Laettner played with great effort, his style completely unlike a player his age. Christian Laettner's "Will of Fire" burned fiercely, inspiring the Washington Wizards players on the court. Although they couldn't completely stop the Nets' offense, the players' efforts prevented the Nets from further closing the gap. The Nets still couldn't solve the "hard solution" problem. However, Jason Kidd, as the team's leader, stepped up. Richard Jefferson, unable to shoot, passed the ball to Jason Kidd at the top of the arc, who then shot a Three-Point Shot over Tyronn Lue.
Jason Kidd, who usually doesn't shoot, was now shooting.
"Oh, no!"
"Did Jason step in dog shit tonight? He's already made two shots like that tonight."
Washington Wizards home commentator Phil Chenier's tone was somewhat helpless.
Although Jason Kidd had a Three-Point Shot, it wasn't accurate, let alone a dribble Three-Point Shot. However, tonight Jason Kidd made 3 of 6 Three-Point Shots, and two of them were last-second bailout Three-Point Shots close to a 24-second violation.
78 to 74. With this Three-Point Shot, Kidd narrowed the gap to within 5 points.
For the leading team, even though 5 points and 4 points differ by only one, the mindset is completely different; even those who often play 2K can feel it.
At 4 minutes and 4 seconds into the fourth quarter, Link and Zach Randolph on the Washington Wizards' bench took off their training uniforms and went to the scorer's table, waiting for a dead ball to enter the game. The Washington Wizards inbounded the ball from the baseline. Laettner passed the ball to Tyronn Lue. Just as the latter received the ball, Jason Kidd, who had feigned a retreat, suddenly turned around and burst out, pouncing on the basketball in Tyronn Lue's hands. *Bang*, their big arms collided. This would definitely be called a foul in the regular season, but this was the playoffs, a "life-or-death moment" in the Eastern Conference Finals, so the referee didn't blow the whistle. Jason Kidd quickly stripped the ball away. Tyronn Lue tried to save it but stumbled and fell to the ground. After getting the ball, Kidd drove straight to the basket.
Laettner, who had just inbounded the ball, raised his hand to defend. But at this moment, Jason Kidd used a flashy behind-the-back Passing to Jefferson, who was quickly following behind. After receiving the ball, Jefferson dribbled, took a step, and jumped up. Laettner, who was 1-on-2, was too late to cover, but he still leaped with all his might, straining to control his body in the air. *Slap!* His long arm pressed down on the basketball, and Jefferson was also forced down. Laettner lost his balance in the air and fell backward onto the ground.
"Wow..."
The fans' exclamations rang out again.
"Beep!" The referee's whistle blew. The basketball ultimately touched Jefferson and rolled out of bounds. Washington Wizards' possession.
"Great job, Christie!"
"Well done, Christie!"
Fans applauded Laettner's valiant effort to protect the rim. Meanwhile, Laettner, who had fallen on his back, was grimacing in pain.
"Quick! Quick! Quick!" Washington Wizards head coach Doug Collins quickly called for the team doctor to come and check. A brief examination caused the team doctors to shake their heads.
Although Laettner didn't cry out in pain, the pea-sized beads of sweat on his forehead suggested that he had taken a bad fall and couldn't even stand up.
The team doctor brought a stretcher and carried Laettner away. As he passed through the player tunnel, fans on both sides cheered Laettner's name and applauded him. Laettner, lying on the stretcher, had moist eyes but a faint smile on his lips.
"Link, it's up to you now," Laettner thought to himself.
Soon, the game resumed. Link and Zach Randolph replaced Tyronn Lue and Laettner. The Nets started double-teaming. Link made three consecutive Passes, two to the Masked Man, who missed one Three-Point Shot and made one mid-range shot; the other was to Brendan Haywood under the basket, who went up strong against Kenyon Martin for a layup.
Although Kenyon Martin had many soaring Blocks, his overall defensive ability was definitely above average among players at the same position. But... the Wizards' big men not only weren't afraid of him, they even liked to go up strong against him. Hehe, this was related to Randolph's single-point explosive attacks against him, and Link repeatedly targeting him in the series. A good defensive tough guy, in front of the Wizards, was summed up in two words—is that all?
...
...
Seeing that the Nets' double-teaming of Link was not working at all, and on the contrary, might even activate the entire team's game state, they had no choice but to go with single coverage. Link, who had rested sufficiently, entered his personal scoring mode.
What is an indiscriminate isolation play?
If an inside player defended him, he would use his Speed and footwork to run around him. If an outside player defended him, he would drive hard and aggressively, combining his back-to-the-basket footwork and his excellent touch tonight. In 7 minutes, Link, sometimes with the ball and sometimes without, completely baffled the defensive players sent by Nets head coach Byron Scott.
Link also delivered a perfect performance: 7 of 11 from the field, 1 of 2 from Three-Point Shot, and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line, scoring a phenomenal 19 points in a single quarter.
Link, in such an explosive state, was like a rampaging beast, directly destroying the New Jersey Nets.
111 to 90. With less than a minute left in the game, the Washington Wizards once again established an 11-point lead. The Nets, not wanting the series to go to a Game 7, attempted tactical fouls and tried to catch up with Three-Point Shots, but after two consecutive misses from beyond the arc, the game completely lost its suspense.
"Beep!"
116 to 90!
In terms of player stats, Link achieved his first career playoff 50+ tonight, racking up an epic stat line of 52 points, 13 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 Steals, and 2 Blocks.
In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals series, the Washington Wizards tied the series 3-3, and Game 7 will be played in two days.
Although the Washington Wizards won Game 6, they were severely depleted. Christian Laettner, the veteran white player who excelled at playing pick-and-roll with Link, was diagnosed with a back strain after the game, ending his playoffs.
No Michael Jordan!
No Laettner!
The Washington Wizards were missing two of their regular season starters.