After defeating the Boston Celtics again, the Washington Wizards then suffered two consecutive losses.
First, they lost to Allen Iverson, who exploded for 43 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 Steals, at the Philadelphia 76ers' home court.
But to be fair, Link's performance tonight wasn't bad, as he personally recorded 28 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 Steals, and 1 Block. Moreover, they only lost to the Philadelphia 76ers by... 4 points.
The game still came down to the wire, but Michael Jordan and Link missed consecutive shots.
In addition, Link had 1 point from "fast break scoring" tonight...
Of course, this doesn't mean Link has truly become a "Fast Break Master"; it's just that the Philadelphia 76ers' front office hasn't realized that Link is no longer slow at all.
If you use a slow forward to randomly guard Link, Link can use his Speed to blow past them.
In the last game of the week, the Washington Wizards vs. the New York Knicks, the latter made this mistake...
On a fast break, Kurt Thomas, playing as a legitimate power forward, tried to stick close to defend Link's ball-handling advance, but Link accelerated past him before he could even get close.
And the New York Knicks' star player, Allan Houston, once again defended Link tonight, but compared to their last encounter, it was clearly more strenuous this time.
In terms of Speed, he was on par with Link.
But in terms of physical strength, there was a significant gap.
Additionally, Link's ball-handling ability was at the level of an elite point guard.
Link could drive to the basket with the ball, still maintaining a "live ball" state.
Once Link penetrated the restricted area, he didn't need to pass immediately; he could wait for the opponent's help defense to turn into a double-team.
Many short guards are forced into a near-dead ball situation by the opponent, frantically Passing the ball, but the result is... the help defenders quickly recover, essentially making it an ineffective Pass.
This is a common problem for many short guards. Even if their drives are like sharp blades, able to quickly stab into the opponent's heart, they come and go quickly. As long as the initial attack is contained, these short guards either make an ineffective Pass or are forced to shoot at a significant size disadvantage.
But Link is different...
He is a genuine super-heavy guard. Every time he drives to the basket, shouldering the defender, he still maintains a live ball state. If no double-team comes, Link continues to 1v1 and overpower Allan Houston. With a height of 205cm, a wingspan of 222cm, and a weight of 104kg, matching up against Allan Houston, who is 198cm tall, has a 206cm wingspan, and weighs 95kg, that's a "mismatch."
Of course...
There are also downsides to doing this.
Firstly, excessive Stamina consumption. Link's Stamina is not particularly high, 84 (94)... it's barely enough as a secondary attacker, but as a primary ball-handler or main attacker, his Stamina is still a bit lacking.
Secondly, Link's low-post skills and deterrence are not yet top-tier, especially when his Stamina declines.
Simply put, the current Link is not a fully-developed "primary ball-handler."
At the end of the game, 117 to 94, the Washington Wizards successfully secured the victory tonight with a 23-point lead, avoiding two consecutive losses.
The Washington Wizards ended the 12th week of the NBA with a 2-1 record.
Although Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets led his team to a 3-0 record, Link's single-game 61 points were simply too dazzling.
Sorry about that...
Link once again won the NBA Eastern Conference player of the week.
[Individual Career Honors]:
1. player of the week (5 times)
2. rookie of the month (2 times)
3. player of the month (2 times)
4. All-Star Starter (1 time)
...
...
There are still over two weeks until the NBA All-Star Weekend, with exactly one game left to play.
And this stretch of the schedule can be described as a "devil's schedule."
Out of 8 games, 7 will be against Western Conference teams...
The last 5 games will even be against the top four teams in the Western Conference.
Uh... 5 games? All against the top four in the West means they will play two games against one of those teams.
The Kings, with the best record in the league, successfully exacted their revenge, winning one game against the Washington Wizards.
The San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks, with the second-best records in the league, also defeated the Wizards.
In 8 games, the Wizards only managed a 2-6 record, which caused their ranking in the Eastern Conference to drop to fourth.
The next two games will be home and away against the Los Angeles Lakers, who are third in the Western Conference.
Although the Los Angeles Lakers are currently only ranked third in the Western Conference...
No one dares to underestimate them; in fact, their championship odds are still the best in the league.
This season, the Los Angeles Lakers have been "coasting" severely, and rumors of discord between O'Neal and Kobe have been rampant.
External media outlets are debating who is truly the team leader of the current Los Angeles Lakers.
Kobe and O'Neal have both publicly stated that they are the team's leader.
However...
In some crucial games, these two can still cooperate flawlessly.
...
...
On February 9, 2002, the Washington Wizards hosted the Los Angeles Lakers.
O'Neal was rested tonight and did not play.
O'Neal, who already holds two championships and two consecutive FMVPs, still has his dominance at its peak, but his weight management is exceptionally poor, conservatively estimated to have exceeded 150kg. The Zen Master Phil Jackson rested O'Neal to avoid injuries.
After all...
This Los Angeles Lakers team is still O'Neal's team; he is the team's primary superstar.
And Kobe is still in his growth period, even though he is already one of the strongest guards in the league...
Without O'Neal, the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe's explosive 44 points, overpowered an aging Michael Jordan's 18 points and Link's 2 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 Steal.
Uh...
Kobe, as the Los Angeles Lakers' super second-in-command and primary perimeter scorer, personally guarded Link in tonight's game.
Link was made extremely uncomfortable by his defense.
Uh...
Kobe's nine All-Defensive First Team selections are no joke. Although his static talent isn't top-tier, his defensive skills, intensity, and basketball IQ are all at the highest level. Furthermore, while he might not be as strong as Link, the difference isn't significant enough for Link to overpower him physically.
111 to 96, the Washington Wizards lost to the Los Angeles Lakers by 5 points at home.
Two days later.
February 11, 2002.
The Washington Wizards will face the Los Angeles Lakers again at the Los Angeles Lakers' home court, the Staples Center. This will also be the Wizards' last game before the All-Star Weekend.
Almost no one outside the team believes the Wizards can defeat the Los Angeles Lakers tonight. After all, the Los Angeles Lakers without O'Neal were able to defeat the Washington Wizards, let alone with O'Neal playing tonight.