Jeremy Lin now says don’t expect him back for first round

Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin said a couple days ago that he was hopeful he would be back for the round of the payoffs.

But he is a Harvard guy — there is a logic in his brain that can see through the emotion of when he wants to be to the reality of where he will be. And that logical side says do not expect him back.

Here is what he said Sunday, from Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press.

“I think unless something goes really well, I wouldn’t get there,” Lin said before the Knicks played the Chicago Bulls….

“It depends on how far and how long (the Knicks go in the playoffs),” Lin said. “But obviously I want to get to 100 percent and then come back, hopefully see what I can do. By then it’ll be a different team identity, chemistry, so it gets tricky, too. Yeah, I’m doing everything, we’re doing everything we can to get back as soon as possible.”

With a quality win against the Bulls Sunday, the Knicks moved into a tie with the 76ers for the seven and eight seed in the East. But they are still four games back of the struggling Orlando Magic for the six seed — the Knicks do not want the Bulls or the Heat in the first round. (It took clutch Carmelo Anthony threes and a rusty Derrick Rose, plus Rose and Luol Deng missing late free throws, to beat the Bulls in overtime. That win shouldn’t give Knicks fans dreams of winning a seven game series against the Bulls.)

Which is to say, the Knicks need a lot more if they are going to make the second round and get Lin back. But in this strange season nothing much would surprise me anymore.