Although their star player was Tracy McGrady, who had the miraculous 13 points in 35 seconds, that was during his Houston Rockets days. Besides, such an astonishing comeback had rarely happened in NBA history, so it was naturally impossible for him to encounter it.
Next, the Magic Team and Washington Wizards each missed a shot. With 3 seconds left, the Magic Team had no timeouts. McGrady quickly dribbled the ball forward, and before he even crossed half-court, he threw the ball out.
"Bang!" The ball hit the backboard, the timer's red light flashed, and the regular time of the game ended, even though McGrady made that shot.
But in the end, it was still 104-101, and the Washington Wizards narrowly advanced.
In the second week of the NBA 2001-2002 regular season, the Wizards achieved a team record of 2 wins and 1 loss.
Regarding individual player statistics:
Only two players from the Magic Team scored in double digits: Tracy McGrady and Mike Miller.
Mike Miller was also bricking tonight, shooting 4-for-12 from the field, 2-for-7 from Three-Point Shot, with no Free Throws, only getting 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist.
Tracy McGrady shot 13-for-29 from the field, 3-for-9 from Three-Point Shot, and 11-for-14 from the Free Throw line, accumulating 39 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 Steals, and 1 Block.
The stats are impressive. As for the shooting percentage, it might not look great at first glance, but in reality, many of those misses were due to McGrady's "willful offensive choices." Additionally, not just any player can sustain such high offensive output in the NBA. A typical example is Trevor Ariza, who was once seen by the Houston Rockets as capable of replacing McGrady, earning him the nickname "Iron Ariza."
McGrady didn't just take 29 shots tonight; he also drew 14 Free Throw attempts from fouls.
As for the Washington Wizards tonight, three players scored in double digits.
Link shot 10-for-18 from the field, 1-for-4 from Three-Point Shot, and 3-for-4 from the Free Throw line, achieving a near triple-double with 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists. While McGrady's offensive efficiency was much higher, Link's output couldn't compare to McGrady's.
It's not that Link didn't want to take more shots; rather, he was limited by his personal playstyle and abilities.
Although Link is the team's combo guard, he is essentially still a Point Guard. To make the team's offense smoother and more efficient, he naturally wouldn't take an exceptionally high number of shots. Additionally, Link, lacking Speed and explosiveness, was severely deficient in terms of transition offense and defense.
Fast breaks are an efficient scoring method in the small-ball era.
Link, who found it difficult to use "dribbling for fast breaks" as a regular offensive weapon, naturally struggled to achieve "high output."
Michael Jordan shot 8-for-16 from the field, 1-for-4 from Three-Point Shot, and 4-for-4 from the Free Throw line, accumulating 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 Steals. Jordan's offensive efficiency was entirely boosted in the fourth quarter; otherwise, his shooting percentage tonight probably wouldn't even have reached 40%.
A major reason for Jordan's improved shooting percentage was the reduction of "high-difficulty" shots, with his shot selection being quite reasonable for most of the game.
Another Wizards player who scored in double digits was Richard Hamilton.
The tireless Hamilton's Stamina, even when placed in the long river of NBA history, is at a T-level. A significant portion of Jordan's reduced high-difficulty shots went to Hamilton, which also allowed Hamilton to score over 20 points for the first time this season.
Besides...
Although no other Wizards players scored in double digits (more than 10 points), two other players were in high spirits after the game.
Christian Laettner's stats tonight didn't look great: 8 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds. However, his two-man game with Link was "pleasing to the eye" for fans, and his Passing repeatedly dismantled the Magic Team's defense. His 6 assists were direct assists, but if indirect assists were counted, Laettner's assist numbers for this game would double.
Additionally, there was the team's rookie, Brendan Haywood.
Haywood, standing 213cm tall and weighing over 120kg, significantly improved the team's defensive efficiency when he was on the court with Link. It was during that time that McGrady's offense was suppressed.
...
...
After the game, players from both sides exchanged friendly hugs.
Link shared a big hug with New York Knicks legend Patrick Ewing, who was now considered trash and traded to the Magic Team.
"Link... I know what you're thinking," Ewing said with a smile, looking at Link, who had been observing him.
"Dude, don't misunderstand... you just remind me of an old friend," Link chuckled.
Ewing really was the real-life version of Akagi Takenori... they were so similar.
"Link, keep up the good work! You have an immeasurable future," Ewing said with some emotion, looking at Link, who had led his team to victory against his own tonight.
"Brother, I wish you all the best too," Link said with a smile.
Patrick Ewing was also one of the "unlucky ones" during the Jordan era. Furthermore, Ewing's athleticism in college was far superior to his NBA days, to the point of being "like two different people."
In the 90s, when the Four Great Centers dominated and Jordan suppressed all other talents, Ewing not only lacked a championship but also had very few individual honors.
...
...
After finishing the on-site media interviews, Link returned to the locker room and saw Jordan frowning, seemingly deep in thought.
He didn't joke around with Link or "mock" each other as usual. Honestly...
Even though Link sometimes wanted to give Michael Jordan a "kick in the nuts" or an "eye poke," the silent Michael Jordan now made Link very uncomfortable.
The time came to 11 PM.
Link, who had just finished his extra training, received text messages from head coach Doug Collins and assistant coach Larry Drew, inviting him to a coffee shop.
So late?
And it was a personal invitation from the head coach and assistant coach; it certainly wasn't just to enjoy a "beautiful night." It must be related to the team's future.
Indeed...
Link guessed correctly.
In the private room of the coffee shop, besides the three of them, there was also Michael Jordan, dressed in a suit and smoking a cigar.
"rookie... you were right about some things. Although I'm not worse than the younger generation of superstar shooting guards now, and like my younger self, I'm still a two-way player. But I'm not a 20-something-year-old anymore; I can't sustain full-game output." This was Michael Jordan, even when admitting a mistake, he had to be humble-bragging, and even tried to tease Link about his poor Stamina.
But Link didn't indulge Michael Jordan and immediately said, "Yeah, Michael, when I'm in my twenties... playing a full 82 minutes every game won't be a problem..."
Michael Jordan:...
Doug Collins and Larry Drew watched Michael Jordan and Link bicker, and they couldn't help but smile. At the same time, they thought even more highly of Link, as a rookie who could have a "naturally equal conversation" with Jordan was truly a rarity in the entire NBA.
"Link... Michael suggested bringing you here. Our team's defense is too poor, and we need to establish a defensive core..."
"Clearly, you are the most suitable candidate."