As soon as these words were spoken, not only the players on the court but even the referees widened their eyes, completely unable to believe their ears.
But in the next second, everyone was even more dumbfounded. After Michael Jordan gritted his teeth so hard the veins in his cheeks bulged, he actually obediently went to the corner.
Michael Jordan was someone who would "accept defeat gracefully." After losing to Link in a one-on-one yesterday, he promised to "behave and listen" on the court today—three times. Otherwise, with Jordan's personality, he would never yield, especially since Link was just a rookie.
The Madman's defense was very targeted, well-suited for defending players like Link who were tall, slow, and lacked elite rim-pressure. However, this only ignited Link's fighting spirit.
[Moment of Domination: Gods Weapon] Lv1 Activated!!!
Facing the tight pressure from The Madman, Link at the top of the arc took his first step, directly bypassing half of his opponent's body. However, when he exerted force on the second step while handling the ball, he failed to push The Madman away, and the latter pressed against Link once more.
As everyone knows, the closer one gets to the basket, the less space there is to break through.
Link came to a sudden stop with a hesitation dribble; The Madman also braked in time, not losing much ground.
With a "thud," Link's right foot slammed into the ground as he performed a turnaround fadeaway to the left. Although the sequence wasn't fluid and felt a bit stuttery... Link's shoulder width could Block his opponent, and his wingspan could create excellent offensive space.
Even so, The Madman still provided some shooting interference. "Clang!" "Clang!"... After the basketball bounced on the rim several times, it finally dropped in.
"Shit, rookie, you just got lucky!" The Madman said, somewhat unconvinced.
"Um... okay... if you think that reason makes you happy, then I'll admit it." Link spread his hands, his tone full of sarcasm and his gaze extremely contemptuous.
Of course, Link was just putting on a front. During the series of dribbling confrontations and that turnaround fadeaway, he clearly felt an issue with his footwork power; it really was a shot made purely on touch.
"Damn, is The Madman, an All-Defensive Second Team player, really this fierce?"
At this moment, Link wanted to improve so badly.
However, in the following defensive possession, The Madman, who had angered both Link and Jordan, was immediately double-teamed by this "old and young duo."
Link's hands were fast, but Jordan's were even faster.
Jordan's wingspan was long, but Link's was even longer.
Jordan played dirty, and Link didn't play clean either.
Jordan, with better coordination and positioning, secured control of the ball.
Seeing this, Link immediately ran the fast break. Jordan passed the ball ahead instantly, though with very little lead... uh... mainly because he was worried the slow Link wouldn't reach it. Receiving the pass and facing Allan Houston who had already run in front of him, Link took a step forward and then tossed the ball behind his head, raising both hands in a premature celebration of his teammate taking flight.
Jordan, following up from behind, stepped into a jump, caught the ball in mid-air, and with a "Boom!", completed a two-handed power dunk.
After finishing the dunk, Jordan high-fived Link in celebration and then quickly retreated to defend.
At this very moment, Jordan was smiling very happily.
...
...
Facing The Madman's defense while his Player Dominance was active, Link only made 2 out of 5 shots, a shooting percentage of only 40%. Link indeed couldn't crush his opponents through absolute strength and height advantages like he did in high school. Although NBA-level swingmen weren't as strong as Link, the gap wasn't particularly large. Additionally, there was still a certain gap between Link's footwork and defensive reading abilities compared to those of elite scorers.
On the contrary, the 38-year-old Michael Jordan made all of his first three isolation plays against The Madman in the second quarter, only missing the fourth slightly due to Stamina issues.
On the offensive end, this old and young duo relied on isolation scoring and Link's continued use of his best weapon—the pick-and-roll.
On the defensive end, the two of them trapped The Madman at the perimeter, forcing him into three turnovers within five minutes.
By the end of the first half, the Wizards had once again established a 1-point lead.
48 to 58!
In the second half of the game, the main starters from both sides merely watched from the sidelines.
The Washington Wizards' bench was outmatched by the New York Knicks', and their lead was steadily chipped away.
Jordan would also give suggestions to the players during timeouts...
But the Washington Wizards players all gave him the "Confused Nick Young" look. However, seeing the bewildered players, Jordan didn't think there was anything wrong with his teaching methods; after all, he had trained Link.
As a rookie point guard, he could score against an all-defensive team player. Although his efficiency wasn't high, it was certain that... his teaching was definitely not the problem.
"It seems that I, Michael, am not only great at playing basketball but also invincible at teaching others how to play!"
Link's arrival made Michael Jordan firmly believe that he was the greatest mentor in the NBA.
...
...
96 to 11!
The Washington Wizards got off to a winning start in their first preseason game.
Link, who played for 20 minutes, shot 8-of-16 from the field, 1-of-2 from three-point range, and 3-of-5 from the Free Throw line, finishing with 20 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 Steals, and 1 Block.
Although this was a preseason game with relatively low intensity, fans who watched the game knew that the defensive pressure Link faced was not low at all.
After the game!
Players from both sides hugged and greeted each other.
"Hey, rookie, you won't be this lucky next time. Hehe, if I remember correctly, you'll be facing us in your first regular-season game," Sprewell the Madman said, somewhat unwillingly.
"Buddy, if your expectation for that day is a 9, mine is 10,000," Link said with a faint smile.
"Stubborn guy!" The Madman said, rolling his eyes.
Link spread his hands; this wasn't him acting cool, he was genuinely looking forward to meeting The Madman in the regular season.
...
...
The Wizards had a total of eight preseason games this season.
Their second opponent was the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the Cavaliers' star point guard Andre Miller did not play.
Link played quite comfortably in this game, playing three quarters for a total of 29 minutes and recording 18 points, 1 assist, and 6 rebounds.
But immediately after, the Wizards suffered a three-game losing streak.
They lost by a large margin to the Los Angeles Lakers led by the "OK" duo.
They narrowly lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
They narrowly lost to the Seattle SuperSonics.
In the loss to the SuperSonics, although the Wizards led by 3 points in the first half, it was the most uncomfortable preseason game for Link so far.
Link was taught a lesson by Payton. As a point guard who won DPOY, "The Glove" Payton could practically move fluidly like paper while defending the pick-and-roll, using Puppy Footwork to quickly squeeze through screens and easily dismantle Link's plays. As for scoring on Payton one-on-one, that was also very difficult...
Payton was a 193cm tall point guard with a solid lower body, a strong physique, and keen defensive instincts. Payton, who was determined to give Link a taste of high intensity, almost succeeded on the defensive end, except for two consecutive three-pointers Link made by shooting over him using his height advantage.
In the game against the SuperSonics, Link played 18 minutes, shooting 3-of-11 from the field, and only managed 8 points, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds, with 4 turnovers.