a good defender who plays a certain way.”
By that point, Lin had already ignited a crowd encouraged by his late-game heroics. He will soon find out if he will have more opportunities to close out games in similar fashion.
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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com