Link returned to the court in the second quarter. Seeing that Vince Carter was still defending him, Link continued to coordinate the team's plays, with Yao Ming being the beneficiary this time. Yao Ming was wrestling for position under the basket against Jelani McCoy. Compared to the preseason, Yao Ming's positioning was much smarter now; he reduced the time spent in "heavy contact" and suddenly powered toward the basket.
This caught McCoy off guard for a moment. There was no one between Yao Ming and the hoop now; as long as he received the pass, he could complete a dunk in stride. Antonio Davis on the other side of the basket noticed this and quickly left Laettner's side to help defend Yao Ming.
While being defended by Vince Carter, Link suddenly sent a lightning-fast pass straight into the "heart" of the Raptors.
"Oh, this pass... it's unreasonable,"
In the next instant, Yao Ming caught Link's pass under the basket. Yao Ming was also impressive; just as Antonio Davis reached him but before he could set his feet, Yao Ming rose forcefully for a one-handed dunk, drawing a defensive foul from Antonio Davis.
"Nice shot!"
"Wow... Link, how did he pull off that pass!"
"Yao Ming was almost surrounded by two people, yet Link still found a way to get the ball into his hands."
"The broadcast should show a slow-motion replay!"
A slow-motion replay of the previous play was shown.
Link, positioned at the 45-degree angle on the right wing beyond the Three-Point Shot line, feigned a drive to the left, but it was actually to clear a Passing lane on the right to prevent interference from Vince Carter. The ball Speed was fast and very accurate; McCoy reached out to intercept, and the ball missed his fingertips by barely 2cm. Yao Ming didn't even need to bend down; the ball arrived at about chest height, allowing him to attack almost as soon as he caught it without needing any adjustments.
Antonio Davis had already rushed in front of Yao Ming, but since he wasn't stable, he couldn't jump immediately. This allowed Yao Ming to catch the ball and slam it into the basket with one hand, drawing a defensive foul in the process.
"This..."
"Link is truly bold with his skill, daring to make such a pass!"
...
...
After Link assisted Yao Ming twice in a row for successful low-post plays in the second quarter, the Raptors' Center McCoy began to play fronting defense. Meanwhile, Antonio Davis intentionally collapsed toward the paint. Link looked for Larry Hughes several times, but the latter's shooting touch was truly terrible tonight. Even when the opportunities were there, he was always just a tiny bit off.
"Link, sorry for wasting your passes!" Larry Hughes felt a bit embarrassed after missing his third shot.
"It's okay, man. Keep your confidence; your touch will come back," Link said with a smile, patting Larry Hughes on the shoulder to tell him to relax.
This wasn't Link feigning generosity; his teammates were truly trying their best. Even a Sharpshooter can't be "on" all the time. As long as they took confident shots when open and worked hard on defense, that was enough.
On the court, the Washington Wizards' poor shooting seemed to be "contagious." First, Larry Hughes missed repeatedly, and then it was Gerald Wallace and Laettner's turn. The Raptors seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack, and an 8-0 run cut the lead to just 4 points.
44 to 40!
Washington Wizards head coach Doug Collins had Michael Jordan take off his warm-up suit and wait at the scorer's table.
"Link, aren't you planning to turn on your Offensive Mode yet?" asked Vince Carter, who had just hit a transition Three-Point Shot.
"No rush, man. Here it comes." Link smiled and ran another pick-and-roll with Yao Ming. Vince Carter quickly fought through the screen again to block the drive path. Link unhurriedly pulled the ball across, seemingly heading for the baseline.
Vince Carter shifted half a step to the left, and Link seized the opportunity, suddenly performing a Curry behind-the-back dribble. The ball quickly switched to his left hand as he dipped his right shoulder and bumped Vince Carter. Vince Carter was forced back half a step. *Whoosh!* Link kicked off the ground powerfully, blowing past Vince Carter by more than half a body length in one step.
"So fast!" Seeing Link's first step, Vince Carter couldn't help but think of his cousin.
Although there was still a slight gap between Link's current first step and his cousin's, it was very small...
Link's Explosive Acceleration was already at the NBA's T1 level, and with [First Step Master (Gold)], his stride was large, and his body coordination and ball-handling were all elite...
The Speed of his first step was only half a tier below McGrady's.
Standing at 206cm, after clearing half a body length, Link had open space ahead. Seeing that Vince Carter couldn't stop Link, McCoy could only rotate to help. Link then made a flashy behind-the-back pass to Yao Ming, who was trailing down the middle. Realizing he'd been fooled, McCoy quickly turned back to defend, but Yao Ming had already raised the ball. Unable to make a play, McCoy could only foul. *Bang!* Yao Ming, fouled in mid-air, sent the ball flying off the rim.
Yao Ming stepped to the free-throw line again.
After the first free throw went in, the Washington Wizards made a substitution, with Michael Jordan replacing Gerald Wallace.
At this moment, the Raptors players on the court clearly looked more solemn.
The second free throw also went in.
Seeing Yao Ming make both free throws, Washington Wizards head coach Doug Collins couldn't help but applaud from the sidelines.
"Yao, his free throw fundamentals are really good!"
"Yeah, there really aren't many big men in the league like him with such accurate free throws and low-post dominance."
...
...
After Michael Jordan entered the game, he successfully maintained his shooting touch from the first quarter. Link also turned on his Offensive Mode, and the two of them immediately threw the Raptors' defense into total chaos.
The drawbacks of the Raptors and many other fringe playoff teams began to show: when facing a deficit of more than 15 points, they lost the will to catch up, and even their defensive intensity began to drop significantly.