Regarding the hook shot, Link actually started practicing it back in high school. During his early days in the NBA, because he lacked the advantage in physical strength, it was hard for him to gain a foothold under the basket. Additionally, his lack of Speed made it easy for opposing interior players to rotate for help defense.
The 198cm tall Jerry Stackhouse was "forced a hook shot" upon by Link. Immediately after, on the defensive end, Link disrupted Stackhouse's breakthrough in a 1v1; although he didn't get the Steal, he knocked the ball out of bounds.
Detroit Pistons sideline inbound, 8 seconds left on the 24-second shot clock.
"This bastard, damn rookie, not only is he quick on defense, but he also seems to know my offensive habits like the back of his hand," Jerry Stackhouse thought to himself.
Stackhouse looped out to receive the ball. After catching it, he wanted to spin and drive. Link's footwork followed closely. Stackhouse tried to use a power dribble to tear open a defensive gap with his strength, but he was pushed back by Link every time.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"
The muscles of both sides constantly collided. At the same time, Stackhouse, using every ounce of his strength, let out exhausted sounds like "en... em... um..." Uh, this sounded very much like the final sprint of strength training in a gym.
However, it was still futile against Link.
Link's physical strength was superior to Stackhouse's. Unless the latter had enough initial Speed to charge up, it was difficult for him to break through Link's defense without space to start.
"5!"
"4!"
The 24-second shot clock drew closer. The Detroit Pistons' home fans counted down for their team to remind them to shoot in time.
Stackhouse couldn't shake off Link and couldn't even find a good Passing lane. Seeing this, Ben Wallace came over to help with a pick-and-roll. While the moving Ben Wallace managed to screen Link, there was a suspicion of a "moving screen." However, on the playoff stage, such moves aren't always called.
Stackhouse got an opening to shoot. Just as he was about to release the ball, he found Link, who had navigated the pick-and-roll, lunging at him with long arms blotting out the sky. A bewildered Stackhouse in mid-air hesitated to shoot until he landed. "Beep!" The referee's whistle sounded again.
offensive violation, turnover.
The Washington Wizards' bench erupted in cheers, with Tyronn Lue waving a towel in his hand.
Link didn't directly mock Stackhouse for being too scared to shoot. Instead, he said with concern, "Brother, I understand. You just lost your grip, that's why you didn't shoot."
Why?
Because Link... he's kind!
"Damn rookie, stop being so hypocritical," Stackhouse said through gritted teeth, clearly understanding Link's underlying meaning.
"Hehe, brother." Link wasn't angry after hearing this. Instead, he continued with a face full of smiles, "As expected of you, you understood my meaning immediately."
Link didn't deny it!
Why?
Because Link... he's honest!
...
...
For the not-so-fast Stackhouse, Link's defense was extremely aggressive and oppressive. It not only disrupted his dribbling rhythm but also constantly applied physical pressure. A strong sense of frustration hit Stackhouse's heart.
As for the defensive end...
Although the Detroit Pistons had a terrifying help defense sweep machine—Ben Wallace—they only had one.
The game entered the fourth quarter. Link ran a pick-and-roll with Brendan Haywood. The solid screen prevented Michael Curry from squeezing through. Ben Wallace was very wary of Link's ability to shoot off the dribble and switched directly. Link took a step back with his dribble and noticed Randolph, who had come off the bench, bulldozing past Clifford Robinson into the The Paint. With a "Whoosh!", the basketball seemed to turn into an orange beam of light, reaching Randolph's hands. The latter caught the ball, backed in with his hips, and made a turnaround layup. 2+1, and-one!
After the Free Throw went in, the score was 80 to 67, and the Washington Wizards' lead expanded to 13 points. Although the Washington Wizards' bench was a bit weak and had been given a hard time by the Detroit Pistons' sixth man, Corliss Williamson—who was voted the league's sixth man of the Year this season—the rhythm of the entire game was dominated by the Washington Wizards.
One Ben Wallace really wasn't enough. After Link drew him away from the basket, the Detroit Pistons' overall defensive quality plummeted. Of course, this also affected Link's number of shot attempts. However, unlike the regular season, Link was becoming increasingly adept at playing the fast break, especially with transition Three-Point Shots.
Because of this...
What left Detroit Pistons fans confused and surprised was that Link didn't seem to take many shots. Most of the time, he was Passing, assisting, and defending. Yet, by the end of the game, Link's score had unknowingly exceeded 25 points.
The game ended!
96 to 87, the Washington Wizards defeated the Detroit Pistons by 9 points, securing the victory in G1 of the semifinals.
Personal stats:
[Washington Wizards]:
Link: 11 of 22 shooting, 2 of 6 Three-Point Shots, 5 of 7 Free Throws, finishing with 29 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 Steals, and 2 Blocks.
Michael Jordan: 7 of 14 shooting, 1 of 3 Three-Point Shots, 5 of 6 Free Throws, finishing with 20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 Steals.
Gerald Wallace: 6 of 8 shooting, 0 of 1 Three-Point Shots, 2 of 4 Free Throws, finishing with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 Steal, and 1 Block.
Although Link's shooting touch wasn't particularly good tonight, his gravity on the defensive end was the key to the Washington Wizards' victory. Michael Jordan was the second-greatest contributor; despite being the oldest player on the court, he frequently attacked the Detroit Pistons' basket.
Gerald Wallace's performance tonight was commendable, whether it was cutting inside in the half-court set or attacking the basket on the fast break, injecting a lot of energy into the Washington Wizards.
[Detroit Pistons]:
Jerry Stackhouse: 9 of 22 shooting, 2 of 8 Three-Point Shots, 3 of 4 Free Throws, finishing with 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 Steal.
Ben Wallace: 5 of 7 shooting, 2 of 5 Free Throws, and although he only scored 12 points, he had 17 rebounds, 4 Blocks, and 1 Steal.
Besides that... none of the Detroit Pistons' starters scored in double figures.
However, the Detroit Pistons' bench player and the league's Best sixth man, Corliss Williamson, did record a near double-double with 18 points and 9 rebounds.
...
...
On the eve of G2 between the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons, around 3:00 AM, telephones in the hotel rooms where the players were staying began to ring one after another.
This was a tactic used by local Detroit fans to disturb the away players. They arranged specific calls based on each person's personality; for instance, for Gerald Wallace and Hamilton, male fans were on the other end of the line spewing trash talk.
To deal with Link and Michael Jordan, female fans called, saying they hoped the players could save their souls.
An hour later, just as the Washington Wizards players had finally managed to settle their minds and were preparing to go back to sleep, a concert started right outside the hotel.
These actions by the fans were nothing more than an attempt to affect the away team's rest.
Link didn't hate these behaviors all that much; on the contrary, he quite enjoyed this kind of playoff atmosphere.