The day after the game!
Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals was underway, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Kings, with both teams locked in a fierce battle in the first half.
But on this day, NBA fans' focus wasn't on this game.
The 2002 NBA Draft Lottery was to be held in New Jersey, with the drawing taking place during halftime of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Kings playoff game.
The two worst teams this season, the East's Chicago Bulls and the West's Warriors, both had a record of 21 wins and 61 losses, giving them a 22.5% chance of winning the number one draft pick. In third place were the Memphis Grizzlies, with a 15.7% chance, followed by the Denver Nuggets at 12%, and the Houston Rockets at 8.9%.
As a reborn transmigrator, Link already knew the results of the NBA Draft Lottery, so he didn't bother paying attention and instead continued to hone his skills.
Today was the NBA Draft Lottery, and the NBA Draft would officially begin on June 26th at Madison Square Garden.
...
...
In the training gym, Link, Gerald Wallace, and Tyronn Lue were engaged in 1v1 matchups, but this time it wasn't American-style streetball, but rather low-post offense and defense training.
Jason Kidd's Perimeter Defense was too tenacious. In the last 2 minutes of Game 2, Link repeatedly missed Fadeaway Jumpshots after turning around, the most crucial reason being a lack of Stamina; of course, this is different from what the public generally considers "lack of Stamina"...
If Link initiated his offense from beyond the Three-Point Shot line and drove into the paint, this process would be incredibly taxing on his Stamina, which would then make it difficult to execute a fluid Fadeaway Jumpshot after turning around. If Link received the ball in the low post, relying on his physical advantage to back down a step, then whether he connected with a drive or a jump shot, it would be much easier.
Gerald Wallace was simulating Richard Jefferson of the Nets.
Tyronn Lue was simulating Jason Kidd. Of course, Lue's strength and physicality were far from Kidd's. To better simulate, he was allowed to make aggressive defensive moves against Link, and even pull on his jersey at will.
The turn-around Fadeaway Jumpshot was Link's killer move.
But clearly... Link was not satisfied with having only one killer move.
He was refining and developing his hook shot.
When dealing with smaller players, a hook shot is more effective and has a higher fault tolerance than a turn-around Fadeaway Jumpshot; the reasoning is simple: after completing a hook shot, the center of gravity doesn't shift much, and with Link's core strength, he can completely crash the boards after landing.
If it were a 1v1 against a small guard around 19cm shorter, Link could even "board-whore." After all, Link's current rebounding ability, coupled with the buffs from numerous rebounding badges, is only stronger, not weaker, than prime Draymond Green.
Uh... Green might be a "neutral term," but prime Draymond Green is definitely a "positive term," the league's Top 3 interior player.
Link's training results during this period have been quite good. His Post Hook Shot has improved from 85 (95) to 87 (95). Don't underestimate this 2-point attribute increase; the further you go, the harder it is to improve.
When his Post Hook Shot attribute was at [85], he could make 90 out of 10 hook shots against Tyronn Lue. Of course, this refers to hook shots from deep in the low post. If he drove to the basket, as long as Tyronn Lue didn't foul, it would definitely be 100% successful.
With Gerald Wallace's help defense, he could make 70 out of 10 hook shots against Tyronn Lue.
Now at [87], he can make 95 out of 10 hook shots against Tyronn Lue, an increase in accuracy of a full 5%. With Gerald Wallace's help defense, he can make 75 out of 100 hook shots.
Of course, in actual NBA games, getting a 1v1 hook shot opportunity is almost impossible; help defense and rotations are constantly interfering. Additionally, the Nets will also make a big deal out of Link's receiving the ball.
Actual NBA games are much more complex than the training court!!!
At the same time, Link's Lateral Movement attribute also increased from "81 (93)" to "85 (93)."
...
...
During a break in training, Link glanced at his phone.
What he saw startled him.
He had 11 missed calls, all within the past 5 minutes, and all from Michael Jordan.
"What the heck..."
"What's up with Michael Jordan? So urgent? Could it be about his good son, no, his good daughter... it's earlier than expected?"
"That's why he's so frantically looking for me to discuss it."
Link guessed as he called back.
"Link... what are you doing? Why are you only answering the phone now? Don't you know tonight is the NBA Draft Lottery, and your compatriot Yao is a hot favorite for the number one pick this year?" Michael Jordan, whose season was cut short by injury, couldn't play in the playoffs, but... he couldn't stay idle. He represented the Washington Wizards at the NBA Draft Lottery.
"Michael, what's there to pay attention to? The Houston Rockets won the number one draft pick... didn't they?" Link said calmly.
"What?"
"Link, where did you hear that rumor?"
"How could Houston have such good luck?"
"Their chance of winning the number one draft pick is only 8.9%..."
"Hehe, the Chicago Bulls, my old team, won the number one draft pick."
Michael Jordan's words were like a thunderbolt, striking Link speechless for a long time.
(TN: The damn recs)