Lin is the first bench player for the Lakers to score 25 points, have at least five assists and shoot 65% or better from the field since Magic Johnson in 1996. The Lakers got only 34 points from their starters (Carlos Boozer with 12 points was the only decent one of them), but the bench, the unit with the best players on this team, scored 84 points on 55.7% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. Wesley Johnson was almost flawless with 22 points on 9-of-11 from the field and Nick Young finally had himself a good shooting game, scoring 19, looking a lot more aggressive and decisive than most nights.
Lin has been waiting for quite some time to get 30 minutes, but not just that – be put in a situation where he could be at his most influential. The Lakers overall look better and more fun to watch with Lin running the show. He’s not the perfect player or the best point guard in the league, but he’s always exciting to watch, and when his confidence is running high which it was given the opportunity to influence the outcome of the game for once, few players in this league can captivate an audience quite like him.