(TN: Sorry yall, I took a break for my exams and that break kept getting extended... thank Sean_Patton too)
On the other hand, the New York Knicks...
Their star player, Allan Houston, who averages 22 points per game this season, only managed 14 points tonight, with a shooting percentage just over 30%.
Sprewell the Madman scored 18 points, but during the stretch where he was primarily defended by Michael Jordan, he only had 8 points to his name.
Kurt Thomas, the 206cm tall, 109kg interior swingman who plays both the 4 and 5 spots and averages 14 points, had a minor breakout tonight under Laettner's defense, scoring a team-high 22 points for the New York Knicks.
Laettner's footwork was indeed a bit slow, making the relatively slow Kurt Thomas look like he had a speed boost in comparison.
[Washington's super rookie—Link, once again recorded a triple-double in the game. With his triple-double count this season, Link is leading other players by a wide margin.]
[23 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds, 1 Steal, and 1 block. Link once again conquered the New York night sky with his gorgeous stats. H2O Allan Houston looked like an ATM in front of him.]
[The NBA's number one draft pick is chasing the footsteps of legendary stars on the triple-double leaderboard at an astonishing speed.]
...
...
And so on and so forth.
After the game, major American media outlets once again praised Link to the skies.
This led some fans who didn't know the truth to believe that the Washington Wizards were already championship contenders this season.
But in reality, to be honest... they are still a long way off. The Wizards still have too many weaknesses. Although there has never been a "perfect team" in the NBA, most championship-winning teams don't have particularly obvious shortcomings, while their strengths are very prominent.
After achieving the triple-double, Link received 500 Goat Points as a system reward.
[Goat Points: 1,121/32,311]
Since he still had enough training cards for now, Link didn't plan to redeem any more. At the same time, he wanted to see if he could get a mission to refresh the "Limited-Time Special Offer Zone" again in the near future.
...
...
The day after defeating the New York Knicks, the Washington Wizards flew to California.
To challenge the Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena.
To Link's surprise, the "Agent Zero"—Gilbert Arenas—appeared on the Warriors' roster this time.
When they last met, Arenas was still playing in the Development League for the Warriors.
But tonight, Agent Zero would be starting for the team.
Uh... right. In the last matchup against the Warriors, Link had beaten the crap out of Bob Sura, which caused Bob Sura to lose his starting spot.
Not only that, but with his confidence shattered, Bob Sura's performance grew worse in subsequent games. The coaching staff was even recently considering removing him from the team's "main rotation."
Because of this...
Link noticed Bob Sura on the bench, staring at him with a resentful and angry gaze.
It felt as if he had abandoned him.
Road back-to-backs are especially taxing on veterans. Although Michael Jordan was pushing himself to save face, his defense was clearly not up to par. As for the veteran heartthrob Laettner, he was even worse, gasping for air after just a few steps.
Besides that, most NBA rookies cannot adapt to consecutive road back-to-backs.
Except for Link, who had a sparring partner card. But the Biscuit King Haywood... tonight it was as if his feet were tied to lead weights. His reaction time was a beat slower than usual. When the rookie-stage Arenas drove to the basket, Haywood, whose reaction time was affected by fatigue, seemed to just watch him go for the layup every time.
Although Link had plenty of Stamina and his offensive form was on point, at this stage, he was more like a "teammate performance amplifier" rather than a "super weapon" who could carry the game.
In the end, the Washington Wizards lost by 5 points to the Golden State Warriors, who had the worst record in the Western Conference.
Gilbert Arenas recorded a game-high second of 27 points, 5 assists, and 1 Steal.
The game high was Link's 29 points, plus 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 Steals.
Statistically, Link seemed to have outclassed Arenas.
But his shooting percentage tonight was only 40%.
If his teammates couldn't provide enough help and the defensive pressure shifted toward him, Link's shooting percentage would drop significantly.
Tonight, Link faced a lot of help defense and double-teams, and the defensive pressure he felt when shooting was far greater than usual.
After the game.
Having won the game, Gilbert Arenas approached Link with a face full of smiles.
"Wow, Link... playing Point Guard at your height is just bullying. But you were still beaten by us tonight," Arenas said.
Agent Zero was in a great mood. Because Link had crushed Bob Sura, he was recalled from the Development League by the Warriors. He also put on a stellar performance tonight, winning the favor of countless Warriors fans.
However, Link, who was used to turning his opponents into "background characters," felt somewhat conflicted at this moment.
But a loss is a loss...
Link didn't emphasize that his plus-minus was as high as +6. Yes, that's right—even though the Washington Wizards ultimately lost by 5, Link's plus-minus was +6 during his 38 minutes on the floor.
"Gilbert, enjoy the joy of tonight's victory... Sigh, once you're like me and have won so many player of the week awards that your hands are full, you won't feel much about winning a regular game. Of course, I don't blame you; after all, it's just too hard for you guys to win a game." The not-yet-18-year-old Link patted the 19-year-old Arenas on the shoulder, speaking like an old veteran.
"Screw you, Link... according to the laws in many states, you're still a minor," Arenas said grumpily.
...
...
The eighth week of the NBA regular season concluded.
The Washington Wizards finished with a record of 3 wins and 1 loss.
The team's season record rose to third in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the New Jersey Nets and the Detroit Pistons.
With a harvest of both stats and wins, Link once again earned the honor of Eastern Conference player of the week.
As for the last game, a minor upset loss to the Golden State Warriors, although criticized by haters, it wasn't a major issue. In this era where stars didn't cluster together in superteams, it could truly be said that there were no weak teams in the NBA.
The Western Conference player of the week was claimed by Gary Payton of the Seattle SuperSonics.