On October 4, 2002, the Washington Wizards welcomed their first preseason game of the 2002-2003 NBA season against the Toronto Raptors, led by one of the four great shooting guards, Vince Carter.
Before the game, inside the Wizards' locker room.
The teammates suddenly started chatting about American high school basketball leagues.
"Did you guys see the news yesterday? Another king has appeared in the high school basketball world!" Gerald Wallace said.
"Who?" Michael Jordan asked casually while chewing on some chocolate.
This clearly caught the attention of the other teammates, who all looked toward Gerald Wallace.
"The genius high schooler from Ohio—LeBron James. This is his third consecutive year as 'Ohio Mr. Basketball.' Fox Sports, ESPN, and USA Today are all scrambling to report on him. Oh, and Sports Illustrated even featured him on the cover with the headline 'the chosen one,'" Gerald Wallace introduced LeBron James.
"LeBron? I've seen some news reports about him at home. His physical tools are astonishing; not only can he dunk from the free-throw line, but he also possesses a very high basketball IQ. He truly is a rare basketball genius," Christian Laettner said.
Having just arrived, Yao Ming couldn't help but be secretly amazed. American high school basketball was truly full of monsters; for a high school player to be this terrifying.
"Wow, this kid is good; he made the cover of Sports Illustrated. I remember Sports Illustrated has only ever featured two high school players. The last one should have been our... Link..." Zach Randolph said.
"The past isn't worth mentioning," Link said nonchalantly while changing his sneakers, waving his hand.
These words gave Yao Ming another shock.
Could it be that Link had played against LBJ during high school?
"Link, have you played against James?" Yao Ming couldn't contain his curiosity and finally asked.
Although Yao Ming asked in Chinese, Link, wanting to show off so his teammates could hear, replied in English: "I did play against LeBron, but back then, I was worlds apart from how I am now..."
After the assistant translated, Yao Ming nodded subconsciously, thinking to himself, "Link developed quite late; it's only normal that he lost to James back then."
However, Link didn't follow the expected script and pivoted immediately, saying, "Even though I won back then, the gap between us wasn't that large."
Yao Ming's white assistant froze for two seconds before translating Link's words for him. In the next instant, it was Yao Ming's turn to be dumbfounded.
"Tomato, I knew Link was a beast."
(TN: Tomato is either damn or f**k, should I just change it damn?)
"But then again, in his senior year of high school, Link really did hammer all those elite American high school prospects."
"I didn't expect that he wouldn't even spare high schoolers two grades below him."
Yao Ming thought to himself.
This year, LeBron James truly became famous across America. Major media outlets scrambled to cover him, and some of his games were even broadcast on pay-per-view by ESPN, ABC, and FOX. To accommodate more fans, they even moved the game venues to the University of Akron's arena.
Oh...
Right, and then there were the "sports brands" that frequently came knocking.
It was an almost perfect replica of Link's "miracle" from a year ago.
"Link, LeBron's current media exposure, commercial value, and fame are almost catching up to where you were back then. No, in fact, many media outlets are saying LeBron is just a more athletic version of you," Michael Jordan teased Link.
Link smiled faintly and didn't say anything.
LeBron James! I'm really looking forward to playing against him again!
...
...
For the preseason game against the Toronto Raptors, the Washington Wizards fielded a starting lineup featuring two number one draft picks: Link, Larry Hughes, Michael Jordan, Christian Laettner, and Yao Ming.
Although Gerald Wallace had great physical tools and sufficient size for the small forward position, he had one problem: inconsistent shooting. Larry Hughes's role on the court was similar to Richard Hamilton's last season, focusing on off-ball offense and catch-and-shoot plays.
The Raptors' starting lineup: Alvin Williams, Vince Carter, Morris Peterson, Antonio Davis, and Jelani McCoy.
The preseason was mainly for training and refining team tactics. After the start, the Washington Wizards constantly fed the ball to Yao Ming. Despite the 211cm, 121kg McCoy not being at a disadvantage in terms of strength, Yao Ming was simply too tall. With high-post play, hook shots, fadeaways, and drop steps, he completely dominated McCoy. The situation only improved slightly when Antonio Davis came over to help with double-teaming, but once the ball reached the hands of the playmaking master Laettner, the Washington Wizards became a threat from all positions.
As for the team's core and cornerstone, Link, although he didn't take many shots on the offensive end, every attempt was concise and efficient. Furthermore, Link's "physicality techniques" had improved visibly. Facing Vince Carter's defense, Link used a triple threat to gain a step, and as he drove into the paint, he chose the right moment to initiate contact.
Last season, Link seemingly played the same way, but the timing of his power and the specific points of body contact made the results worlds apart. After initiating contact last season, Vince Carter could still stick to Link, but now... Carter would often be bumped so far away that he completely lost his defensive position.
Link could even use his "initial Speed" to shoulder past the opponent's interior defense during a drive and finish at the rim. Besides that, Link's first step was faster, and his off-the-dribble and catch-and-shoot jumpers became increasingly stable and efficient.
On the defensive end, when facing a traditional small Point Guard like Alvin Williams, Link's footwork could keep up completely. Once a small guard couldn't break through Link's defense, Passing and shooting became "luxuries." For a guard, the 2.06m Link was simply too tall.
This feeling was even more terrifying than Yao Ming's presence in the NBA's interior.
Point Guards in the current NBA era generally averaged around 190cm in height; Link was 16cm taller than them.
Meanwhile, Centers of the current era were generally around 213cm; at 226cm, Yao Ming was only 13cm taller than them.