In addition to the Best of the Month, Lin Yu was also awarded the Best Rookie of the Month.
This season, he has won Rookie of the Month three times in a row.
On April 4 and April 5, Eastern Time, the Celtics played the Knicks twice in a row and easily won both games.
The Celtics won 10 consecutive games, and their fiery state made the whole of Boston go crazy!
With this ten-game winning streak, the Celtics directly improved their record to 40 wins and 35 losses.
The 50% winning rate in 82 games is 41 wins, and the Celtics are only one win away from this.
On April 7, the Celtics lost to the Nets, ending their ten-game winning streak.
Two days later, they played another home game against the 76ers, who were ranked ninth in the Eastern Conference and still in the hunt for the playoffs. Lin Yu was guarded by Andre Iguodala and only scored 15 points on 5 of 13 shots.
But the unrestricted Paul Pierce broke out, scoring 33 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, leading the Celtics to win this crucial victory.
With 41 wins and 36 losses, the Celtics have basically locked in the playoffs, but their ranking has not yet been completely determined. They are currently ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference and still need to face competition from the Wizards, who are sixth in the Eastern Conference.
"If we are fifth, our opponent in the playoffs will be the Cleveland Cavaliers. If we are sixth, our opponent will be the New Jersey Nets."
As the playoffs approach, discussions within the Celtics team have shifted from women, sports cars, luxury goods and other various topics to the playoffs.
Lin Yu was a little puzzled by Paul Pierce's analysis.
"Aren't knights ranked higher now?"
According to the ranking, the Cavaliers, who are half a game ahead of the Nets, should be third in the Eastern Conference. If the Celtics are sixth, they should face the Cavaliers.
"The division champion ranks among the top three in the division. The Pistons in the Central Division and the Heat in the Southeast Division have already determined the top two. The Cavaliers and Pistons are both in the Central Division, so the Cavaliers can only be ranked fourth at most."
Pierce's explanation: "The Nets' record in the Atlantic Division is not as good as the Cavaliers, but they are the champions of the Atlantic Division. Therefore, as long as their record leads all the teams in the Atlantic Division, they will definitely be ranked among the top three."
Lin Yu understood that the Celtics are also a member of the Atlantic Division. They are second in the Atlantic Division, third is the 76ers who are ninth in the Eastern Conference, and fourth and fifth are the Raptors and Knicks.
As long as the Celtics' record cannot surpass the Nets, then the Nets' top three rankings in the Eastern Conference will be stable.
"In other words, the top four in the Eastern Conference have been determined. The Pistons are first, the Heat are second, the Nets are third, and the Cavaliers are fourth."
Just looking at the rankings, the strength of the teams in the Eastern Conference playoffs is polarized. The lead between the top four and the bottom four in the East is too huge. There is a gap of 8 games between fourth and fifth.
The four players can no longer threaten the top four rankings.
The Celtics may be ranked fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth.
Pierce nodded: "So, now, what we have to do is win all the next games. We have to be ranked fifth, then beat the Cavaliers, kill the Cavaliers cub, and then advance to the second round."
I don’t know if it’s because of the ten consecutive wins that made Pierce so confident now. This guy has already set his sights on the second round of the playoffs.
The rational Lin Yu shook his head. So far, the Celtics have not even been able to fully determine their place in the playoffs.
On April 12, Eastern Time, the Celtics lost to the Pacers again, but their ranking remained unchanged, still fifth.
Then, they won the Nets and lost to the Wizards. After one win and one loss, their ranking slipped to sixth.
"Are we going to play the Nets?"
Before Lin Yu's guess came true, in the last two games of the season, the Celtics defeated the Heat and Grizzlies, who were already preparing for the playoffs.
After two consecutive victories, the Celtics overtook the Wizards and rushed to fifth place in the Eastern Conference, thus ending the regular season.
The Celtics' final record was 44 wins and 38 losses, ranking fifth in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, their opponent will be the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have won 50 games.
Paul Pierce's idea has come true, but whether the Celtics can defeat the Cavaliers in the playoffs is a question that cannot be answered for the time being.
However, after the regular season ends, the North American media first pays attention not to the playoffs, but to the summary of regular season statistics and honors.
Lin Yu's first regular season is over. He played in 71 games, averaging 17.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. His shooting percentage was 47.6% and his three-point shooting percentage was 45.4%.
The free throw shooting percentage is 90.2%.
"Averaging 17.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks per game, China Lin played an outstanding rookie season. Although he is a cross-class rookie, he has no appearance record in his true rookie season, so he can still
Participate in the competition for Rookie of the Year."
"China Lin's competitor will be Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. In his rookie season, Chris Paul averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.1 blocks per game."
"In addition to his scoring and blocking data being slightly lower than China Lin's, Paul's rebounds, assists and steals are all higher than China's Lin. Among them, Paul's assist data ranks sixth in the entire league, and his steal data ranks third in the entire league.
Two, and none of China Lin's five basic statistics can enter the top ten in the league. Therefore, Chris Paul has an absolute advantage in the selection of the best rookie."
The above is the analysis of the Boston Globe. Their analysis is quite neutral and reasonable. Basically, Lin Yu has no chance of winning the Rookie of the Year award.
But an article from Yahoo Sports sparked heated discussion.
Amanda Gray published a column at the end of the season, which wrote: "Compared to Chris Paul, China's Lin, who only really broke out at the end of January, should be the best rookie of the season.
!”
Her argument is: "Lin's madness at the end of January was the craziest role player performance in the history of the NBA. And at the end of March, China's Lin broke out again and helped the Celtics reach the playoffs. The entire
This season, China Lin has been improving. If we give him a little more time, the discussion for the best rookie will become no suspense!"
Amanda Gray's article was published and immediately attracted refutation from countless colleagues.
ESPN's Chris Haynes was the first to speak out: "Amanda Gray's remarks are wrong. The Rookie of the Year refers to the rookie player with the best performance in a season. No matter how amazing China Lin's progress is,
There is no denying that Chris Paul is the best rookie this season!"
Then came Sam Amick of USA Today. This guy’s reaction was even more intense: “Linsanity may be a huge improvement to China’s Lin, but that shouldn’t be the reason why he can compete for Rookie of the Year. Chris -
Paul is a phenomenal rookie, and no one can take away Rookie of the Year from Chris Paul."
The most intense reaction was from ESPN reporter Chris Carter, who said bluntly: "If we strictly follow the regulations, China Lin will not even be qualified to compete for the best rookie. He is a cross-class rookie!"
However, many reporters did not agree with Chris Carter's remarks.
ESPN colleague Mark Stein brought up the rules for rookies and the selection of the best rookie: "Any player who plays for the NBA in the first season is called a rookie. As long as he is a rookie, he can participate in the best rookie selection.
.”
And Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports: "Chinese Lin is certainly qualified to be selected for the Rookie of the Year. No one said that cross-class rookies cannot be selected for the Rookie of the Year!"
There was a big war of words in the media, and Lin Yu, who was preparing for the playoffs, couldn't laugh or cry.
"Lin, did you ask her to write Gray's article?" Jeff Schwartz called and asked.
Lin Yu denied it: "Of course not, she wrote it herself."
As Lin Yu played better and better, Amanda Gray began to shift the focus of her work to Lin Yu, as evidenced by this article about the best rookie.
But this time, Amanda Gray may have done a disservice. Her article made Lin Yu completely lose the competition for the best rookie.
It is an honorary award voted for by journalists from major North American media. Even if some reporters were willing to give Lin Yu their second vote before, they may have to think about it now.
