The next day.
Before Link boarded the private flight to Indiana, he received a text message from Michael Jordan.
[rookie, I know my absence will leave you guys at a loss, but you have to learn how to play without me. Of course, rookie, you'll soon understand how important Big Bro is.]
Uh...
Link rolled his eyes immediately after seeing the text.
Michael Jordan really had no clue whatsoever; little did he know that when his teammates found out he'd be missing two games, they nearly popped champagne in celebration.
But...
Considering the team's immediate combat effectiveness, without Michael Jordan, the defensive pressure he faced would be exceptionally high.
To keep Michael Jordan from getting too narcissistic, Link used the [Superstar (Russell Westbrook 2017-2018 Season) sparring partner card] after boarding the plane.
Inside the virtual space, to Link's surprise, Westbrook actually appeared before him wearing a suit.
The Hundred-Point Battle with Westbrook truly showed Link what "shifting gears to accelerate" meant. Even if he gave him two steps of space, Link was left dumbfounded when Westbrook performed a secondary acceleration right in front of him...
With a "whoosh!", Westbrook vanished from his side, and in the next instant, the sound of the rim rattling echoed in Link's ears.
However, Westbrook's straightforward drives had patterns that could be found with careful observation. After all, he was giving Westbrook a full two steps...
After gradually adapting to Westbrook's Speed, although Link couldn't completely shut him down, he could limit him somewhat.
Additionally, on the offensive end, Link used post-ups. Westbrook's post defense was strong, but Link's post offense wasn't just brute force; it involved a combination of deceptive footwork and various post-up weapons.
In the end, it was 100 to 95.
Link won the Hundred-Point Battle against Westbrook, clearing it completely.
Three-star reward: [Charge Rebound Master (Bronze)] (Already owned). Uh... as a guard, Westbrook's Offensive Rebound skills are the real deal.
Four-star rewards: [Ankle Breaker (Bronze)] (Already owned), [Tip-Off Maniac (Bronze)] (Already owned). Link already had both of these badges, so they were all converted into experience points, but...
This also happened to promote Link's [Ankle Breaker (Silver)] to "Gold."
Five-star rewards: [Contested Drive (Bronze)] (Already owned), [Aerial Wizard (Bronze)], [Special Delivery (Bronze)], and a personality badge—[Ninja Turtle Charge].
...
...
"Damn... I didn't even get a Player Takeover?" Link felt like his luck was just terrible.
For a normal superstar sparring partner card, the probability of getting a Player Takeover after full completion is very high; according to the system, it's 95.8%.
But he didn't expect his luck to be this abysmal.
Although there were many badges this time, most of them were already owned.
Three newly acquired badges:
[Aerial Wizard (Bronze)] Function Description:
1. When performing an alley-oop layup/dunk, Explosiveness +3 and Jumping Height +3.
2. To upgrade to the next stage, 30 alley-oop layups/dunks must be completed.
Uh...
Unfortunately, it wasn't very useful for him right now.
His Explosiveness was 73 (84), but his Jumping Height... was only 63 (74).
To complete an alley-oop with a teammate in an NBA game, it could only be done during a fast break.
[Special Delivery (Bronze)] Function Description:
1. When throwing an alley-oop pass to a teammate, the teammate's Explosiveness and Jumping Height will receive a slight boost.
2. To upgrade to the next stage, 30 successful alley-oop layups/dunks must be completed with teammates.
This was quite important for Link as a ball-dominant core player, especially since his current frontcourt partner was Brendan Haywood.
Between [Special Delivery (Bronze)] and "The Beard's" personality badge [Strongest Commander]... while it might not make Haywood fly through the air, low-altitude flight should be manageable.
Besides that...
What surprised Link the most was...
[Ankle Breaker] promoting to "Gold" meant that the probability of Link crossing over and dropping opponents increased.
Westbrook's personality badge—[Ninja Turtle Charge].
[Ninja Turtle Charge] Function Description:
1. When performing a Driving Layup, the Speed attribute and various finishing attributes are boosted.
2. Reduces Stamina consumption during drives.
...
...
December 27, 2001, the Washington Wizards challenged the Indiana Pacers away.
During the game, Link was guarded in turns by Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose, and even Al Harrington.
Among these three defenders, although Reggie Miller was the oldest, the defensive pressure he brought upon Link exceeded the other two. Of course, what truly made things difficult for Link was Jermaine ONeal's help-side defense and rim protection.
After Link tore through the Indiana Pacers' first line of defense, Jermaine ONeal would always swoop in to interfere.
However, even when facing the Indiana Pacers' heavy encirclement, Link played in an orderly and composed manner.
Link and Haywood completed three alley-oop connections during the game. In addition, through high pick-and-rolls with Haywood, he drew the defense and assisted perimeter teammates in scoring. But unfortunately...
Tonight, Connet Alexander was really underperforming; he missed at least three wide-open opportunities.
In terms of isolation play, at the 5:19 mark of the third quarter, Link faced Reggie Miller in a random matchup during a fast break.
When Link noticed Reggie Miller trying to press up and slow him down, he performed a large crossover while advancing at high Speed, directly crossing Reggie Miller over and sending him falling to the floor.
This scene caused an uproar among the Indiana Pacers fans in attendance.
This also left the Indiana Pacers' coaching staff stunned. It wasn't just that Reggie Miller was crossed over, but that Link's ball-handling had improved so much; he could actually complete a crossover while moving at full Speed, something many shooting guards couldn't do...
Of course, the stronger Indiana Pacers won the game thanks to their excellent performance in the fourth quarter.
Without Michael Jordan...
Link's shooting percentage dropped.
Shooting 11-of-27 from the field, 2-of-8 from the Three-Point Shot, and 3-of-5 from the free-throw line, he put up a futile 27 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds, and 1 Steal.