After the timeout, Link ramped up his individual scoring; meanwhile, the Washington Wizards chose to attack the rim more frequently.
Running a high pick-and-roll with Laettner, Link accelerated to drive to the basket after encountering Ben Wallace's Hard Hedge. Ben Wallace could keep up, but he didn't have the extra energy to provide help defense. Michael Jordan suddenly performed a Curl Cut, and'Swoosh!' the ball arrived just as he did. Facing Stackhouse's pursuit, Michael Jordan hit a Reverse Layup, making it 2 to 12.
Link and Laettner performed a hand-off. The moment Ben Wallace and Michael Curry had a defensive mix-up, Link slipped to the basket off-ball. Laettner made a quick pass from the perimeter to the inside. Link caught the ball and jumped, glancing around to find it was quite safe.
But in the next instant...
A fast dark shadow rapidly charged from behind.
Danger!
Danger!
A thick hand was about to press down on the ball Link held with both hands. Suddenly, Link changed his mind mid-air and dumped the ball to Michael Jordan. Er... well, Ben Wallace's help defense and sweeping Speed exceeded Link's imagination, but luckily he had 'Relief Passer.' It's just that the power and accuracy of this Emergency Pass weren't that good, but... the person catching it was Michael Jordan.
Michael Jordan, outside the three-point line, took a step to the upper left. Just as the ball was about to fly out of bounds, he saved it. At the same time, facing Stackhouse's tight defense, Michael Jordan, with one foot hanging out of bounds, not only steadied himself but also suddenly pivoted and started in the next instant. Using his skilled footwork, he blew past Stackhouse in one step. After taking one more step,'Swish!' he hit a mid-range jumper cleanly.
'Wow! Michael, great shot!' Link cheered and clapped after Michael Jordan scored. The emotional support he provided was top-notch.
Michael Jordan rolled his eyes, but he was secretly delighted.
Even though he was the god of basketball and had countless people flatter him, the feeling was different coming from someone with a different status. It was like Einstein and a kindergartner both praising your talent for physics... the feeling was poles apart.
...
...
Link's Emergency Pass was just a small interlude. As the game progressed, Link gradually adapted to Ben Wallace's help defense Speed. Cutting to the basket off-ball again, Link faced Stackhouse, who had switched onto him. Link took the ball in the post, backed him down a step, drew Ben Wallace's defense, and suddenly kicked the ball out to Gerald Wallace, who was cutting inside. The latter finished with a powerful dunk.
39 to 29. With 2 minutes and 1 second gone in the second quarter, the Washington Wizards had extended their lead to 10 points.
Just as Wizards fans were jubilantly thinking their home team would keep the momentum and continue to pull away, Stackhouse hit two consecutive 17-foot jumpers and drew two fouls to make Free Throws, stopping the bleeding for the Detroit Pistons.
Uh... Michael Jordan, who played 9 minutes in the first quarter, was still sitting on the bench. Matching up against Stackhouse was the Masked Man. The Masked Man's frame was still a bit thin. Although Stackhouse's explosiveness wasn't elite, he had strong physical confrontation skills and could drive to his Sweet Spot for a jumper.
'I've got him!'
'I've got him!'
As the team's cornerstone, Link took the initiative to request to guard Stackhouse after a dead ball.
At this moment, Stackhouse, who had scored 8 consecutive points, was full of confidence. With his nose in the air, he said to Link, 'rookie, you finally dare to guard me! Hehe, but my Stamina is still as abundant as it was at the start.'
'Oh,' Link replied expressionlessly.
The Wizards attacked. This time, Link didn't call for a pick-and-roll. After receiving the ball at the 45-degree angle on the right wing outside the Three-Point Shot line, he had his teammates clear out one side for him to go one-on-one against Michael Curry. After a series of casual Triple Threat probes, he suddenly exploded. The latter's feet were quite fast, and Link only got past him by half a body length, but that was more than enough for Link.
As a large-framed ball-handling core, Link didn't need to completely blow past his defender like a small guard. With half a body length advantage, he bullied his way to the rim. Ben Wallace on the other side of the basket didn't dare move rashly. Jerry Stackhouse suddenly came over to help, appearing in the driving lane. Link wasn't in a hurry; he first came to a sudden stop and observed, forcing Stackhouse to scramble back. Link continued to apply pressure, and Michael Curry retreated to guard against the drive. However, Link pivoted on his left foot and hit a turnaround Fadeaway Jumpshot cleanly.
43 to 36!
After scoring, Link didn't forget to glance at Stackhouse, as if saying, 'I made it. Now it's your turn. Don't you dare hide!'
'Humph!' Stackhouse snorted coldly. He first started his Off-Ball Movement. Although Link's Lateral Movement had improved, he still couldn't keep up with stars who excelled at Off-Ball Movement.
Stackhouse caught the ball at the left Elbow. Link was a step and a half behind him. Stackhouse thought this was a safe distance and went straight for a jumper. After all, Link's athletic talent wasn't top-tier; he definitely couldn't reach from that distance. In the next instant, Link jumped with him, his long arms blotting out the sky. This Explosiveness really gave Stackhouse a huge fright.
What surprised Stackhouse even more was... Link's fingers actually touched the ball just as it left his hand. The ball was forced to change its trajectory in mid-air—an Air-ball.
But to the disappointment of Wizards fans, Ben Wallace grabbed the Offensive Rebound first with a Flying Rebound. With a 'Bang!', he pushed off Laettner and completed a Standing Start Dunk.
'Magic Pass!'
A voice rang in Stackhouse's ear.
The speaker wasn't a Pistons teammate, but Link, who had just blocked him.
Furthermore...
After completing the Tip-block, Link didn't forget to remind the staff at the scorer's table, saying, 'Guys, remember to credit me with a Block! You have to believe in Jerry Stackhouse; with his ability, it's absolutely impossible for him to shoot an Air-ball.'
'He was just blocked by me!!!'
The words weren't very damaging, but they were extremely insulting. Stackhouse couldn't help but roar,'Shut up, you damn rookie!'
As soon as he finished speaking, Link suddenly ran towards the basket off-ball. Laettner sent a full-court long pass. As Link caught the ball and landed, Stackhouse stuck to him. At this moment, Link used his shoulder to wedge out Stackhouse, who was trying to get a Steal.'Swish!' He hit a hook shot!!!
Seeing Link hit the hook shot, the 198cm Stackhouse was completely dumbfounded.
When did this bastard learn a new move!!!