After the game, Pippen walked towards Michael Jordan with a smile, asking, "Michael, how have you been lately?"
"Not bad," Michael Jordan replied.
Jordan and Pippen, who was in a terrible mood tonight, shared a hypocritical hug. Honestly, Pippen was quite interesting. Although he often spoke ill of Michael Jordan behind his back and was very dissatisfied that the outside world only worshipped Michael Jordan while ignoring him, when they met, Pippen was very well-behaved and respectful towards Michael Jordan, just like a subordinate from back in the day.
Link, who secretly observed this scene, couldn't help but sigh, "Although Michael Jordan is old, his charisma remains… Also, this Pippen is indeed a bit cowardly. Didn't you resent Michael Jordan? Why don't you directly confront him?"
"You are taller than Michael Jordan, stronger than Michael Jordan, and even thicker than Michael Jordan, so why don't you fight him?"
Immediately after, Pippen, who had been shut down by Link tonight, did not refuse to hug and shake hands with him as Link had imagined. Pippen forced a stiff smile and hugged Link, but when he leaned in close, he whispered, "rookie, ten years ago, I could have dominated you."
"Alright, if you think so, then so be it." Link didn't want to argue.
If Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, or Magic Johnson had said that to him, Link would have refuted them without mercy. But Scottie Pippen, a second-in-command, was not in the same league as him, so there was no need to argue.
…
…
The Washington Wizards winning against the Western powerhouse Portland Trail Blazers without Michael Jordan forced many haters to concoct new narratives. In the first half of the regular season, the media often overlooked Link's influence on the game, stubbornly believing that the team's victories were entirely due to Michael Jordan.
Link spent more than half a season successfully proving to the outside world that the team would not only be "his" in the future but was also his now.
This Washington Wizards team is Link's team!!!
At 1 AM, Michael Jordan, in a great mood, treated his teammates, wanting to take them to a nearby bar to relax.
Link had participated in quite a few team-building activities recently, but he didn't go this time. After returning to the hotel, he entered a state of meditation, preparing for a Hundred-Point Battle with Stephen Curry.
Stephen Curry (2022-2023 season). Curry at this time had pretty good muscles. Don't let his baby face fool you; among ordinary people, he would definitely be considered a burly man.
Seeing the star he admired greatly in his previous life, Link greeted him with a smile. During the hug, Link didn't forget to run his hand through Curry's "hair," which indeed felt good.
The Hundred-Point Battle began. To ensure a 100% victory against Stephen Curry, Link chose to play defensively. However, Curry was not as easy to bully as imagined and resisted fiercely. Of course, the more Curry resisted, the more excited Link became.
After all, he was his idol from his previous life… Of course, some intensity was needed. However, the distance from the Three-Point Shot line to the basket was quite long. After Curry figured out Link's offensive habits and patterns, his defensive success rate began to climb. As for Curry on offense, Link personally experienced what it was like to be "Curry the Sun God."
Curry's shooting style was a Jump Shot, and his release Speed was extremely fast… he could shoot from anywhere past half-court. Link wasn't good at defending Small, Nimble Players, which led to Curry's incredibly high Three-Point Shot percentage. Furthermore, Stephen Curry, high on his shooting, even made a "Goodnight~ Baby" celebration gesture towards Link.
In response, Link also performed Michael Jackson's Moonwalk.
After several rounds of the Hundred-Point Battle, Link's best game was 78 to 12, only clearing the [Three-Star Reward].
"Ding, congratulations, Host, you have obtained a new badge—[Unlimited Range (bronze)]."
The purpose of this badge is to reduce the negative effects of ultra-long-range shots.
Simply put, if Link's Three-Point Shot percentage from beyond the arc (uncontested) was 6%, his Logo-shoot percentage would only be 20%. But after obtaining [Unlimited Range (bronze)], his Logo-shoot Three-Point Shot percentage would reach 25%.
"Damn, what a waste of an opportunity!"
"Stephen Curry is the worst defender among the top ten NBA players in history. If I miss him this time, I don't know when I'll encounter him again."
Link, frustrated by his failed challenge, was almost sleepless.
However, five days later, in a game in Toronto, Link met Stephen Curry again, in person.
That's right.
The future NBA Three-Point Shot King, Stephen Curry, came to the game with his father, Dell Curry. Dell Curry was nearing retirement at this time. He didn't have much playing time, averaging 15.8 minutes per game, taking 2.3 Three-Point Shots per game, making 0.8 of them, with a shooting percentage still at 34.4%.
Although Stephen Curry was almost 14, he developed very slowly, looking thin and noticeably smaller than players his age. Stephen Curry mustered his courage and went alone to the Washington Wizards' away locker room.
"Wow… Stephen, long time no see, you've grown so big," said the Handsome Veteran Christian Laettner.
As a second-generation star, Curry had hung out with NBA players since he was young, and many veterans knew him.
"Is this one of the Curry Family's kids? Little one, how old are you?" Zach Randolph, a first-year rookie, asked with a laugh, as if teasing a child.