Jeremy Lin and 7 Players Who Will Crumble in Playoffs

With the NBA playoffs coming up soon, fans are always looking forward to see who is going to step up and take their team to the next level.

For every great performance though, there is a horrible one too. For every Dirk Nowitzki performance we saw, there was a dud like Pau Gasol or Carlos Boozer.

Here is a look at some players who could crumble in this year's playoffs.

Jeremy Lin

Linsanity has been great for everyone, but at some point it will come to an end. I think Jeremy Lin is going to have a solid NBA career, but for now I don’t see him taking over in the playoffs like he has at times this year.

As the year has gone on, more and more teams are starting to figure him out. Lin has never played a full season in the NBA and it is starting to show. He has been out the past couple games due to soreness in his knees.

It looks like the Knicks are going to make the playoffs as one of the lower seeds. This means they could be going up against a team like the Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat. These teams play great defense and they are going to take Lin out of the ball game. He has already shown a knack to commit a lot of turnovers and I would not be surprised at all to see the pressure of playing in his first NBA playoffs get to him.

Lebron James

Is there a person known more for crumbling in the NBA then Lebron James?

At times James is the most dominant player in the league with his athleticism. However, we have all gotten to know him as the player who never shows up in the fourth quarter. I haven’t seen anything different from Lebron this year than I have in the past to convince that he is going to close out fourth quarter.

Once again Heat fans, you are going to have to hope that Dwayne Wade can carry this team in the fourth because Lebron will be crumbling then.

Andre Igoudala

Despite being named an All-Star, Igoudala has struggled this year as he had seen his scoring average drop to around 12 points a game.

I know he is known for his athleticism and his defensive abilities, but come playoff time the Sixers are going to need their star player to step up. They can’t rely on Lou Williams to carry them through the playoffs.

Igoudala showed last year that he could not step up against top competition. The Miami Heat held him to a scoring average of 8.2 points a game.

Pau Gasol

After being considered one of the biggest duds in last year’s postseason, things still are not looking up for Gasol.

Despite being one of the best big men in the league, Gasol has had to deal with a lot drama in Los Angeles. He has been hearing about possible trade rumors the whole year, and it appears that there seems to be some tension between the team and head coach Mike Brown.

All of this drama has rattled Gasol and if he crumbles in the playoffs for the second year in a row, I think he has written himself a ticket out of Los Angeles.

Carlos Boozer

Here is another example of a player who went missing in last year’s playoffs.

Boozer was horrible, averaging only around 12 points and shooting 43 percent from the field last year.

When the Bulls signed Boozer, he was brought in to be the Bulls go-to big man when they needed some points. He showed last year that he couldn't step up when they needed him and has continued to underachieve.

Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire

Ever since Mike Woodson took over as head coach for the Knicks, they have been playing like a different team.

However, one thing that remains to be consistently inconsistent is the play of Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire.

The two have not been able to find the right chemistry all year. They seem to play better when one of them is not on the court. The city of New York has not been too pleased either and there have already been some rumblings about trade rumors.

I don’t think the Knicks are going to trade Melo or Amare, but I do not see them performing up to their abilities this year. They have the potential to be a great team, but in year one this duo is going to struggle.

Dwight Howard

It seems like every other day there is something wrong with Dwight Howard and the Magic.

After demanding for a trade and then saying he was fully committed to the team, Howard has been dealing with the media too much this season. This sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Howard appears to be putting on an act that he is happy in Orlando. Everyone knows that he is going to get out of there as soon as the season ends. As soon as the Magic go down in a playoff series, I think you will see Howard throw in the towel and give up on his team. You saw it last night against the Knicks and you are going to see it again in the playoffs.