Jeremy Lin: Linsanity Will Be Tested by LeBron James

If there ever was a barometer for Jeremy Lin, Thursday's game against LeBron James and the Miami Heat is it.

According to CBSSports.com, James told reporters on Wednesday that he would be guarding Lin from time to time during the game.

Lin's Kryptonite this season has proven to be turnovers. In nine games as a starter for the Knicks, Lin has averaged 24.6 points, 9.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 steals, but he's also averaged 6.1 turnovers.

James and the Heat are seventh in the NBA in steals, averaging 8.4 thefts per game. They also are allowing opponents to shoot just 42.4 percent from the field, sixth in the league.

To put it plainly, Lin has a lot on his shoulders on Thursday in Miami.

James, as you may remember, guarded Derrick Rose for the majority of the Eastern Conference Finals last season. You also may remember that he did a pretty darn good job, as Rose shot just 35 percent in the series.

James is averaging 1.7 steals this season and is a considerably bigger player than Lin. It's going to be very hard for Lin to get past James' length and sturdy frame.

In that sense, I think Lin should do what he does best on Thursday: get his teammates involved. By James (or Wade) focusing on Lin, it naturally opens up other opportunities for Lin's teammates, who have all played better during Linsanity. If Lin's teammates step up, I could see the Knicks upsetting the Heat.

But the big thing is turnovers. Lin needs to focus on taking care of the ball on Thursday. With Carmelo Anthony back on board, he doesn't have to be as much of a scorer now. If he simply takes care of the ball, he can draw defenses and kick out to wide-open teammates.

Lin doesn't need to score to live up to the hype on Thursday. All he needs to do is limit his turnovers and get his teammates involved.

He's already done the Knicks a favor by keeping James occupied defensively.