"I only rely on my physique to play?"
"In other words, my physique is very fierce?"
Before entering the NBA, Link was often criticized by the media for only relying on his physique to crush opponents of the same age. However, after entering a higher-level league, this advantage would be significantly weakened. Since joining the NBA, the outside world's view of him had also been that of a 'technical floor-dweller.'
"Haha, you have a good eye; I do rely on my physique to play, haha..." At this moment, Link laughed very happily.
Seeing Link's reaction, Allan Houston was completely bewildered, thinking to himself, "What's wrong with this kid? Can't he tell when he's being insulted?"
"Has this rookie grown to this level?" New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy was also surprised to see Link taking whatever he wanted in front of Allan Houston.
"Yeah, it's terrifying," the New York Knicks assistant coach said.
In a great mood, Link actually missed both free throws for the first time. Uh... you should know, Link's current average free throw percentage was 83%.
However...
Because the rebound from the free throw bounced quite far, Link took the opportunity to immediately activate [Dominance Moment: Rebound Maniac] Lv2. Link arrived at the rebound's landing point half a beat faster, plucking the ball right over Sprewell the Madman's head.
The Madman immediately pressed him closely. Link exchanged a look with Michael Jordan, and the latter immediately cut toward the basket. Link sent a bounce pass; Michael Jordan caught the ball, took one dribble, and leaped directly. Facing Camby, who was charging in from an angle, Michael Jordan contorted his body in mid-air and finished with a reverse layup.
In the past 3 minutes and 11 seconds, the Wizards went on a 13-4 run, changing the score to 24-15 and extending their lead to 9 points.
...
...
Repeatedly overpowered by Link, an NBA rookie, Allan Houston had a fire burning in his heart. When he stepped onto the court again in the second quarter, he began trying to catch up by forcing shots. During this process, Hamilton's defense was truly good, providing interference on almost every shot. If he occasionally got caught on a screen, Link would help him rotate and cover.
He went 1-for-4. Of the three misses, Link picked up one long rebound.
Incidentally, this long rebound was grabbed without the Rebound Dominance being active.
Although Rebound Dominance allowed him to see the landing point of the ball, there were distance and time limits, especially time... 3 minutes of "real-time" would be wasted if a timeout occurred. Additionally, there was the range; if it was a rebound from an interior shot, Link couldn't see most of them.
However...
Link's current rebounding instincts were stronger than many interior players who were afraid of physical contact.
The New York Knicks' conventional tactics were struggling to break through the Washington Wizards' defense, and Allan Houston's shooting touch on contested shots tonight was very poor.
Thus, the only reliable offensive methods left were Sprewell the Madman's weak-side isolation, Mark Jackson and Marcus Camby's on-ball pick-and-rolls, and Marcus Camby's second-chance points after grabbing Offensive Rebounds.
Sprewell the Madman's isolation? Michael Jordan wouldn't allow it.
Camby and Mark Jackson's on-ball pick-and-roll? Link wouldn't allow it. Although Link would get caught when fighting through screens, he simply stopped fighting through them and chose to go under instead. After all, Mark Jackson lacked a Three-Point Shot, and his mid-range game wasn't stable enough.
Once a shot was missed, it could directly lead to a "transition play."
And in tonight's game, Link participated more in the fast break. Although his speed wasn't fast (relative to other Point Guards), the threat of his penetration was not small.
Link had a decent off-the-dribble Three-Point Shot; he was tall with long arms, so if you didn't stick to him, it was hard to interfere with his shot. But once you pressed up, Link would lower his center of gravity and blow right past you.
In the third quarter of the game, to increase his shooting threat, Link activated [Player Takeover: Sharpshooter] Lv2.
In just 2 minutes and 11 seconds, Link hit two consecutive Three-Point Shots and added one assist through Passing.
This made Michael Jordan, who was resting on the bench, couldn't help but applaud.
"Connet, did you see that? Penetration is just that simple... Didn't I tell you? Once someone sticks to you, feign a gather, and then immediately lower your center of gravity to blow past the defender..."
"I've explained such a simple penetration secret to you countless times, yet you haven't learned it. But that little brat Link—I only taught him once, and he completely grasped it. You can't possibly say his 'vintage car' speed is faster than yours."
Off the court, Michael Jordan was once again picking on the young player, Connet Alexander.
In response, although Alexander felt a headache coming on, he kept smiling apologetically. There was no choice; not only was he Michael Jordan, but he was also part of the Wizards' management. By the way, due to strong opposition from other teams in the league, Michael Jordan had already stepped down from the position of Wizards General Manager half a month ago.
"Is Link's speed really slow? While he's not fast, he definitely has nothing to do with being slow."
"And his first step is actually very quick..."
"His thighs are thick and strong, and his strength in physical contact is definitely top-tier for a guard. Facing Allan Houston, whose physical strength isn't that great, he can just bully his way in with even a slight angle for penetration..."
"Right, even if he gets tired halfway through bullying his way in, he can switch to post-up mode... His height and vision don't make him look like a small guy under 185cm whose vision is easily blocked by big men..."
"Forget it, why even compare?"
"The guy is the NBA's first-ever high school number one draft pick!!!"
Alexander couldn't help but give a bitter smile in his heart.
...
...
The game ended with a score of 111 to 90!
Although the Washington Wizards experienced a brief scoring drought in the second half of the third quarter, with Laettner's open mid-range shots clanking off the rim, the New York Knicks couldn't form an effective offensive counter-attack under the defensive system centered around Link and Haywood.
Regarding individual player stats:
Three Washington Wizards scored in double digits: Link with 23 points, 11 assists, 1 rebound, 1 Steal, and 1 block; Michael Jordan with 18 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds; Richard Hamilton with 28 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist.
That's right.
The highest scorer tonight wasn't the 'Link-Jordan Duo.'
Hamilton had a particularly great time tonight. Matched up against Mark Jackson, and with the Link-Jordan Duo drawing defensive attention on the offensive end, he had more opportunities than he knew what to do with.
As for the Biscuit King Haywood and the old handsome guy Laettner, although their stats weren't great, their contributions on the court were significant.
The old handsome guy Laettner's playmaking and Passing went without saying.
Although the Biscuit King Haywood struggled to 'eat biscuits' due to his limited athletic ability and offensive moves, he pressured the opponent's layups on the defensive end and helped Link box out for rebounds. Transforming into the 'Box-out King,' he allowed Link to push the fast break immediately.