Jeremy Lin: 2013 NBA Playoffs Will Show What Houston Rockets' Star Is Really Made Of

Sunday night was Jeremy Lin's first ever NBA playoff game in his four-year career, a monumental moment in any basketball career. The stakes were never higher, the pressure was never greater and the spotlight had rarely ever been brighter, except after the first two weeks of "Linsanity" that swept the world last year.

Unfortunately for the Rockets and Lin, it had turned out to be a miserable night for the Rockets' dynamic point guard, who hit a mere 1-for-7 shots from the field and was largely a non-factor in a night where Oklahoma City, as they had done twice this season, shut down the Rockets' high-octane, run-and-gun offense in a commanding 121-90 win at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.

Not exactly the stuff that playoff dreams are made of.

It was a setback to what was beginning to be a torrid month for Lin, who scored 17.3 points for the month of April, averaging 44.0 percent shooting and 6.9 assists, season highs for the fan favorite point guard for the Rockets. Entering the playoffs, Lin was looking like the star that the Rockets were hoping they would get when they pried him away from the Knicks last summer in free agency, offering Lin three years, $25 million to be the starting point guard for the Knicks. He was shooting well. He was driving to the hoop with confidence and poise. And he was still finding ways to keep his team's offense in high gear.

But that Jeremy Lin was not the one that was on-hand for Sunday's playoff game against the Thunder. It should be noted that Lin had struggled before against Oklahoma City all season, as had the Rockets in general. The Thunder are a like-minded team that plays more or less how Houston does on offense, running hard, using their youth to their advantage and scoring fast and often, though it certainly doesn't hurt that they have two dynamic scorers such as three-time scoring champ Kevin Durant and All-Star guard Russell Westbrook spearheading OKC's attack.

However, unlike the Rockets, the Thunder, who went to the Finals last year by beating the offensively-balanced Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, know how to shut down teams on defense when the moment counts. In their three regular season contests, the Thunder have beaten the Rockets overwhelmingly in the first two games by preventing penetration and forcing the Rockets to take too many contested shots. Rockets star James Harden was shut down for those two games, and Lin struggled as well, making only 3-of-7 shots against OKC Nov. 28 and 3-of-8 from the field Dec. 29 for a combined 13 points in both games. Only during their Feb. 20 game did Lin have a chance to shine against the Thunder, shooting a red-hot 54.5 percent and going 12-for-22 from the field for 29 points as the Rockets edged out the Thunder 122-119.

Lin's case wasn't exactly helped by getting fewer shots Sunday on a night where Harden was a frigid 6-for-19 from the field. But Lin wasn't exactly hitting on the mark with his scoring either, not that it would have made a tremendous difference. The Thunder had the Rockets beaten badly, and Houston's Swiss cheese-like defense made it all too easy.

The second game on Wednesday marks another chance for Lin and the Rockets to get it right. And get it right they must, or else they'll fall into a 0-2 hole from which they may not be able to dig out of against a hungry OKC team looking to get their first NBA title. But while Lin, for whatever reason, may not get a lot of shots as he did in April, he will still have to make the most of his opportunities. He must be the playmaker that helps keep Houston's non-stop motion offense running like a well-oiled machine. He has to have the patience to find the right shots and pick his moments on offense with each shot. And he needs to drive the ball against Westbrook, who isn't exactly known for his defense. At the same time, he'll need to find a way to keep Westbrook off of his game by getting in his face on defense, contesting every shot.

Keep this in mind--Lin has never been in a playoff situation before. The Knicks made the playoffs with him last season, but Lin sat out of the Knicks' first-round loss to the Heat thanks to a season-ending torn meniscus in his left leg. The first game is usually the hardest, trying to find the timing, adjusting to the pressures of every game counting more than ever. Perhaps it was first-time jitters that got the best of Lin on Sunday. Perhaps it was the Thunder's defense. Maybe both. Either way, he'll have to adjust.

Ultimately, the playoffs are what really shows the character of a player. Good players can play well, but can only go so far. Great players know when to turn it up in those crucial situations, when every shot counts and every play is the difference between winning and going home. We haven't seen yet the full extent of what Lin can do in those moments. But these next few games against the best team in the Western Conference, in a series with NBA title dreams at stake, may give us an indication of who Jeremy Lin really is. If he's just a nice player who can get hot and cold at any given moment, or whether he's a star who can thrive when the spotlight is brightest and the title is on the line.

Either way, this series will be Lin's greatest test to date.