In addition to the [Death Coil] and [Ball-Handling Steal Master] which were already [Silver] badges, [Double Team Master], [Corner Specialist], [Catch and Shoot], and [Difficult Shots] have also been promoted to [Silver] badges. (PS: The badge attribute descriptions take up too much space and affect the reading experience)
It's worth mentioning that [Ankle Breaker] is only 48 experience points away from being promoted to [Silver]. Of course, this doesn't mean that Link shook off or broke his opponent's ankles more than 25 times during this period, but because he defeated Paul George in the last Hundred-Point Battle, he received an [Ankle Breaker (Bronze)] which added 200 experience points.
Texas High School League Finals!
Lincoln High School vs. San Antonio Central Catholic High School.
The latter specializes in training Speed-oriented guards.
The entire team has two Class of '02 five-star high school recruits and three Class of '01 four-star high school recruits.
Before the game.
Inside the team locker room.
As the focus of the game, Link was naturally surrounded by the media's cameras and microphones.
Not only was the locker room full of reporters, but even the hallway outside was packed with media personnel.
"Link, do you know today's opponent?" a reporter asked.
"Yes." Link nodded and said, "The opponent is very strong, especially their star guard—Darwin George. He's a top-tier point guard who can drive, pass, and shoot."
Darwin George was the opponent's ace player.
Standing 185cm tall, weighing 84kg, with a 191cm wingspan, just as Link said, he could drive, shoot, and pass. He had almost no major weaknesses on the offensive end—at least in the High School League.
He was actually decent on defense too, but only when facing opponents of a similar size.
Link's answer was as humble as ever, his gentlemanly demeanor almost overflowing.
But as an "old acquaintance," Sophia Clarke from Rivals Magazine rolled her eyes and said, "Link, I remember you evaluated your opponent the same way before the last game."
"How great the player matching up with you was, but you ended up scoring 61 points, and... you even took my..."
Sophia Clarke couldn't help but bite her lip, her face turning so red it looked like it could bleed, and she didn't continue.
At this moment...
The surrounding media reporters were also awakened by Sophia Clarke's words.
Yeah!
That's right!
Link... he really is like that!
He loves to praise his opponents before the game, and then beats the crap out of them during the game.
Having his "lie" exposed, Link didn't feel embarrassed but remained calm and said, "Darwin George is a Class of '02 five-star point guard."
...
...
Facing a quick and agile player with a good shot and high basketball IQ, Link did find it a bit taxing on defense.
One-on-one defense was fine, given his top-tier high school defensive awareness and NBA forward-level physique, combined with [Death Coil (Silver)], [Ball-Handling Steal Master (Silver)], and [Double Team Master (Silver)].
It was quite difficult for the opponent to take Link one-on-one...
But when the opponent set a screen, Link really couldn't squeeze through.
First, Link's shoulders were too wide, making it easy to hit the screen; second, Link's Lateral Movement was only 55(60), making it hard to navigate screens in time.
However...
Link could switch everything.
Link switched directly onto the opponent's interior, a white Center who was 208cm tall with a 210cm wingspan and weighed 114kg.
A Class of '01 four-star high schooler, a typical Great White Bear.
Facing his low-post offense, Link showed an impressive defensive display.
When switched onto the Great White Bear, Link didn't go head-to-head with him but "fought while retreating," raising his long arms and pressing down once the opponent brought the ball up.
Well...
This kind of defense would be a foul in the small-ball era.
But it was 2001, and the "Hibbert's Vertical Takeoff Law" hadn't been enacted yet.
Additionally, as one of the roaring twin towers, Chris Bosh was a mobile interior player. He wouldn't let Link be eaten alive in the low post; his occasional long-arm harassment and help defense were a nightmare for a white Center with mediocre ball protection.
And on the offensive end...
Link was facing Darwin George, who could trigger the personality badge—[Strongest Background Board].
Link shot the ball relentlessly.
[Strongest Background Board] increases shooting attributes by 20% during regulation time. You should know, Link's mid-range is currently as high as 84; with a 20% increase, his mid-range attribute exceeds 100 points.
In clutch moments (the last four minutes), it increases shooting attributes by 40%.
The personality badge—[Reapers Scythe], can stack shot contest resistance.
Along with bonuses from several shooting badges.
Darwin George was scored on by Link time and time again.
Link gave the fans the feeling that if you couldn't Block him, he would definitely make the shot.
In reality, Link's contested shots weren't that exaggerated...
Even a peak Michael Jordan or Durant with maxed-out mid-range attributes couldn't hit 100%.
The opponent's frame was two sizes smaller than Link's, so he couldn't provide much interference; besides, if Link really shot over him the whole game, his field goal percentage would probably be a bit over 80%.
...
...
Link, who was shooting lights out, racked up 23 points in the first quarter, and by the 6-minute mark of the second quarter, he already had 35 individual points.
Such insane shooting ability...
Left the media reporters and NCAA college scouts in attendance dumbfounded.
As for the NBA scouts, although they weren't as shocked as the college scouts, they were still astonished.
"Oh, no!"
"Link is like a heartless shooting machine, constantly trampling over the opponent's defense."
The commentator for the ESPN2 Channel, which was broadcasting the game, exclaimed exaggeratedly.
"Yeah..."
"Link, the most outstanding guard of the Class of '02—no, I even think he's the best player in the Class of '01."
"He's treating the high school finals as his shooting practice."
Said the other commentator.
"Haha, high school can no longer contain him."
"Get your butt to the NBA already!!!"
"Hahaha!"
...
...
Lincoln High School completely blew out the previous year's league champions. To be precise, it only took two quarters for the game to enter garbage time.
Forced into a corner, San Antonio Central Catholic High School used a "Box-and-One" tactic on Link in the second half.
Box-and-One, often referred to as the box tactic.
The so-called one-man-to-man, four-zone defense.
Only then did Link's scoring momentum slow down.
However...
This caused Link's assist numbers to skyrocket.
Finally!
By the end of the game, Link had recorded god-like stats of 57 points, 17 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 Steals, and 2 Blocks, helping Lincoln High School win the Texas High School 4A Championship.
He won the Finals MVP without any suspense.
However, after receiving the trophy, Link looked calm and composed.
To him, this glittering golden trophy was not much different from a fruit bowl.
But on second thought, it was normal.
Link's goal was the NBA.
High School League honors felt less and less challenging.
The next day!
Besides various media outlets reporting heavily on Link's brilliant performance in this game, Link himself received an invitation to the McDonald's All-American Game.
The invitation list included almost all the top players from every state.
The high school big three!
And Dajuan Wagner, who had a run-in with Link during the ABCD Training Camp.