Jeremy Lin Ice Cold In First Ever NBA Playoff Appearance - Game Stats vs Season Stats: Can He Bounce In Game 2? Rockets vs. Thunder Game 2 Preview

Where do we begin to describe Jeremy Lin's Game 1 performance? Well, it was disappointing to say the least.

Lin was ice cold in his first ever playoff appearance as the Houston Rockets faced West first seed, Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. Scoring only four points, the point guard shot 1 of 7 from the field in 32 minutes of play. He missed all of his four three point attempts, putting him at 14.2% in field goals that night. That's almost 30% lower than his 44.1% average in the regular season. To add his already dismal performance, the Harvard standout turned the ball over four times--the most a Rockets player had that night.

Linsanity's stats in that game were far from his regular season average that has helped Houston land a spot in the Playoffs after missing it last season. In 82 games this year, Lin averaged 13.4 points per game, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 6.1 assists per game--the highest in the team this season.

Playing against OKC in the season, Lin averaged 14.0 points, 7.3 assists, 2.3 steals in 35.7 minutes of play. In those three games, he also averaged 48.6% in the field and 33.3% beyond the arc. These are great numbers, considering that Oklahoma has been a top contender coming into this season.

So why exactly did Lin choke come game night? Could it be the nerves? I highly doubt. But one thing's for sure: he can't have another dismal performance come Game 2.

First of all, if Lin plays well enough on Wednesday, the Rockets' points off turnovers would be lessened. He could then help out in the scoring department, either by dishing out assists or by making his baskets. If Lin would have scored right around his average, say 14 points, the final score would have been 10 less the 29 point blowout OKC had over them.

It would also help if teammates' James Harden and Chandler Parsons sink their threes in the upcoming game. Harden, who led the team in scoring with 20, shot 1 out of 6 beyond the arc, while Parsons had 1 of 5. Had they made half of their three point attempts--totalling to 5 three pointers instead of 2--that would translate to 15 points and not 6. Again, that would be 9 less points to the remaining 19 (deducting Lin's 14 point output, if ever) that OKC had over Houston.

Given all these situations, the remaining 10 point lead would be easier to break for Houston. Add a few more points and rebounds to Omer Asik and a bit more assists from James Harden and the game could be tighter than 120-91. The Rockets may even grab the W.

Game 2 of the quarterfinals between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma. The game will be televised live on CSN Houston and on NBA TV. You can also watch the live streaming of the game on NBA League Pass (https://watch.nba.com/nba/live).