"Fuck, what a lucky shot!" Paul Pierce, who had just been hit with an in-your-face shot by Link, said through gritted teeth.
"Buddy, I'll be scoring from this spot again later," Link said, stepping on a particular spot in the right-wing 'horn' area beyond the Three-Point Shot line.
"Shut up, rookie, you just got lucky," Paul Pierce retorted angrily.
"Alright, dead mouse, but don't get mad..."
Link was all smiles.
Paul Pierce's chest rose and fell rapidly, but he quickly took a deep breath, trying to force himself to calm down. He thought, "He's just a rookie... why am I arguing with him? I'll just crush him and be done with it."
Paul Pierce, who entered the league as the 1st pick in the first round in '98, despite being only about 2 meters tall, consistently weighed over 108kg. He was a heavy small forward with excellent strength and physicality. With his skillful footwork combined with his tenacious body, he quickly responded, forcefully breaking through, pushing away Link's defense, driving to the basket, and completing an and-one play.
After scoring, Pierce glared at Link, "rookie, your defense is softer than my toilet paper."
Link didn't pay much attention at this time, but simply exchanged a few words with Brendan Haywood about defensive positioning.
Haywood nodded repeatedly.
...
...
Washington Wizards' offense. After Link dribbled the ball past half-court, he began his Off-Ball Movement, which was completely different from his usual playstyle. Generally, Link would primarily run pick-and-rolls with Haywood in the first quarter...
But... who said the person defending him today was Paul Pierce?
Link first used Haywood's screen, but found that he hadn't completely shaken Pierce. Then, he used Laettner's back screen. After receiving the Passing, Link saw that Paul Pierce was half a beat slow, so he directly took a mid-range jump shot.
Pierce, putting all his effort in, also jumped, but barely interfered with Link.
A height of 205cm and an arm span of 222cm was simply a dimension-reducing attack for Paul Pierce.
With a "swish!"...
Another score!
This was Link's 7th shot tonight, making 6 of 7. What was even more "shocking" was that the first quarter had just passed its halfway mark...
"Damn it!"
"Is this guy... crazy tonight?"
"Such unreasonable shots?"
Paul Pierce wiped the sweat from his forehead, panting slightly as he thought.
Link's playing style was generally considered mature and reasonable by media, but there were also times when he went wild. The last time this happened was against the Memphis Grizzlies...
...
...
Meanwhile.
In NBA Commissioner David Stern's office.
His white executive placed the player of the month lists for the Eastern and Western Conferences for December on David Stern's desk, respectfully saying, "Mr. David, although we know you'll find this unbelievable after seeing the list, this is the unanimous result after discussions among our staff."
David Stern, who was watching the [Washington Wizards vs. Boston Celtics] game on his desktop computer, maintained his professional smile. He picked up the player list from the table, scanned it, and smiled, "It's alright, just announce it!"
"This kid deserves it..."
His white executive, at this moment, looked at David Stern in surprise. Even though this was the answer he hoped to hear, it came too quickly.
David Stern smiled, "Monchi, if you have nothing to do right now, you can watch the game with me and chat..."
With that, David Stern turned the computer at an angle so Monchi could also see the game screen.
49 to 60!
The game between the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics had entered the second half, with the home team Washington Wizards leading by 11 points.
"Mr. David, although Michael has been out recently due to injury, Washington has maintained a good state. Besides the team being more humorous and united than last year, there's also Link's arrival..." said the white executive, Monchi.
"Yes..."
"His arrival changed everything."
David Stern made no secret of his appreciation for Link.
"However, Mr. David, to be honest, I'm still quite worried that after the NBA player of the month is announced this time, it will cause Link... to fall into a public opinion storm, even though we haven't given him any special treatment," Monchi sighed deeply.
"Hmm, although some people will object, I believe more people will support it," David Stern said with a calm tone.
Monchi, however, was dumbfounded.
He didn't understand why his commissioner was so confident.
Until...
The game screen on the computer displayed Link's personal statistics for the night...
Third quarter, 8 minutes 11 seconds remaining, 57 to 70, Washington Wizards leading by 13 points.
Link: 15 of 19 shots, 4 of 7 Three-Point Shots, 3 of 5 free throws, totaling 37 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 Steal.
"What?"
"This..."
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"
Monchi was somewhat disbelieving. Scoring 37 points in less than three quarters?
You know, among active NBA guards with this level, besides "East Iverson, West Kobe, South Carter, North McGrady," there really weren't many others...
Moreover, Link was doing this against Paul Pierce, who played with an "old-school basketball style."
Monchi didn't speak at this moment, but stared at the game screen on the computer...
This possession was a Wizards' offense, a two-man game between Link and Laettner.
Link used Laettner's back screen to receive the Passing. However, the lanky Laettner's screen quality wasn't particularly good. Pierce squeezed past, and Link was only slightly ahead by half a step. Boston Celtics guard "Joe Johnson" appeared in Link's driving lane.
After a rhythmic pause, Link accelerated again, took a Euro Step, and swung his ball-handling arm, creating the illusion for Joe Johnson that he was going to Pass. The moment Johnson turned to look for someone, Link suddenly lifted the ball and, while being closely guarded by Pierce, completed a successful scoop shot.
"Beep!"
The referee's whistle blew.
And-one!
"What? I fouled? Where did I foul?"
"Are you guys so biased towards this damn rookie? Did you take dirty money?"
Pierce, who had clearly committed a foul, angrily confronted the referee.
Pierce's voice was loud and happened to be picked up by the live microphone.
David Stern and his executive Monchi heard it clearly at this moment.
At this moment...
The fake smile on David Stern's face disappeared.