In the Washington Wizards' sixth preseason game, their opponent was the Houston Rockets. Overall, Link played quite well.
However, his Three-Point Shot was a bit lacking, going only 2-for-7.
One must know...
Link's Three-Point Shot attribute was as high as 82 (89).
Was it because his shooting touch was poor?
Not exactly. Link made both of his catch-and-shoot Three-Point Shots when he was semi-open; the five misses were all off-the-dribble attempts.
In this era where the 'hand-check' was allowed, if the referees' officiating was loose, a defender's arm wouldn't just be resting on your chest; they would use hidden strength to give you a shove. Under such defense, how could one make a shot?
In the game against the Houston Rockets, the officiating was relatively loose. Playing 28 minutes, Link recorded 21 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 Steal, but his shooting percentage was under 40%, and he had 4 turnovers. After the game, the media compared him to Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies.
["Upon entering the NBA, Link's advantages in physique and strength have been largely neutralized. Lacking Speed and Explosive Acceleration, it is difficult for him to replicate the brilliant performances of his high school days. As far as the ongoing preseason is concerned, Pau Gasol, who has gradually adapted to the NBA's intensity and rhythm, is clearly the superior rookie."] — Reported by USA Today.
["Link's Speed on the fast break isn't even as fast as Michael's. I don't believe such a player can become the cornerstone of the Washington Wizards. Tomorrow night is the preseason game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Washington Wizards. Although the Washington Wizards might take the final victory thanks to Michael Jordan, in terms of individual performance on the court, Pau Gasol is certainly much more outstanding than Link."] — Reported by a certain ESPN commentator.
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And so on and so forth!
Blah, blah, blah!
While Link's performance was worthy of his status as the number one draft pick, it hadn't met the fans' expectations; after all, it was only the preseason.
At this moment, Link was in his rented small villa, performing battle rope training for core strength.
His rumored girlfriend, Sophia Clarke, was also training nearby. Of course, her training intensity wasn't even a tenth of Link's.
"Link... those media reporters... they just love to talk nonsense and create hype. You don't need to take it to heart too much," Clarke said.
"Hehe, it's fine. To be honest, I actually quite like this feeling of competition," Link said with a faint smile.
Just then...
The system's mechanical, cold electronic voice rang out in Link's mind.
"Ding, the Host has triggered a random mission—Showing Off a Little."
"Mission Description: As the NBA's first high school number one draft pick, scoring 40 points in a single preseason game isn't too much to ask, right? Complete a 40-point game in the preseason. Reward: 1000 Goat points, [Random Superstar sparring partner card] x1."
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...
The notification sound of the system issuing the mission made Link feel as if he had drunk a hundred bottles of energy drinks; he instantly perked up.
Tomorrow night, the Washington Wizards would Host the Memphis Grizzlies.
Pau Gasol was currently serving as the team's starting interior player...
Paul! Paul! Paul!
His personal badge, [Invincible Background Board], could finally come into play.
Of course, Link, who wanted to become the NBA Goat, couldn't pin his fate on his opponent's... name.
Becoming stronger himself was the real key.
During this period, although Link's progress wasn't massive, compared to ordinary players, it was equivalent to a whole year's worth of training effects.
[Speed] base attribute +1, increased to 74 (76); [Strength] base attribute +1, increased to 77 (81); [Explosive Acceleration] base attribute +1, increased to 67 (70).
The [Strength] base attribute was quite special, as it was a comprehensive value of various types of strength. Link's strength was a bit lopsided; his upper and lower body strength were very strong, but his core strength was relatively weak. Over the past half month, Link had been training his core strength hard every day.
Besides physical training...
Link's [Post Fadeaway Jumpshot] and [Post Hook Shot] were also constantly improving through one-on-ones with Michael Jordan and using sparring partner cards.
[Post Fadeaway Jumpshot] base attribute +5, increased to 65 (88); [Post Hook Shot] base attribute +4, increased to 71 (88).
After the training session ended, Link's management team called.
"Mr. Link, we have found the luxury mansion you like according to your requirements. When will you have time to go and take a look?"
As a billionaire, Link didn't yet own a villa or mansion of his own; that simply wouldn't do...
However, Link naturally didn't need to go house hunting himself.
"Wait until the preseason is over!" Link said calmly.
"Alright, Mr. Link."
After hanging up the phone, Link chatted with Clarke again. As they talked, the two of them proceeded to more 'in-depth' training.
By now, the two had already broken through that final barrier and had become boyfriend and girlfriend.
Because of this, when Link used special training cards now, he was actually learning legitimate fighting techniques.
58 minutes and 1 second later...
Link went to the bathroom to shower, intending to get a good night's sleep to prepare for tomorrow night's game.
At this time, Sophia Clarke suddenly asked curiously, "Link, has that online ID 'grim reaper loves chasing dreams' contacted you? He seems to be a huge fan of yours!!!"
"Huh? I don't know him." After Link finished speaking, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
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The next day!
The Wizards' home arena.
The game against the Grizzlies officially began.
Before the game, the media had heavily promoted the battle for the 2001 rookie of the year.
Who was the more outstanding rookie?
However, once the game started, the fans' attention was quickly drawn to the Grizzlies' star point guard—'White Chocolate' Jason Williams.
Holding the ball at the top of the arc and facing Link's defense, he first did a double between-the-legs crossover. With a "thump!", he suddenly passed the ball through Link's legs.
A nutmeg pass went straight to Pau Gasol under the basket. After receiving the ball, the latter took advantage of his height to score over Popeye Jones's defense.
"Wow!"
"Wow!"
Bursts of exclamations immediately erupted from the fans at the scene.
However, in the next instant...
Link was not to be outdone. Using a screen, he drove toward the left lane and threw a NO-LOOK-PASS to Michael Jordan, who was cutting in from the right wing. After catching the ball and brushing off Shane Battier's defense, Jordan made the layup.