Jeremy Lin Could Be The Raptors’ Missing Piece

Jeremy Lin Could Be The Raptors’ Missing Piece

Jeremy Lin Could Be The Raptors’ Missing Piece

Jeremy Lin Could Be The Raptors’ Missing Piece

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NBA Finals media day tipped off Wednesday morning at Scotiabank Arena. It’s a chaotic situation where players are often outnumbered 50-to-1 by media members from across the globe.

Surrounded by cameras and microphones, players will field a litany of questions, many of which tie one team or one player to the opposition.

Toronto Raptors guard Jeremy Lin, a Palo Alto High School alumnus, sat in the hot seat for a good 15 minutes and gave insightful answers. Before "Linsanity" took New York and the NBA by storm in 2012, Lin made his debut in 2010-11 with the Warriors, and now he’s prepared to face them in the Finals beginning in Game 1 on Thursday. 

While Lin played just 29 games with the Warriors in his lone year in Oakland, eventual two-time MVP Stephen Curry made a lasting impression. 

“I don’t know what our record was, but we weren’t great that year I was there,” Lin said. “After 81 games, he had gone through ankle injury after ankle injury after ankle injury, and we were literally going into game 82, the last game, and he rolled his ankle the game before.”

Ankle injuries marred Curry's first few years with the Warriors. He missed eight games during Lin's lone season in Oakland, and Curry played in just 26 games a year later. 

“Everyone was like, ‘don’t play, we’re not playing for anything. You’re risking it. You’ve already injured your ankle a bunch of times,'” Lin remembered.

The Warriors were 35-46 entering the final game of the 2010-11 season, Lin was excited for the opportunity to not only play, but to pick up his first NBA start with Curry likely to sit. Line showed up to Oracle Arena planning to suit up and play major minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers, but Curry put a crimp in the plan.

“I was like, ‘what?’” Lin recalled. “He had just rolled his ankle. I didn’t know he was healthy enough. He had to play through a lot of pain, but the fact that he actually did that - swollen ankle, game 82, and just got out there on the floor against everyone’s suggestion?”

Curry scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting  that day, dishing out nine assists in 24 minutes of action. The Warriors blew out the Trail Blazers to pick up their 36th win.

“I was like, this dude loves the game and he cares about it and he doesn’t take it for granted, even in that situation,” Lin added.

Lin came off the bench to chip in 12 points, dish out five assists and grab five rebounds in 24 minutes.

Curry joked he had a time remembering that game, considering how many times he injured his ankle early in his career. But, he said he wouldn't forget playing with Lin.