Kenyon Martin, after being posterized by Link, really wanted to get back at him. However, this 206cm short interior player couldn't do it even when he caught a mismatch against Link through a pick-and-roll with Jason Kidd. This also gave Byron Scott, the current Nets head coach, a real headache. Kenyon Martin's physical tools were not as good as Link's. While he was a bit stronger, it wasn't enough to create separation. The main reason was that Kenyon Martin's technique was too raw...
He had no face-up game.
His post footwork was also garbage.
He had absolutely no mid-range game.
Out of Kenyon Martin's three mismatch isolations, not only did he fail to score once, but he even got blocked by Link once. Although Link wasn't good at blocking, he couldn't help it when Kenyon Martin "crashed" into Link's hands after forcing a shot. Uh... of course, this was mainly because Kenyon Martin couldn't force his way into a good position under Link's physical pressure.
During the first official timeout of the first quarter, Kenyon Martin's face looked extremely grim after returning to the bench. Even when Jason Kidd took the initiative to talk to him, he only replied half-heartedly.
While some were unhappy, others were delighted. Kwame Brown, the Nets' backup big man, was secretly overjoyed. If Kenyon Martin continued his terrible and clumsy performance, his own playing time would increase significantly.
However, Kenyon Martin was quite "self-aware." After a brief clash with Link and fully realizing he couldn't take him one-on-one, he settled down and focused all his energy on the "defensive end" and "finishing at the rim."
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 29 to 26, with the visiting Washington Wizards leading by 3 points. But as the game entered the second quarter, the Nets began to change their defensive strategy. They pressured Tyronn Lue at the top of the key. As an All-Defensive First Team member, Jason Kidd could put immense defensive pressure on Tyronn Lue. Corie Kiddles' double-teaming caused Tyronn Lue to start making turnovers. Once the Washington Wizards made a mistake, the Nets' "Lightning Fast Break" would surge forward, allowing Kenyon Martin's Speed advantage to be fully utilized.
Christian Laettner naturally couldn't keep up with Kenyon Martin. Usually, it was Link who matched up with him during transition defense. However, even a moving Link found it hard to stop a Kenyon Martin who had already built up Speed. After all, let alone Kenyon Martin, even a guard over 196cm would be hard for a standard big man to stop once they gained momentum while both were in motion.
The Nets started gaining momentum through perimeter double-teaming. As the second generation big bird Keith Van Horn hit a transition Three-Point Shot, the score became 49 to 55; the Nets' lead had reached 6 points. Washington Wizards coach Doug Collins had no choice but to call another timeout. This was the second timeout called by the Wizards in the second quarter. The previous one was after the Nets' Lightning Fast Break, where Jason Kidd assisted Richard Jefferson for a dunk to complete the comeback.
During the timeout, Doug Collins said a lot to Link, but after the timeout, Link did not return to the court. The reason was simple: there were only about 2 minutes left until the end of the first half. Link, who hadn't rested since the start of the game, needed a good break.
Link didn't object. He was not only the team's primary ball-handler but also the core of the defensive system, which consumed a lot of Stamina. Additionally, although he had the [star training partner card] for rapid injury recovery, his Injury Resistance was garbage. In a state of extreme physical fatigue, it was easy to trigger an injury.
Link and Christian Laettner sat on the bench resting, and in just 2 minutes, the point difference widened again. The Nets' substitute Lucious Harris had only been on the court for less than a minute when he hit two Three-Point Shots. Jason Kidd was truly just blowing past Tyronn Lue at will. Once a gap was created, the wing players had to help with defense. Once over-rotation occurred, Jason Kidd could accurately distribute the ball and find open teammates.
Furthermore, Jason Kidd was always able to deliver the ball accurately into the hands of a shooter the moment they ran into an open spot.
...
...
52 to 64. At the end of the first half, the New Jersey Nets held a 12-point lead.
As the second half began, the Washington Wizards and the fans in front of their screens thought the same thing: Link returned to the team's Point Guard position. Although Link's performance at the Power Forward position was near perfect, Lue truly couldn't withstand the shoot's pounding.
Jason Kidd now directly matched up against Link on defense. Jason Kidd, 193cm tall and weighing 95kg, had a low center of gravity and strong physicality. Like Blake Griffin and Stephen Curry, he was a light-skinned player with extreme athleticism, firmly in the top tier of active Point Guards.
His footwork could keep up with Link, and his physicality and defensive anticipation were exceptional. If Link didn't use a screen, not only could he not beat him off the dribble while facing up, but there was even a significant chance of being stripped.
During the regular season, Link often struggled against two Point Guards. One was Gary Payton, and the other was the Jason Kidd before him. Link used a screen to drive into the paint. At this time, the Nets' interior players didn't come to help; instead, it was the perimeter player Richard Jefferson. While Link passed the ball to Gerald Wallace, Corie Kiddles immediately rotated to Gerald Wallace's side.
Facing the diagonally charging Corie Kiddles, it was hard for Gerald Wallace to shoot, but he could drive with the ball. However, once he drove towards the basket, he fell right into the "trap" set by the Nets' defense.
The team didn't have a second ball-handling option, so Gerald Wallace couldn't handle the ball effectively. His straight-line drive would face the predicament of "Kenyon Martin in front, Corie Kiddles behind." Although Kenyon Martin was dominated by many superstar interior players, it didn't mean his defensive anticipation and fundamentals were bad; it was just that... those superstar interiors were all too damn strong. Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, oh, and the Little Tyrant Stoudemire in his prime.
By anticipating ahead of time, Kenyon Martin blocked Gerald Wallace's driving lane. The latter couldn't change direction while moving fast like Link could. Once he slowed down, Corie Kiddles caught up from behind. If he picked up the ball early, Kenyon Martin could also stop him relatively easily.
Through high-post double-teaming and aggressive defensive rotation, the Nets cut off Link from the rest of the Wizards.
...
...
At the end of the third quarter, the score was 68 to 86. The Wizards only scored 16 points in this entire quarter. Conversely, although the Nets also shot poorly from three-point range this quarter, they still extended the lead to 18 points.
The fourth quarter was similar to the third. However, as Zach Randolph successfully scored consecutive low-post isolations, he helped the Washington Wizards narrow the gap to 12 points. But after Jason Kidd hit a 24-second buzzer-beating Three-Point Shot and Link's forced shot after pushing past Jason Kidd under the basket was swatted away by Kenyon Martin, the game completely lost its suspense.
86 to 98!
The game ended. The New Jersey Nets, who had the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference, defended their home victory.
Regarding player stats, a direct comparison between the two star players:
Jason Kidd: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 Steals.
Link: 28 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 Steals, 2 Blocks.
On paper, it seemed Link was superior, but Link's shooting percentage tonight was barely over 40%, and he had a staggering 5 turnovers.
(TN: Last name recs plz)