Although many American media outlets condemned Link's 'extreme trade-off' behavior during the game, the words of Karl Malone, the person involved, were somewhat thought-provoking after the match.
"That little bastard Link isn't honest at all... playing against him felt like I'd gone back over ten years; he's incredibly tough to the bone."
"Of course, the next time I meet him, I'll beat him until he's looking for his teeth on the floor."
When mentioning Link, Karl Malone gritted his teeth, yet his words revealed a hint of appreciation for him.
The last player to have such a nuanced relationship with Karl Malone was Charles Barkley.
At the same time, compared to this negative publicity, Link's invisible gains were enormous.
High school rookies of this era were like 'children who hadn't grown up' in the eyes of many veteran players, who gave them no respect at all. Of course, high school rookies now were still much better off than those in Kobe's era.
After all, high school rookies like Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and Tracy McGrady had already become top-tier superstars in the league.
Link's daring'strike' against the league's 'Black and White Duo' undoubtedly sent a message to other teams: 'I'm not easy to bully, so rein in your dirty moves.'
This would result in Link facing fewer non-basketball fouls.
...
...
After winning the game, Link had several bruises on his body. When his girlfriend Sophia Clarke saw them, she couldn't stop her tears from falling.
However...
To Sophia Clarke's surprise, after an hour of 'meditation,' the bruises on Link's body had actually dissipated by seventy to eighty percent, and his Stamina was one hundred percent restored.
A full 48 minutes and 37 seconds!
After meditating and relaxing, Link threw himself back into training.
The opponent for the final game of the week was the Orlando Magic.
The Magic, led by Tracy McGrady.
The Magic during this period relied entirely on McGrady carrying the team.
As one of the four great shooting guards, McGrady naturally wanted to test his skills against Jordan.
This was a hallmark of the era; rising stars always loved to challenge Michael Jordan.
Iverson, McGrady, Carter, and Kobe were all like this.
Jordan could still somewhat limit McGrady in the first two quarters. Although the effect wasn't great, he was much stronger than the Wizards' other perimeter players.
But as the game moved into the second half, Michael Jordan's footwork became increasingly heavy as his Stamina was depleted.
McGrady, who possessed the league's fastest first step, could easily tear past a defensive position.
With a combination of drives and shots, plus free throws, McGrady scored 11 points under Jordan's defense in the first 5 minutes of the third quarter. Furthermore, he helped the Magic Team go on a 13-4 run, stretching their lead to 10 points.
52 to 62!
The Wizards called a timeout as Doug Collins saw that Jordan's Stamina bar was nearly empty.
But who would the burden of defending McGrady be handed to next?
While Richard Hamilton's defense was decent, he couldn't stop an 'explosive Speed-penetrator' like McGrady, and Link similarly couldn't defend against that type.
When Doug Collins's gaze swept over to Richard Hamilton, the latter subconsciously lowered his head, clearly unwilling to match up with McGrady. Moreover, McGrady was currently in a 'hot hand' state, having already scored 26 points—yes, 26 points with less than three quarters played.
"Coach, let me try," Link volunteered at this moment.
Doug Collins was slightly taken aback, but he quickly nodded in agreement.
"Link... Tracy isn't like he usually is. His shooting is very accurate tonight; you can't give him easy looks. Also... his first step is extremely fast... so we can only force him to give up the ball through help defense and double-teaming."
"Our chance right now is... his shot selection is very willful..."
Doug Collins laid out the strategy for defending McGrady.
McGrady's shooting wasn't usually that consistent, but his touch was explosive tonight. Combined with the boost from the league's fastest first step, he was impossible to defend one-on-one. The only way was help defense and double-teaming. This was also the key to whether they could mount a comeback.
When Doug Collins said McGrady's shot selection was willful, he didn't mean McGrady's Passing ability was poor, but rather that he preferred to solve problems with his raw talent.
The word 'willful' was very accurate for the current McGrady.
"rookie... is your team out of people? They're actually sending you to guard me?" When McGrady saw Jordan subbed out and realized his defender was Link, the intense battle spirit in his eyes faded, returning to his usual'sleepy-eyed' look.
"Tracy... I don't think you're that hard to guard!" Link used his posturing skills.
McGrady responded quickly, slapping Link's face with his play. Approaching with the ball, McGrady used a pendulum-style crossover, treating Link like a wooden post. He didn't even give Alexander time to provide help defense, resulting in a blocking foul on the helping Alexander.
"That first step is so damn fast..."
"The TJ Ford I encountered at the ABCD Training Camp and the McDonald's All-American Game might have been faster than McGrady, but their strides are completely incomparable..."
McGrady blew past Link twice with his first step, but by the third time, Link, having gradually found the pattern, chose to play off him. Although McGrady had space to shoot, he didn't use his 'soul-stirring pull-up' to solve the problem. During his Magic era, McGrady's physical talent was at its peak—massive strides, the league's fastest first step, and a 120kg max bench press. He truly could do whatever he wanted based on talent alone, unlike his Rockets era where he relied on pull-up jumpers.
McGrady's second and third steps were also powerful, but they couldn't compare to his first. Additionally, as the number one draft pick, Link also possessed epic physical talent, forward-level strength, defensive badges like [Death Coil (Gold)] and [Ball-Handling Steal Master (Silver)], as well as help defense and double-teaming from teammate Connet Alexander.
McGrady, not meeting much resistance under the basket, chose to force a finish.
The result... three consecutive misses, and one where he managed to force it in relying on his physical talent and soft touch.
During this period, Link dominated the opposing Point Guard—the 183cm tall Darrell Armstrong. His pick-and-roll play with Laettner activated the Washington Wizards' entire offense.
With 4 minutes and 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Link cut to the basket, attracting not only Darrell Armstrong but also drawing McGrady from the wing to help. As a result, Link made a behind-the-head pass to Hamilton on the three-point line. The latter hit the Three-Point Shot, giving the team their first lead of the game.
75 to 73, Washington Wizards lead by 2.
And then...
In the TNT Broadcast Booth, commentator Charles Barkley couldn't help but grin and say, "Haha, while Michael is out, the Washington Wizards have contained Tracy McGrady using half the team's defense, and their offense is incredibly fluid..."
"Leading isn't scary; it's the absence that's embarrassing!"