109 to 98; the Wizards eventually secured a two-game winning streak with an 11-point lead.
After putting up 25+5+5, Link also successfully completed the system's main quest—'To Hell with Being a Road Underdog'.
He received the system reward of 200 GOAT points and a [Super Physique Athletic Sprint Card (3 Days)].
Currently, Link's tappable talent potential in the 'Physique and Athletics' category was dwindling. If he continued as before, all-around training would struggle to yield results; therefore, Link opted for specialized training.
He planned to further enhance his core strength through deadlift training.
On the night of the victory over the Hawks.
In his hotel room, Michael Jordan, having led the team to two consecutive wins, was in a great mood. He puffed on a cigar while watching the latest sports news on TV.
"Michael may be 38 years old, but don't forget, he is Air Jordan."
The media showered Jordan with praise, which he found very gratifying.
Jordan picked up the landline by his bedside table, preparing to treat his teammates to a late-night snack. While rewarding them, he could also increase team cohesion.
The first person Jordan called was Link, but Link's room phone went unanswered.
"Is this guy in the shower? Whatever, I'll call the others first."
The second person Jordan called was the team rookie—Brendan Haywood.
"rookie, get the guys on the team to my room. I'm taking you all out for a good meal."
As the god of basketball, he naturally wouldn't do everything personally.
A short while later, everyone from the Wizards arrived at Jordan's hotel room, except for Link.
"Is this kid already asleep?" Jordan asked, finding it amusing.
In Jordan's view, Link had been as tired as a dead dog in the latter half of the fourth quarter. With his Stamina unable to hold up, he probably collapsed into bed the moment he returned to his room.
"True, for a rookie, playing such long minutes on the road makes it normal to be a bit drained. After all, not every rookie is like I was back then, not even knowing what tired meant," Jordan thought to himself.
The next moment, Brendan Haywood said, "Michael, Link is in the hotel gym... he's doing strength training..."
"WTF!?" Upon hearing this, Jordan stared at Haywood dumbfounded, as if wanting to confirm what he just heard.
"Yeah, Michael. Link's recovery ability is simply monstrous..." Haywood's tone couldn't help but carry a hint of envy.
In the eyes of Haywood and others who knew Link, although his Stamina couldn't be called excellent, his recovery ability was extremely strong. In reality, this was just the effect of the sparring partner card.
"Michael, should I go call Link again?" Haywood asked.
"Yeah, go ahead. But tell him he doesn't need to come over immediately; he can come after his training is finished," Jordan said with a smile.
...
...
In the final game of the first week of the NBA regular season, the Washington Wizards hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Although the strength of this Cavaliers team was mediocre, truth be told, the current Wizards were also mediocre—composed of the old and the young, the team hadn't yet established a clear defensive system.
Even though Jordan had won DPOY as a guard, that was many years ago; that era was long gone...
The Cavaliers' starting Point Guard, Andre Miller—don't be fooled by his lack of interest in dunking; his physical attributes were not lacking at all. His running and jumping abilities were definitely 'elite level' among NBA Point Guards.
His nickname was 'genius killer'; players like 'White Chocolate' Jason Williams, Steve Nash, and Jason Kidd had all suffered at his hands.
Standing at 191cm, Andre Miller was 13cm shorter than Link, but he had a low center of gravity, plenty of lower body strength, and keen defensive awareness.
Once Link was stuck in his tight coverage, it was very difficult to shake him off.
In the entire first quarter, Link only took 2 shots, making only 1, and recorded 2 assists and 1 rebound, along with 2 turnovers.
"Mr. Doug, Link finds it hard to play his style when facing a Point Guard who possesses Speed, strength, and strong defensive awareness," said Wizards assistant coach Larry Drew.
"Mm. Link needs to further strengthen his driving ability; however, anyone would have a headache facing a guard like Andre Miller," Doug Collins replied, not particularly concerned.
In his view, Link was already excellent enough, even exceeding his expectations. Even if Link was the number one draft pick, it was, after all, a weak draft year. As for the astronomical endorsement deal signed with Nike, to be honest, it previously seemed like the Chinese market behind Link played a significant role.
Starting from the second quarter of the game...
Link utilized Off-Ball Movement more, using his teammates' screens to gain an 'offensive advantage'.
Additionally, he used [Moment of Domination: Gods Weapon] and [Moment of Dominance: Sharpshooter] to force solutions.
Throughout the second quarter, Link took advantage of his height and wingspan to catch and shoot, hitting two Three-Point Shots and one mid-range shot right in Andre Miller's face, scoring 13 points in the single quarter.
This left Andre Miller quite helpless on defense. In a 1v1 face-to-face on-ball defense, he could easily disrupt Link's shooting rhythm, but... if he could play like a shooter, using screens and Off-Ball Movement for catch-and-shoots, while also playing like a wing, attacking the rim in a straight line after receiving the ball, he became very difficult to guard.
Furthermore... Link was essentially a Point Guard; he could even handle playmaking off the ball.
In the third quarter, Link leveraged the shooting threat from the second quarter to draw double teams after his Off-Ball Movement, racking up 5 assists. This made Andre Miller unable to help but complain, "Link, I didn't expect you to be able to playmake without even having the ball in your hands."
With the basketball passing through Link's hands for just a moment, he could more accurately find teammates with better opportunities.
Hamilton, Michael Jordan, and even the substitute Connet Alexander all benefited from Link's 'dividends'.
In the fourth quarter, the exhausted Link saw his efficiency on both ends of the court plummet drastically, even missing wide-open shots. In the latter half of the fourth quarter, he was even blown past like a traffic cone twice in a row by the Cavaliers' backup guard, Ricky Davis.
"Fortunately," the 38-year-old Old Michael Jordan also choked at the final moment. The brick-laying duo went a combined 2-for-14 in the final quarter, and despite leading by 6 points after three quarters, they suffered a comeback defeat.
After the game, Link and Jordan attended the team's media interview.
As the god of basketball, Michael Jordan was... savagely bitten by the media reporters.
"Michael, do you think this... comeback was not a wise decision?"
"Michael, will you consider reducing your playing time in future games to improve your offensive efficiency?"
The media reporters threw out one 'harsh' question after another.
But at that moment... Link took the microphone first, answering before Michael Jordan: "Michael's performance on the court has already exceeded the limits of age. His energy on the court makes me feel like he's more of a rookie than I am sometimes."
Link's humorous self-deprecation not only elevated Michael Jordan but also made the media reporters, who wanted to continue making things difficult, unable to help but laugh out loud.
"Michael has shown a pure love for basketball and the courage to challenge limits, which makes me tip my hat to him." Link made a gesture of tipping an imaginary hat.
Immediately, this drew applause from the media reporters present and the Washington Wizards' PR manager, who was watching from the sidelines.