The Washington Wizards, after consecutive losses to the Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers, were disparaged by many media outlets, claiming that this team had no chance of making the playoffs.
However...
Washington's local fans and many authoritative media outlets believed the Wizards had a "promising future."
The main reason was undoubtedly Link's "superstar quality"...
Against the Raptors, he recorded 14 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 Steals.
Against the 76ers, he recorded 26 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 Steal, and 1 Block.
Facing a top-tier superstar in the league, Link, despite losing, showed he could contend.
After the game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Allen Iverson directly cursed in praise of Link during a media interview: "WTF! Link... he's too tall, he definitely lied about his height..."
"He's definitely more than 201cm, and his wingspan is completely at an Interior Defense level..."
"Although I scored 33 points tonight, I missed many shots, and that was all related to this rookie's defense."
Link's draft height was 201cm...
"Allen, do you think Link will be this year's rookie of the year? Who is better, him or Pau Gasol?" the media reporter continued to press.
"Without a doubt, it's this kid..." Iverson blurted out without hesitation, regardless of whether Pau Gasol would be offended upon hearing it.
But then again...
This was Iverson during his playing days.
The Washington Wizards, without Jordan, did not see their regular season strength decline, but in crunch time, with only Link as a strong offensive option, it was indeed difficult to hold on.
The Wizards' defense was indeed getting better and better.
It was just that the individual abilities of the top-tier superstars were too outstanding, making it seem like they couldn't be defended, but this didn't truly reflect the Wizards' defense.
Additionally, there were two more points about the Wizards that were most worth looking forward to.
First: Jordan's condition was gradually recovering. Although it was impossible to return to his peak, if he could reach 80% of his peak strength, the Wizards could contend with strong teams.
Second: More and more teams were studying Link. For example, the Raptors had their small forward players guard Link, and the Philadelphia 76ers also set up a lot of help defense specifically for Link. However, Link's individual performance remained relatively stable, showing no signs of hitting the rookie wall.
The Washington Wizards only achieved a record of 1 win and 2 losses this week, so Link and Michael Jordan naturally couldn't be related to the NBA player of the week.
The Eastern and Western Conference player of the week for the third week were Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett, respectively.
...
...
The Washington Wizards' new defensive system finally showed its prowess in the new week.
Although the Wizards' schedule was very tight this week, with a total of 4 games, their opponents were not strong.
On November 26th, the Wizards hosted the Atlanta Hawks at home. The Hawks were smarter this time, not letting Jason Terry guard Link, but instead having their small forward defend him. This, however, made Hamilton very happy...
Hamilton, skilled in Off-Ball Movement, constantly cut inside. Jason Terry also couldn't match up with the 198cm Hamilton, and the Hawks' Interior Defense was poor. Link and Laettner's Passing easily shredded the Hawks' defense.
If you use a small forward to guard Link, then your small guards have to guard someone... While the Wizards don't have anyone with top-tier athletic talent, they make up for it with their sufficient size. None of their starting five are shorter than 198cm...
The game ended with a score of 82 to 98, with the Washington Wizards limiting their opponent's score to 82 points.
On November 28th, the Washington Wizards traveled to Chicago. Jordan, returning to his old stomping grounds, received an extremely high reception.
During this process...
Michael Jordan, besides waving to the fans with tears in his eyes, occasionally looked at Link, as if saying: "rookie, did you see that... this is what a superstar is!!! This is me..."
Today's Bulls are like two different teams compared to the Chicago Bulls of Jordan's era.
Jordan retired.
Pippen left.
Rodman, whereabouts unknown.
The Bulls' iron triangle was long gone.
However...
The Bulls' record was at the bottom of the league, and their management was in utter chaos.
Although they had a defensive anchor, Artest, tonight Artest actively challenged Jordan, which greatly reduced Link's defensive pressure.
Furthermore, to keep Artest entangled with Jordan...
Every time Jordan scored, Link would shout: "Wow! Michael, you can still dominate anyone!"
Because of this...
Jordan was very happy, and Artest defended even harder.
Link scored more easily.