Jeremy Lin: Something Changing in Houston as Rocket's Stats See Improvement; PG Making His Case for NBA All- Star Nomination?

Something is changing in Houston.

More specifically, at the one-spot with Jeremy Lin.

The numbers didn't lie. For the first month or so, Lin just wasn't up to par with the hype that he brought with him to Houston after having perhaps the most memorable 25-game stretch of any player in recent NBA history last season in New York.

He wasn't shooting right, barely above 30 percent. He wasn't shooting enough, more often than not taking fewer than 10 field goals for several games. And while James Harden's star has risen to new heights as "The Man" in Houston basketball, Lin, who was supposed to be a star attraction when he signed over the summer, looked more like an understudy as he faded quietly into the background.

And yet, he was still only a few thousand ballots behind Chris Paul for a potential starting role in the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, which, coincidentally, will be played in Houston in February.

Then, the last two weeks happened.

Really, it started with Lin's sensational 38-point game Lin had against the Spurs on Dec. 10 in Houston. In Harden's absence, sitting on the sidelines with a minor injury, Lin broke out in a way that he was only previously able to do in an orange-and-blue New York Knicks jersey.

Though the Rockets lost the game 134-126, the murmurs were starting afterwards: was "Linsanity" back?

It didn't seem that way after Harden returned and Lin limited himself to only 4-of-8 shooting from the floor for 10 meager points in a Dec. 12 win over Washington. Followed by only five-point and seven-point performances in games against Boston and Toronto that week.

And then...Madison Square Garden.

It seems appropriate that the site of where the birth of "Linsanity" occurred played the backdrop for where Lin could rejuvenate himself. With 22 points and eight assists over 38 minutes, Lin had one of his finest outings as a Rocket, helping Houston to an impressive 109-96 win on Dec. 17 against the Knicks, who own the best record in the Eastern Conference.

And after that? Lin scored 18 points with six assists in 32 minutes of action as the Rockets coasted to a 125-103 win over Philadelphia on Dec. 19.

Following that, Lin had another stellar outing against the Memphis Grizzlies, one of the top three teams in the talent-laden Western Conference. With the help of Lin's 15 points and a spectacular 11 assists, Houston blew out the league's best defensive team with a 121-96 win on Saturday.

In the last three games, Lin is averaging 18.3 points to go with 8.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds.

He's shooting more, averaging 13.0 shot attempts, during that stretch. And yet, he's also still able to run the floor and find the open man, as his assists numbers are showing. And what's more impressive, he's doing it with Harden still playing to his superstar-caliber style of ball.

Suddenly, the All-Star Game doesn't look like such an unlikelihood for Lin anymore, does it?

At least, not if this recent string of excellent play keeps going from now until the voting closes on Jan. 14.

Of course, the question is whether Lin can sustain it. Little by little, he has been looking more and more like the player of last season, the dynamo who was scoring 24.6 points with 9.2 assists in his first 10 starts with the Knicks. He has been playing a critical role of late in Houston's role, the Rockets having won three straight games--two of them against emerging championship favorites--and six of their last 10 for a 14-12 win-loss record.

Of course, in a Western Conference where the point guard position is headed by names such Paul, Tony Parker, Ty Lawson, Stephen Curry, emerging rookie star Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook, making the cut is still going to be no small feat for Lin. And Paul, though he doesn't have the global appeal that Lin does, is in the midst of a stellar year, 16.1 points and 9.6 assists as the leader of the Los Angeles Clippers this season.

Still, if Lin can keep his improvement going, and get better with each game, that All-Star starting job may not seem so undeserving, not when he's quarterbacking the best offensive team in the NBA (ranked No.1 in team scoring with 105.4 points per game this season). And not when he's playing with the kind of gusto and confidence that helped him go from bench warmer last season to a spot in the NBA's Rising Stars game during the All-Star Game Weekend.

If Lin keeps this up, his star might be shining at the game's greatest talent gala in February sooner than we thought.