With a "swish!" Laettner made the free throw, bringing the score to 43:36, with the Washington Wizards leading by 7 points. At this point, although there was still 1 minute left in the third quarter, Kwame Brown, who had 4 fouls, could only leave the court early to rest.
Kwame Brown felt wronged at this moment; Laettner's Driving Layup just now was clearly a foul bait. He gestured and spoke to the referee, but the referee ignored him. Jason Kidd keenly noticed the referee's impatience and quickly stopped Kwame Brown.
"Rookie, quiet down, don't say anything more," Jason Kidd said in a deep voice.
Seeing the team's boss speak, Kwame Brown could only leave resentfully.
Keith Van Horn re-entered the game. Link, seeing this, began to continuously feed the ball to Zach Randolph. Compared to Kwame Brown, the second generation big bird was clearly easier to exploit. After Randolph scored 3 consecutive times, Link once again took over the team's offense, using off-ball movement to position himself in the elbow area and post up Jason Kidd. Compared to the previous 5 games, Nets coach Byron Scott noticed Link's scoring efficiency visibly improving.
"What a troublesome guy..." As the founder of'sycophant defense,' Byron Scott saw the ruthlessness of "Michael Jordan" in Link.
During his playing days, Byron Scott would weaken Jordan's fighting spirit with sweet talk when defending him. On the court tonight, Link showed an extraordinary desire to attack, which made Byron Scott wonder if it was related to Kwame Brown's big talk a few days ago.
After Link's strong post-up, he pushed Kidd to the basket. Kenyon Martin was eager to move, ready to pounce and Block at any time, but Link chose a hook shot. The 193cm Jason Kidd couldn't interfere at all... As for Kenyon Martin, who wanted to Block, he had to give up because Jason Kidd was in the way.
Link received the ball with his back to the basket, turned and started, slipped past Kidd, and quickly drove to the basket. Facing the help defense of Kenyon Martin, he sought body contact in the air. Although the layup didn't go in, he drew a defensive foul.
Link received the ball with his back to the basket, drove hard for a step, then suddenly turned around for a Fadeaway Jumpshot. Kidd was once again helpless, while Kenyon Martin burst out from the side, showing elite mobility, but Kenyon Martin's size was still a bit small.
"Swish!"
Link's turnaround Fadeaway Jumpshot went in again!
68 to 54. With 2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Washington Wizards held a 14-point lead. Given the scoring ability of the current era, this was no small advantage. But the Washington Wizards' home fans were still worried after seeing Link substituted.
With Link and without Link, they were practically two different teams.
Doug Collins had completely overworked Link today, playing him for 34 minutes since the start of the game... Uh... in other words, Link hadn't rested for a single minute. With such intensity, let alone a rookie like Link, even Stamina monsters like Kobe and Iverson would be exhausted.
According to Doug Collins' plan, if the lead could be maintained and the Washington Wizards could continue to control the pace, Link could rest until after the 4-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
After Link left the court, the Washington Wizards' offensive fluidity visibly declined. This was mainly due to Jason Kidd continuously pressuring Tyronn Lue, and also the New Jersey Nets repeatedly attacking the Washington Wizards' interior, aiming to draw defensive fouls from Zach Randolph.
Zach Randolph showed his excellent offensive talent in this Eastern Conference Finals, dominating the matchup against the 2000 number one draft pick Kenyon Martin, but he lacked experience on the defensive end. With 17 seconds left in the third quarter, Jason Kidd's breakthrough led to Randolph's 4th personal foul of the game; as the fourth quarter began, Kidd's drives and dishes quickly brought the Nets' deficit down to single digits.
72 to 63!
But what really bothered the Washington Wizards was Zach Randolph, facing Richard Jefferson who was cutting from the wing and attempting a poster dunk. Young and impetuous, Randolph chose to jump for a Block despite being in a poor defensive position, resulting in a defensive foul. Jefferson made both free throws, narrowing the gap to 6 points again, 76 to 70! Doug Collins saw that only 2 minutes had passed in the fourth quarter, and the team still wanted Link to rest, but the current situation... was far from ideal.
Randolph had 5 fouls, and the team's most important interior scorer had to come off to rest. Alas...
Doug Collins looked melancholic. He glanced at Link, his lips moved, but before he could speak, Christie Laettner, with ice packs wrapped around his legs on the bench, said, "I'm rested, I'll fill in for Zach for a while!"
Laettner, playing with an injury tonight, had played 28 minutes. If the Washington Wizards could maintain a lead of more than 10 points, the team didn't plan for him to play in the fourth quarter. Doug Collins gave Christie Laettner a deep look; the old fellow was in excellent form tonight, shooting 5-for-7, and also had 4 free throws. At the same time, Doug Collins gently pushed down Link, who was about to stand up, and gave Link a look, as if to say, "Don't rush, your moment hasn't arrived yet."
Laettner stood up and waved to the Washington Wizards players who were about to enter the game. After everyone gathered around, Laettner said in a serious, even emotional tone, "Guys, help me, I still have gas in the tank!"
"Go, team!"
"Go, team!"
"Go, team!"
After speaking, the Washington Wizards' players shouted in unison.
The powerful momentum invigorated the nearby fans and spectators.
...
...
The timeout ended, and the game continued. The Nets continued to pressure Tyronn Lue at the top of the key. In front of the strong and agile Jason Kidd, Tyronn Lue's Speed couldn't get going at all. For a Point Guard, the difference in contribution to the team between standing still and running is like "heaven and earth." Why was Rajon Rondo so amazing in the playoffs, even when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers shortly before retirement? The reason is simple: Rajon Rondo could dribble all over the court, constantly moving. In motion, the ball was alive, and it gave a buff to his teammates' cuts and drives;
Tyronn Lue dribbled for most of the 24 seconds, not only failing to shake off Jason Kidd but also being forced to stop. Seeing this, Laettner moved from under the basket to the high post, took the pass, and facing Keith Van Horn, the second generation big bird's close-out, he faked a shot to get the defender in the air, then drove to the basket and made a layup.
"Wow!"
"Wow!"
The Washington Wizards fans in attendance couldn't help but exclaim.
The Washington Wizards' home commentator, Phil Chenier, was even more excited, saying, "Wow, I feel like I'm seeing Christie in his college days, this talented inside player who can play both inside and out."
Another commentator, Steve Bahoux, couldn't help but quip, "Compared to college, today's Christie just has a few more wrinkles from the passage of time on his face."