Scorching Miami Heat Defensive Pressure Melts NBA Linsanity...For Now

The heat finally got too hot for Jeremy Lin...at least for now.

Last night, in an eagerly anticipated matchup with the surging Miami Heat, the NBA's unfathomable new phenom got roasted as the New York Knicks' sudden new star melted under the searing lights of a national TNT television audience.

Lin struggled from the opening tip, much to the chagrin of the legions of Linsanity followers who have chronicled his every move during the point guard's unlikely three-week emergence from NBA Development League player to two-time Sports Illustrated cover boy, to owner of the No. 1 selling NBA jersey and, most importantly, to a place in the hearts and minds of nearly every sports fan on the planet.

The humble Harvard kid wilted last night, looking heavy-legged and haggard on the American Airlines arena's hardwood floor. Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni cleverly commented on Lin's lackluster performance, "It's hard to be Peter Pan everyday."

Yes, it was evident that the intense media scrutiny and unending personal demands on Lin's time have certainly taken their toll on this new NBA star's strength and endurance.

And it was even more apparent that the Miami Heat were waiting to blister this new NBA wonder. The suffocating, endless defensive pressure from Heat point guards Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole clearly contributed to Miami's relatively easy 102-88 win over the obviously overmatched Lin and his equally tired and overplayed Knicks teammates.

Lin succumbed to the Heat's scalding, smothering ball pressure, turning the ball over eight times and scoring only eight total points on 1-11 shooting from the field.

The heat may have been too hot last night for Jeremy Lin in the Heat's "kitchen" in Miami. However, let's not count this kid out just yet as burnt toast and dismiss him as a shooting star that quickly illuminates the dark night sky before diminishing, because Miami is a terrific team with arguably the NBA's best defense.

Jeremy Lin can play and will learn to handle the blistering defensive heat from opposing teams that he's certain to face for the remainder of the NBA season.

And, from what we've seen from Lin so far, his future play on the basketball court will be responsible for raising the thermostat on his competition and roasting them during future NBA games on TNT or ESPN.

Straight talk. No static.

MIKE—aka Mike Raffone—thee ultimate talking head on sports!

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