Link, who had already positioned himself, observed Divac's elbow raise during his drop step, then fell backward with the momentum, immediately clutching his face in pain.
The referee was clearly deceived by him.
Lying on the ground, Link's hand, covering his face, subtly parted, revealing a narrow slit. Upon seeing the referee's whistle and Vlade Divac's frustrated and helpless expression, his grin became harder to suppress than an AK.
This scene was coincidentally witnessed by Michael Jordan, who was about to help him up.
Michael Jordan immediately rolled his eyes, silently cursing, "Damn... you little rascal, playing with my emotions."
Five minutes into the game, Divac, with two fouls, had to leave the court early, replaced by Scott Pollard. This bench thug, with a stubbled face and explosive hair, gave Link the first impression that he looked quite similar to Aquaman Adams.
"Michael..." After getting up, Link and Michael Jordan exchanged a look.
Michael Jordan nodded.
Divac was taken care of.
Next up is Chris Webber.
The two implicitly glanced at Webber. The next second, Webber, with his flamboyant playing style but rugged appearance, felt a tightness in his groin after sensing two 'wolf-like' gazes.
"Damn it..."
"Hmph, don't even think about drawing a foul on me!"
Webber thought to himself.
Compared to the overall strength of the teams, whether starters or bench, the Washington Wizards were no match for the Sacramento Kings, but the Washington Wizards were not without a chance...
Therefore, the game strategy was very simple and brutal: get the opponent's inside players into 'foul trouble' early, which would inevitably create Three-Point Shot opportunities for the Sacramento Kings' perimeter.
Gamble!
That's right, the Washington Wizards needed to gamble on the Sacramento Kings' Three-Point Shot percentage. Of course, this wasn't a blind gamble; you couldn't leave a Sharpshooter like Peja open. As for the other two main perimeter Three-Point Shot players, although their Three-Point Shot percentages both exceeded 38%, under high-intensity physical confrontation, their Three-Point Shot percentages would definitely decline.
With Divac leaving early, Haywood could stay in the paint longer.
White Devil Bibby dribbled to the arc and set up a high pick-and-roll with Scott Pollard. Hamilton got caught on the screen, and Pollard immediately rolled down. Haywood received the ball, half a step behind. Just as he was about to jump to attack the rim, Link suddenly appeared from the wing, blocking him.
Pollard immediately reacted. With Sharpshooter Peja left open, he instantly stopped the ball to pass. With such an obvious Passing intention, even though it was difficult for Link to Steal, he could use his long arms to obscure Pollard's vision and interfere with his Passing lane. This is also an important reason why the small-ball era particularly favors tall wing forwards.
Pollard didn't dare to pass the first time, as there was a high chance it would be intercepted. After adjusting, he finally passed the ball, and at that moment, a figure'swoosh!' Masked Man Hamilton rotated defensively to Peja,'smack!' and completed the Steal.
The Masked Man's successful Steal instantly ignited the Washington Wizards' home arena.
"Wow!"
"Richardson... so fierce... truly worthy of being the man in the black mask..."
In front of their TVs, the chinese fans who often watched action movies couldn't help but exclaim.
On the defensive end, the Washington Wizards used rotational defense to break down the pick-and-roll between Mike Bibby and the inside players. The most crucial part of this was undoubtedly Link's 'help defense.' If his defensive awareness was insufficient and he didn't appear in time, the opponent would draw a foul. If his size was insufficient and he rashly appeared in front of the opponent, he might be overpowered, or it would be difficult to effectively interfere with the opponent's Passing.
In subsequent Sacramento Kings' possessions, Pollard, who committed two consecutive Passing turnovers, felt incredibly stifled. On the third occasion, he directly went for a strong shot against Link's defense. With Link's 205cm height advantage, 222cm wingspan, and Power Forward physique, he completely stifled Pollard, forcing a miss. Haywood then smoothly grabbed the Defensive Rebound.
On Wizards' offense, Link dribbled at the arc. The next scene, to the surprise of Wizards fans, was Link calling for a 'High Double Pick-and-Roll' this time.
The Wizards had never run this tactic this season, and this set play was something the Wizards had designed for Link in the last half-month.
The biggest difference between a single screen and a double pick-and-roll is the thickness of the screen wall, which changes from 'one person' to 'two people.'
This made it completely impossible for Peja, who has a 26cm height and not-so-fast mobility, to squeeze through the screen and interfere with Link's shot.
The moment the High Double Pick-and-Roll formed, Link activated Moment of Dominance: Sharpshooter Lv2.
The current NBA rules allow 'trailing hands,' which greatly affects the accuracy of pull-up jumpers. However, with two screen walls, if the opposing Center cannot switch defensively in time, Link can shoot with almost zero interference.
Link made two consecutive Three-Point Shots, plus several successful defensive possessions.
The Washington Wizards not only took the lead but also extended their advantage to 5 points.
27 to 22!
Sacramento Kings' coach Adelman immediately called a timeout.
"Damn it, the opposing number 7 rookie... his hand is too hot, can't let him keep shooting."
"Chris, you switch to guard him."
Adelman instructed. The rookie wearing jersey number 7 he referred to was naturally Link.
After the timeout, Link's Sharpshooter player Dominance Moment had expired, but this was within Link's plan.
To limit Link's explosive Three-Point Shot firepower, the Sacramento Kings decided to have Webber directly switch to guard him.
And at this moment, Link...
Once again activated Moment of Dominance: Gods Weapon and Moment of Dominance: Basketball Fanatic.
After the High Double Pick-and-Roll, Link faced Webber, suddenly taking a step and breaking through to the left. Although Webber was fast, he was still an inside player; Webber chose to slide back defensively. To prevent an attack to the basket, frankly, he retreated a bit too much.
Link immediately stopped, reset his feet, gathered the ball, and shot. Webber, being an experienced defender, didn't rush to close out until Link had fully gathered the ball. Webber lunged forward, and Link, through a brief hang time and actively seeking contact in the air, finally shot the ball.
And then...
"Beep!" The referee's whistle blew.
"Oh, no!" Webber, who had been fouled by rookie Link, covered his head with both hands, full of helplessness.
"Wow..."
"Wow..."
"Truly worthy of Link..."
"Haha, our Washington's super rookie, chosen with the first overall pick in the first round, the strongest high schooler in NBA history."
Washington Wizards home commentator Phil Chenier laughed.