In this 1v2 fast break, Link did not choose to pass, but instead planned to replicate McGrady with a "self-pass, self-dunk".
Uh...
With Link's current jumping ability, it would be quite difficult.
But a "self-pass, self-layup", feeding himself...
self-feeding...
Link could still do it.
Link, who swept past Pierce's right shoulder, received the rebound, and then smoothly made a layup, scoring.
"Damn it!"
"This damned rookie is showing off in front of me."
Pierce couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.
However, what he didn't know was that his nightmare had just begun.
In the second quarter, if Link caught a random matchup with Pierce, his offense was still very decisive, without any hesitation, which even made the home commentator exclaim: "Our court commander, though usually calm and composed, will definitely strike back with a heavy punch when truly provoked by the opponent!!!"
WTF!
At this moment, Pierce, who had just been hit by another fadeaway jumper from Link, froze in his heart after hearing the words of the Washington Wizards' home commentator, Phil Chenier.
I didn't provoke him!
I was practically licking his boots!
What more do you want from me?
At halftime, Link's personal score reached 34 points.
Even more than their previous encounter.
Pierce was truly miserable.
He felt he had defended well, but Link always managed to score. Who could stand that?
The pace of basketball in the current era was not fast, and the number of offensive possessions could not compare to the small-ball era.
...
...
34 points at halftime, this was already the level of a bona fide super scorer.
At the end of the first half, the Washington Wizards' lead reached 19 points, 40-59.
As the game entered the second half, although Link's touch declined slightly, his personal score continued to climb.
His 38th point: a cut without the ball to the basket, followed by Laettner's pass. Under Joe Johnson's shove from behind, he completed a 2+1.
His 42nd point: a back cut to the basket, encountering Antoine Walker's switch.
After receiving the ball, he faked with his shoulder, pivoted on his right foot, turned right to shift the opponent's center of gravity, then suddenly reversed, facing the basket for a 45-degree bank shot.
"Wow... Tim Duncan!"
"It's so similar..."
"This move by Link is exactly like Tim Duncan's."
This shot made the entire MCI Center, the Washington Wizards' home arena in Washington, erupt.
However...
Washington Wizards fans soon realized their climax came too early.
His 49th point: Link, holding the ball at the top of the arc, dribbled left to drive right, his right shoulder faking out Paul Pierce. The next instant, with a "thump!", a huge in-and-out dribble, like a pendulum, quickly shook off the defense, while also causing the completely off-balance Pierce to slip and fall directly to the ground. Link drove to the basket and smoothly made a layup to score.
"Wow..."
"Wow..."
"Wow..."
"Paul Pierce took a nasty fall."
After getting up, Pierce looked at Link with a face full of resentment, his eyes... just like a "pure maiden" who had been hurt by a scumbag.
...
...
At the end of the third quarter, Link's personal score reached 49 points. However, the Wizards did not continue to extend their lead in the third quarter, and even had some of it cut. There was no helping it, the Wizards' bench was too weak, and backup point guard Tyronn Lue was playing terribly tonight.
65-79, the Boston Celtics narrowed the deficit to just 14 points.
However, this also indirectly allowed Link to play more in the fourth quarter... well, at least, he wouldn't be labeled a "stat-padder".
Of course...
Link himself didn't care about such labels.
In the fourth quarter, Link mainly focused on pick-and-rolls with the ball, occasionally pushing fast breaks with the ball, while the weak-side wing isolation was essentially left to Michael Jordan.
What surprised Boston Celtics fans in front of their televisions again was that Link's fast break was much stronger than before. His Speed with the ball was similar to Joe Johnson's off-ball Speed, no, even a little faster.
Link cleverly used the rhythm of sudden stops and starts, combined with Euro Step techniques, making Joe Johnson's defense ineffective.
With 9 minutes and 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Laettner secured the Defensive Rebound from Pierce's missed shot. Link then began an off-ball run towards the Boston Celtics' half. At this moment, Antoine Walker suddenly shouted loudly: "I'll guard him!"
"I'll guard him, you don't need to come over."
Antoine Walker's words made Kenny Anderson, who was about to come over to help, stop in his tracks. But in less than 3 seconds, Link had already shaken off Antoine Walker's defense... and, moreover, he tore through it directly with his Speed...
Link wanted to laugh in his heart.
What kind of joke are you making?
My Speed isn't slow, but it's not something a Power Forward like you can catch up to.
Driving to the basket, Link, unguarded, leaped directly, and with a "boom!", completed a one-handed slam dunk, scoring his 61st point of the game!!!
And at this point, the score on the court was rewritten to—
89-103!
A 14-point difference with just over 2 minutes left forced the Boston Celtics to surrender early.
...
...
Returning to the bench, Link received "hero" treatment from his teammates and coaching staff.
Link scored his highest personal career total of 61 points to date.
And this statistic...
Also officially made Link surpass Wilt Chamberlain as the holder of the NBA's single-game rookie scoring record in history.
"Ding, congratulations to Host for setting the NBA rookie season single-game highest scoring record!"
"Ding, Host is rewarded with 1000 Goat Points!"
"Goat Points: 1,001/36,781"
Uh...
Where did all those previous Goat Points go?
Hehe...
Naturally, they were exchanged for "sparring partner cards".
After all, Link's consumption of sparring partner cards was extremely terrifying...
However, it was precisely because of this that Link was able to grow to his current level.
...
...
Post-game!
Link, who scored 61 points in a single game, was naturally praised by the media.
"One of the strongest rookies in NBA history? No, in my opinion, 'one of' should be removed."
"Can Link's current influence and individual ability surpass Magic Johnson and Tim Duncan in their rookie seasons?"
And so on!
And so on!
There were countless words of praise.
Meanwhile, the Boston Twin Stars, as opponents, faced ridicule and curses across the entire internet after the game.
Especially Antoine Walker, who had just been selected as an Eastern Conference All-Star starter...
"Dude, why don't you just withdraw from the All-Star game yourself!"
"Dude, you're too weak... did Link just refresh your career high again?"
"Luckily, you'll be teammates with Link in the All-Star game..."