After the game began, the Indiana Pacers' first few possessions revolved around their All-Star big man, Jermaine ONeal. After all, Laettner was old and slow now. Jermaine ONeal had excellent face-up skills, the size of an interior player, and the playing style and athleticism of a forward.
Tinsley fed the ball to Jermaine ONeal in the mid-to-low post. Although Laettner was in a defensive stance, when Jermaine ONeal secured the ball and turned from a back-to-the-basket position to face-up, with a 'whoosh!', he truly blew past Laettner in one step. Laettner stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. Haywood under the basket didn't protect the rim in time, and Jermaine ONeal soared for a one-handed dunk.
2 to 2!
At this moment, Laettner, trying to save face, stomped his foot hard, as if to say: 'This floor is a bit slippery.'
Link, realizing what the team's veteran was thinking, quickly pointed to the ball boy by the court and said, "Kid, quickly wipe this clean, it's too slippery."
"Ahem," Laettner lightly coughed twice, exchanging a smile with Link.
"Big brother, try to force him to go left, I'll help you double-team." Link was guarding Jalen Rose on defense tonight, so he could stand on the wing to help Laettner with help defense.
Who is Jalen Rose?
Hmm...
That's right.
He was the creator of Kobe's 81 points.
Unfortunately... I'm still a bit weak now. Jalen Rose's name doesn't contain "Paul" or "George";
Otherwise, I would have to score 81 points on Jalen Rose before Kobe. Of course, this isn't to say Link has a grudge against Jalen Rose; on the contrary, there's no enmity between them. Link just wants Kobe to "chase" his record.
In NBA novels of my previous life, protagonists who entered the league later always chased the records of Kobe and James. Hehe, why can't I make them chase my records? Kobe is still the second-in-command for the Los Angeles Lakers, and James is only in his junior year of high school now.
There's plenty of time!
The player the Indiana Pacers sent to guard Link was coincidentally also Jalen Rose. Jalen Rose's physical conditioning wasn't bad; his athleticism, even in the NBA, was at least in the second tier. With a height of 203cm and 102kg, he could perfectly match Link in terms of size.
However, Jalen Rose's defensive footwork and defensive instincts were very poor. Link and Haywood's pick-and-roll: first, a dribble to the right, a pause to observe. Jalen Rose took a big step to squeeze through the screen but got caught. Link immediately lowered his center of gravity, accelerated with the momentum, and his first step was very quick, instantly bringing him level with Jalen Rose. Jalen Rose quickly retreated.
Seeing that the driving lane was not blocked, Link accelerated again, exerting force in the confrontation. At this moment, the Indiana Pacers fans in the arena were surprised to find that Jalen Rose was actually pushed aside. Link drove to the basket, faked a pass with a swing, "freezing" Jermaine ONeal who wanted to help defend. He then drove into the paint and scored with a long-armed scoop layup.
4 to 4, the score is tied.
The Indiana Pacers still wanted to find Jermaine ONeal. Hamilton waved his hands, trying to obscure and disrupt the Passing lane... but Tinsley suddenly flung the ball to Reggie Miller, who, using a screen, ran open. Miller caught the ball with almost no pause, and with Michael Jordan chasing him, he smoothly shot.
Three-Point Shot made!
8 to 11, the Washington Wizards trail by 3 points.
"Michael, even you can't beat Father Time," Miller said with a wide smile after making the Three-Point Shot.
"Is that so?" Michael Jordan retorted.
However, what surprised Reggie Miller was that his fiercely competitive old rival didn't try to isolate him in the next possession but instead listened to the command of the rookie, "Link," on the court.
"Michael..."
"What's wrong with you now? This isn't like your style at all."
Reggie Miller, who had been chasing Michael Jordan, spoke trash talk with a smile.
"Buddy, I have 6 championships, how many do you have?"
"Our current record is fourth in the Eastern Conference, and you guys are eighth, right?"
Michael Jordan also used the correct way to open his championship rings.
However, Reggie Miller, who was long accustomed to it, showed no emotion on his face and continued to smile, "Michael, your era has passed."
On the court, Link, through a pick-and-roll, bounced the ball to Haywood who was cutting to an open spot, but unfortunately, he was too slow and was caught by Jeff Foster, who fouled him and sent him to the Free Throw line.
"rookie... this is only halfway through the first quarter, and you've already run no less than 10 pick-and-rolls..." Jalen Rose said.
10 pick-and-rolls is a rough estimate. However, it also indirectly reflects that Link was indeed frequently running pick-and-rolls, which was very uncomfortable for Jalen Rose, who was mediocre at defending pick-and-rolls.
"Hmm, that's why I've scored 8 points... and you only have 2 points... and that's because the referee sympathized with you and gave you 2 Free Throws," Link said with a wide and pleasant smile.
"Michael, your rookie's trash talk isn't any worse than yours," Reggie Miller said.
"Of course..."
"And this little rascal isn't just good with his mouth..."
Jordan said.
Haywood's Free Throws were also a big problem; this time, he made 1 out of 2.
13 to 18!
Jermaine ONeal received the ball in the mid-to-low post and continued to attack Laettner. This time, Laettner forced him to go left, which was the wing where Link was. When Jermaine ONeal was halfway through his drive, Link rushed out, immediately turning his help defense into a double-team. It was very decisive, not giving Jermaine ONeal any chance to react, and successfully made a Steal.
The Wizards launched a fast break. Link found that the player randomly assigned to guard him was Reggie Miller. After dribbling past half-court, Link first went to Laettner in the high post to receive the ball, 'wash' the ball, briefly relax his nerves, and recover some Stamina, then he moved to the elbow area to receive the ball.
"rookie, are you really sure you want to play against me?" Reggie Miller said with a smile, his tone full of confidence.
Reggie Miller, at 201cm and 84kg, had excellent defensive anticipation, quick footwork, and a flexible body, but he was physically thin.
Link's face-up drive with the ball...
Reggie Miller didn't really take it seriously.
However...
What left Reggie Miller speechless was that this little rascal actually played a back-to-the-basket isolation, directly using his butt to post him up. After he had unbalanced Miller's body, he suddenly executed a turnaround fadeaway jump shot...
The almost identical fadeaway angle and release point.
At this moment, Reggie Miller felt as if he was seeing Michael Jordan.