You can say two things about Jeremy Lin: one, you can never count him out. And two, he has a knack for coming up big in crunch time situations.

Enter a critical Game 3 on Friday between the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers. Down 0-2 in the series, the Rockets were staring into what would have been an insurmountable 0-3 hole, of which no NBA team has ever escaped from in a playoff series. Patrick Beverley, who had done a spectacular job containing All-Star Damian Lillard in Game 2, failed to keep the Blazers' sensational point guard from lighting up the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon with a scorching 30-point performance that helped send the game to overtime and push the Rockets near the brink.

And then, Houston's backcourt came alive near the closing minutes of overtime. It started with Lin hitting a jumper at the top of the key to cut Portland's lead to 116-114. Then All-Star James Harden put up a pretty fadeaway that tied it up with under two minutes. Off a Portland miss, Lin tried and failed to connect on a three-pointer.

And then, the moment of truth. With 21.4 seconds, Harden lost the ball as he tried to slash to the basket, only to have Lin recover it on a nice hustle dive, regained his footing, and spotted a little-known rookie shooting guard, Troy Daniels, waiting just outside the three-point arc. Off a deft one-handed pass, Lin threw the assist to a wide-open Daniels, who buried the three for a 119-116 Houston lead, and the Rockets never looked back, taking Game 3 121-116 as Houston notched their first win of the series.

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Granted, that's not to say Lin is the sole reason for the Rockets getting back in the series. They needed Harden's 37 points, a 24-point outburst from Dwight Howard and Daniels' clutch three to get there. However, considering Lin usually has an uphill battle for points and minutes whenever Beverley is getting starter's minutes and gets hot, he made the most -- and more -- of the 33 minutes of action he saw Friday. Stats-wise, Lin didn't look like he was blowing anyone away with a 5-for-11, 13-point night. But looks can be deceiving.

Those six assists Lin notched were huge for the Rockets, none more so than his last one, which he found Daniels waiting in the wings to connect with a three-pointer that is the sole reason for the Rockets not being sucked into the black hole of the dreaded 0-3 start in this best-of-seven series. Down the stretch in overtime, Lin came alive when the Rockets needed him most, knocking down key shots, being alert enough to recover Harden's fumble near the end of overtime, doing the little things that help make the difference in the end.

And that's something Houston needs more of, especially against this tough and talented Blazers squad. Which is why the Rockets should seriously consider giving Lin more playing time in the playoffs.

One key thing to note -- especially for Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale -- is that this isn't exactly the first time that Lin has come through in the clutch. He's had some big moments down the stretch for both the New York Knicks and the Rockets since becoming an overnight sensation in February 2012. Sure, he still has a few issues with defense -- which is why Beverley got the nod at starter -- and Lin is still prone to turnovers, but as last night showed, he still has the ability to come up big in crunch time. If Harden's near-turnover in overtime had resulted in a Portland basket on Friday, it could have broken the Rockets' backs. But Lin came out of nowhere to turn a near-disaster into the setup for the game-winning shot.

There are some players who come alive during those "do-or-die" moments, and while Lin may not be as legendary as Paul Pierce or Ray Allen in those situations, he's starting to show a flair for those clutch moments. And it doesn't get any more "do-or-die" than the NBA playoffs. Lin may not be the coaching staff's preferred choice at the point guard position, but his offensive talents and team-oriented mentality are definite assets. And when it's all on the line, you can only win by using all your weapons. It might be time for Lin to be given some more rope to show how deadly a weapon he may yet be.

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