Although this was just an ordinary regular-season game, in the hearts of Reggie Miller and Isiah Thomas, losing to Michael Jordan was even more painful than being kicked in the nuts by Link.
At this moment, Michael Jordan, who had won the game, had beads of sweat constantly streaming down his cheeks. No longer young, his Stamina bar was almost empty, but at the moment of victory, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Player Statistics:
[Indiana Pacers]:
Jermaine O'Neal: 6 of 17 shooting, 4 of 6 free throws, recording 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 Blocks, and 4 turnovers. Looking at the final stats alone, it was only 3 points less than his season average of 19, but tonight's shooting percentage was only 35.3%, nearly 13% lower than his season average of 48%.
As an interior player, O'Neal's shooting percentage wasn't high to begin with. Of course, this also had to do with his offensive range; he wasn't a blue-collar interior player who just lived off easy baskets. But tonight, it was only 35.3% with 4 turnovers, primarily because Link's help defense played a major role.
Link's defensive awareness and physical dimensions allowed him to constantly harass O'Neal whenever he received the ball in the paint.
Reggie Miller, as a 34-year-old veteran, actually turned in a nearly perfect performance tonight with 19 field goal attempts (missing only 1), 4 of 9 from three-point range, 24 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 Steals... well... if they had won, the word 'nearly' could be removed.
As for the rookie the Indiana Pacers entrusted with heavy responsibility—Jamal Tinsley—he only managed 4 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 Steals.
For a rookie, Tinsley's performance wasn't actually bad.
But compared to Link, it was like the difference between clouds and mud.
[Wizards]:
Link: 13 of 19 shooting, 2 of 5 from three-point range, 3 of 5 free throws, recording 31 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 Steals.
Except for assists, Link basically outperformed Tinsley in every category. Before this game, many fans were still upset that Tinsley didn't win the Eastern Conference rookie of the month for November, but after tonight, while those voices won't disappear completely, they will certainly be much quieter.
It's worth mentioning that Link's rebounds tonight set a new career high. Not only did he get 'uncontested' long rebounds, but he also grabbed 5 rebounds in contested situations tonight.
Those were grabbed while battling Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose respectively.
Michael Jordan: 12 of 15 shooting, 0 of 2 from three-point range, 5 of 5 free throws, scoring an extremely efficient 29 points with 4 rebounds and 1 Steal. Tonight, Michael Jordan scored more in 'transition' and'semi-transition,' while in half-court sets, he generally took on the role of the 'bail-out man.'
This not only optimized Michael Jordan's shot selection but also preserved more of his Stamina, allowing him to play better in the fourth quarter.
Besides Link and Michael Jordan scoring in double digits tonight, Richard Hamilton had 17 points, and Brendan Haywood also managed 1 point, as for...
The Wizards' interior anchor, Christian Laettner, uh... looking at the stats, he felt like a guard: 6 points, 12 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 Steal, and 1 Block.
Laettner can not only facilitate from the high post, but his secondary Passing ability is top-notch. If Link encountered help defense or double-teams while cutting to the basket, he would often find Laettner to reset the play.
While Laettner's ability to attack the rim isn't great, he has a decent jumper and a high basketball IQ; he constantly adjusts his positioning to make it easy for Link to pass the ball to him when stuck.
Additionally... although there were many scenes of Laettner being overpowered or blown by Jermaine O'Neal, he spent the entire game pushing back against O'Neal with everything he had, never slacking for a second.
It could be said...
Laettner was the 'unsung hero' of this victory.
For this reason, he was awarded the 'Golden Chain' by Doug Collins after the game.
Inside the Wizards' locker room, the atmosphere was harmonious.
Michael Jordan, having beaten Reggie Miller and Isiah Thomas, was in a great mood and invited everyone to a local nightclub after the game.
"Haha, everyone worked hard tonight. I'll take you all to relax; everything's on me."
Well...
This is where being a league veteran comes in handy. Having spent over a decade in the league, Michael Jordan knows exactly where the fun spots are. Of course, now that Michael Jordan has the 'GOAT burden,' his every move is magnified by the media, so naturally, he wouldn't take his teammates anywhere too wild.
On the other hand, the cold, mechanical electronic voice of the system rang out in Link's mind again.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for winning a grudge match for a teammate. Unlocked player achievement — 'Best Teammate'.]
[Ding! Rewarding the Host with 500 GOAT points.]
[Post-game reward: 180 GOAT points.]
[GOAT Points: 852/30,302]
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for reaching 3,000 cumulative GOAT points. You have earned the eligibility to draw a player template. Would you like to proceed now?]
The system's voice at this moment felt like rain after a long drought to Link.
Currently, Link's natural potential has been mostly tapped out, especially in the 'Physical & Athletic' category.
"I hope I can fuse with an athletically gifted player this time..."
A moment later.
The system's voice rang out again.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining an S-rank player template — (James Harden 2020-2021 Nets Season)]
During the 20-21 season with the Nets, Harden hadn't managed his weight well, leading to a noticeable belly at the start of the season. His straight-line Speed wasn't as good as his Rockets days, but his explosiveness was definitely at a T1 level in the league, and he was one of the league's top isolation scorers.
[Fuse!]
Link couldn't help but feel a little excited.
After a brief stinging sensation...
Link was greeted by a comprehensive player attribute panel.
[Host: Link]
[Player Info]: Height 205cm; Weight 104kg; Wingspan 222cm; Shoulder Width 64cm; Shoe Size 47; Max Palm Length 24.5cm; Standing Reach: 277cm
Over the past month, Link's height had reached 205cm and his wingspan had reached 222cm... Although his weight only increased by 2kg, it was all muscle.
Shooting & Finishing: Three-Point Shot 82 (93); Mid-range Shooting 91 (96); Close-Range Shot 88 (93); Free Throw 82 (91); Post Hook Shot 73 (83); Post Fadeaway Jumpshot 70 (88); Driving Layup 84 (95)
[Three-Point Shot] potential +4, [Free Throw] potential +4, [Driving Layup] potential +7.
Defense & Playmaking: Ball Handling 88 (96); Passing 87 (95); Passing Vision 88 (97); Steal 83 (87); Block 70 (80); Perimeter Defense 72 (73); Interior Defense 80 (92); Offensive Rebound 68 (70); Defensive Rebound 82 (88)
[Ball Handling] potential +8, [Passing] potential +7, [Passing Vision] potential +7
Physical & Athletic: Explosiveness 76 (81); Explosive Acceleration 70 (90); Explosiveness 64 (84); Jumping Height 62 (74); Lateral Movement 58 (60); Strength 80 (80); Stamina 84 (94); Injury Resistance 55 (85)
[Explosiveness] potential +5, [Explosive Acceleration] potential +2, [Explosiveness] potential +20; [Jumping Height] potential +10; [Stamina] potential +10; [Injury Resistance] potential +25.
[Badges]: Omitted (PS: Not padding word count)
[Player Dominance]:
1. [Moment of Dominance: Sharpshooter] Lv2
2. [Moment of Domination: Gods Weapon] Lv1
3. [Moment of Dominance: Rebound Maniac] Lv1
[Player Special Animation Packages]:
1. Celebration Animation Package:
1) junior playing the zither
2. Player Move Package
1) Duncan 45-degree Bank Shot
2) Talen Horton-Tucker Reverse Layup Package
3) Vince Carter 360-degree Spin Dunk Package
4) Michael Jordan Fadeaway Jumpshot
5) Stephen Curry Behind-the-Back Move Package
[Personal Career Honors]:
1. player of the week (2 times)
2. rookie of the month (1 time)
3. player of the month (1 time)
[GOAT Points: 852/30,302] (PS: To draw the next player template, a cumulative total of 80,000 GOAT points is required)
...
...
An hour had passed since the game ended.
Led by Michael Jordan, the Washington Wizards players had all changed into so-called 'fashionable clothes.'
And at this time...
Michael Jordan looked at Link with a face full of surprise and said, "rookie, what's wrong with you today?"
"I'm going to the nightclub with you guys!"
Link said, holding a copy of the 'Complete NBA Rulebook' in his hand.