Kenny Thomas, 210cm tall, demanded the ball in the low post, and with a 15kg weight advantage, he kept wiggling his butt towards the basket, feeling quite at ease. He thought disdainfully, "Hmph, this is all it takes to be a number one draft pick?"
The Houston Rockets' backup Point Guard, Moochie Norris, saw Kenny Thomas reach the deep low post and quickly passed the ball. In an instant, Link, who appeared defenseless behind Kenny Thomas, suddenly made a front-cut, and with a "Pa!" sound, easily intercepted the pass.
After the Steal, Link initiated a fast break. Michael Jordan, at this moment, displayed extreme off-ball fast break ability, almost perfectly synchronized with Link. Players with strong fast break abilities all share one characteristic: they are good at "sneaking ahead." This is like a track and field race; if you false start or sneak ahead, who the hell can catch you?
Of course, if you sneak ahead too much, and the Defensive Rebound isn't secured, or the ball isn't completely stolen and controlled, it's easy for the opponent to create a "5-on-4" situation.
"Buddy, you're thinking too simply." Soon after, Link once again used a front-cut to disrupt the opponent's reception. Although he didn't completely get around this time, Link's defensive area was truly too large, knocking the ball out of bounds.
"Hmph..." Kenny Thomas snorted. Although he was eager to sit Link down with his butt, the latter gave him no chance to get into a "low post isolation."
One of the drawbacks of short big men is the difficulty in getting the ball in the "deep low post."
The deep low post refers to within 1.2 meters of the basket's center, where one can directly attack the rim after receiving the ball with their back to the basket. Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan often receive the ball in this position.
The mid-low post, on the other hand, is 1.2-2.4 meters from the basket's center, which is the typical receiving position for strong big men.
Of course... twenty years later, there will also be many "forwards" and "big men" who receive the ball beyond the Three-Point Shot line.
The "offensive volume" of short big men is too small, making it easy for defensive players' "fingertips" to touch the ball. You know... Link's wingspan reaches a terrifying 221cm, his static talent is far superior to Kenny Thomas of the Houston Rockets.
After being stolen due to positioning too deep, Kenny Thomas quieted down for a few minutes, then planned to demand the ball in the "mid-low post"...
Demanding the ball in the mid-low post offers a wider receiving range and shorter Passing distance, making it harder to front-cut. However, Link didn't plan to front-cut; he just directly muscled him.
Low post isolation isn't just about having weight and strength; the offensive player must utilize their ball-handling ability to fully exert their size advantage.
"Dong!" On the first back-to-the-basket post-up after receiving the ball, Link was shaken back a step, but on the opponent's second post-up, Link only retreated half a foot. Fans and spectators on site could clearly see that Link had basically held his ground. Subsequently, without space to exert force, he couldn't budge Link. Forced to, he opted for a hook shot, but Link, anticipating this attack, also timely used his long arms to interfere.
The short and stout big man, Kenny Thomas, also has an advantage in Offensive Rebounds. However, after defending his opponent, Link's first action was to turn around and back-post his opponent, completely denying him the chance to crash the boards.
In single defense, Link rendered Kenny Thomas scoreless, not even allowing him to grab a rebound.
And in help defense, Link's performance was even more outstanding. The Houston Rockets' backup Point Guard, Moochie Norris, this 185cm tall guard, although very agile, his Speed was not particularly fast. Well, in basketball, agility and Speed are often not the same thing.
For example, Kevin Garnett's Speed is very slow; his rookie report explicitly stated a lack of sufficient Speed. But Garnett is very agile, quick-handed, quick-footed...
Moochie Norris, facing Hamilton's defense, occasionally used a pick-and-roll to barely penetrate the paint, but Link's long-armed help defense made him miserable.
After a pick-and-roll, Norris drove left with the ball. Just as Link, near the elbow, moved over, his long arm suddenly shot out, and with a "Pa!" sound... he completed a lightning-fast Steal.
"What? What's wrong with you?"
"Can't even dribble the ball steadily?"
"How did it get stolen again??"
Houston Rockets' scholarly coach, Rudy Tomjanovich, couldn't help but turn red with anger.
In the first quarter alone, Link completed an astonishing 4 Steals, with Kenny Thomas and Moochie Norris each contributing 2 to Link.
During the regular rotation phase of the first quarter.
"Boss, you don't know... that damned rookie has arms that are too long, and he loves to Steal too much. Even a dog Passing by gets patted down by him," Moochie Norris said through gritted teeth.
Link was defending Kenny Thomas, a small forward without a jump shot, which meant Link didn't have to be pulled out near the Three-Point Shot line. Although Link's Speed as a Point Guard was criticized by many media as that of a "tractor," compared to Power Forwards, he was a "Flash." Furthermore... what made Moochie Norris most uncomfortable was that Link possessed a wingspan far exceeding his height, easily causing "visual errors" for defenders, who always thought they were outside his "defensive zone"...
Coach Tomjanovich shook his head.
He then glanced at Kenny Thomas, who was restricted by Link to only 1 rebound in the first quarter, and suddenly sighed, "Alas..."
The Houston Rockets' talent was truly not enough to compete...
Especially when facing Link, the most controversial number one draft pick in NBA history.
In the subsequent three quarters, the chemistry and familiarity between Link and the other Washington Wizards starters on the defensive end visibly improved. The only issue was the serious scoring deficit from the bench lineup...
But the Houston Rockets were truly awful.
They couldn't drive in.
In the low post, they couldn't penetrate either.
Not only that, but Link, as the Point Guard, repeatedly showcased his back-to-the-basket offense at the Houston Rockets' home court.
In the second half of the game, after a pick-and-roll with Laettner, Link forced the Houston Rockets' young big man, Eddie Griffin, to switch defenses three times. The first time, Link directly faced up and drove past his defender.
The second time, he encountered help defense, slowed down midway, and was caught by Eddie Griffin. But at this point, Link, in the "deep low post," directly muscled him. The next instant, a scene that shocked Houston Rockets' home fans unfolded: Eddie Griffin, 208cm tall, was knocked back a big step by Link, who then seized the opportunity to turn and jump face-up to the basket, extending his long arms and softly laying the ball into the hoop.
The third time, Link stopped the ball in the mid-low post, transitioned from facing the basket to a back-to-the-basket post-up. After one back-to-the-basket post-up, he followed with a right-hand spin, beautifully using dream steps to get past the defense, driving straight to the basket, and completing a finger-roll. Uh... Link chose not to dunk with one hand, not because he didn't like it, but simply because the continuous moves didn't generate enough momentum, and if he missed a dunk... it would be too embarrassing.
This even led Charles Barkley, a commentator in the TNT Broadcast Booth, to complain about his old team.
"Oh, no..."
"Eddie Griffin, that's too embarrassing. To be completely devoured by the opposing Point Guard, I even doubt if he really weighs 99kg..."
Eddie Griffin was completely devoured by Link in the low post, firstly because he was too thin, 208cm tall but only weighing 99kg, and his pure strength was inferior to Link's; secondly, Link's newly acquired badge—"Backdown Punisher"—could enhance Link's back-to-the-basket pushing ability.
Of course, the most important thing was—activating the back-to-the-basket offense's [Dominance Moment: Paint Tyrant].
The terrifying back-to-the-basket post-up ability left Eddie Griffin with a look of despair after the game...
...
...
The game ended.
117 to 80!
The Washington Wizards decisively defeated the short-handed Houston Rockets.
This game held significant meaning for the Wizards.
After the game...
Head coach Doug Collins walked into the locker room holding a "Golden Chain."
Of course, this Golden Chain was not pure gold; it was merely gold-plated.
This was also Link's suggestion.
To change the team's defense with it.