Double trouble: Hornets guards Jeremy Lin and Kemba Walker in ‘attack mode’ against Miami’s defence in game six of play-offs

Among the first things Jeremy Lin did upon signing with the Charlotte Hornets was request Kemba Walker’s phone number.

“The first thing I texted him was, ‘I’m looking forward to coming here and taking some of the pressure off you,’” Lin recalled at practice Thursday.

That was true throughout the regular season and certainly so in this play-off series. The Hornets lead 3-2 over the Miami Heat and are one victory away from advancing into the second round for the first time since the NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004.

The Hornets signed Lin as a free agent last summer after making several trades that acquired Nic Batum, Jeremy Lamb and Spencer Hawes. The plan was to improve the Hornets’ ball-movement and the team’s 3-point shooting.

Walker, who had signed a four-season contract extension worth about $48 million, was going to be the Hornets’ primary option at the position. But he was spread thin the previous two seasons, concerned with both scoring and finding good shots for teammates.

Batum has been a big help in that regard, but Lin, too. He’s third on the team in scoring in this play-off series at 14 points per game. Perhaps more importantly, he leads the Hornets in free-throw attempts in this series with 32 in five games.

Lin has seemingly gotten in the head of Heat centre Hassan Whiteside, who complained after game four about Lin getting calls with theatrics.

“We’ve just got to watch out for him because he likes to throw his arms into people,” Whiteside said of Lin.