Jeremy Lin: Staying on the Bench vs. Heat Will Benefit Linsanity

To steal a phrase the great Rick Pitino once made famous: Jeremy Lin is not walking through that door.

The New York Knicks will have to scrape together a Game 5 win against the Miami Heat tonight without the popular PG and—even if they force a Game 7—will not have him available for the rest of the series.

According to Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday, Lin will miss out on the action because both the player and his doctors are uncomfortable with the status of his injured knee.

This should be just fine for Lin and will protect his future earnings.

He is a restricted free agent at the end of the season and is still hoping to get a big-money offer from another franchise and pressure the Knicks to match it.

If Lin were to come back from injury in Game 5 and put up an absolute stinker against the Heat—as he did back in February (1-11 shooting, 8 PTS, 8 TO, 6 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL in an 102-88 loss)—it would sink his stock and be a major blemish on his historic accomplishments during the regular season.

The Knicks just don’t match up well with Miami, especially at the point position. They have extremely good athletes and a team defensive scheme that seemingly frustrates the living hell out of the New York ball-handlers.

Lin was already on the receiving end of that defensive hounding and had perhaps his poorest game as a Knickerbocker against the fearsome Heat.

There is no point in the sensational PG rushing back—rusty as ever—to likely get embarrassed on national television in a series-ending loss.

Of course, if Lin were to somehow pull off a miracle and will Gotham to an upset victory down in South Beach, it would likely explode on the Internet.

The odds of that happening (even if his knee was 100 percent healthy)? Slim to none.

Lin made the right choice to play it safe and just stay on the bench as the Heat close out Round 1.