"Aren't you too selfish? I can't even touch the ball!!!" Pippen pointed at Rasheed Wallace's nose and cursed.
Pippen really wanted to be the boss, but his leadership qualities were indeed lacking.
After Michael Jordan retired, Pippen, eager to prove that he could also be a good leader, was desperate to prove himself. In Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, he refused to play in overtime because he was dissatisfied with The Zen Master's last-possession arrangement.
In addition, Pippen's ability to shake off defenders in crucial games was still insufficient, relying more on his unstable mid-range shot rather than driving to the basket.
"What?"
"What are you talking about? Who's selfish!"
Rasheed Wallace directly retorted without politeness.
After all, his nickname was the famous "Rasheed Wallace"; there are no mistaken nicknames in the NBA.
The two immediately started arguing on the court, refusing to back down, and even butted heads as they argued.
The Portland Trail Blazers players on the court and the three referees present were extremely anxious and rushed to mediate. But the Washington Wizards players on the court all wished they could pull up a small stool and watch the drama unfold.
Meanwhile…
Link expressionlessly glanced at Michael Jordan on the bench.
"Damn, Michael Jordan is really good at pretending."
"Our pre-game ploy worked, and you're not even smiling!"
"And you're deliberately feigning curiosity as if you don't know anything..."
Michael Jordan also noticed Link's gaze at this moment and couldn't help but think to himself: "This kid is really f*cking good at pretending. He's clearly overjoyed, but he can still act as if nothing's wrong."
…
…
Seeing that something was wrong, the Portland Trail Blazers quickly called a timeout.
On the bench, Pippen, relying on his six championship rings, started acting like a diva again, making it clear that if Rasheed Wallace didn't apologize to him, he would absolutely not play.
"Scottie, although you have six championship rings, each one should be named — Michael Jordan." Rasheed Wallace didn't indulge Pippen.
After the timeout ended, the Portland Trail Blazers' team chemistry fell into a "freezing point" after the commotion. Not only on offense, but also on defense, they were full of loopholes, which was incredibly satisfying for an excellent "court general" and "primary ball-handler."
At the end of the first half, the Washington Wizards extended their lead to 21 points, 61 to 40.
In the second half, it's unknown how the Portland Trail Blazers' management appeased Pippen, but Pippen came on the court, though his playing time was staggered with Rasheed Wallace. After Pippen came on, he first hit a mid-range shot off the dribble. After scoring, Pippen didn't forget to provocatively glance at Rasheed sitting on the bench.
Rasheed Wallace didn't give him any face, directly flashing a "2."
This "2" had a double meaning. 2 was Pippen's current score for the night; at the same time, this 2 could also be interpreted as you will always be the perennial second-place.
After Pippen scored on this possession, the Washington Wizards once again changed their defensive strategy, having Link directly guard Pippen. Seeing this, Pippen scornfully said to Link, "rookie, you finally dare to guard me."
"Brother, please understand. After all, I have too many responsibilities on the court; I have to connect the team, break through, shoot... Unlike you, you just need to play defense well," Link said earnestly.
"Just play defense well?" Pippen couldn't help but get angry. What did this damn rookie mean? Was he saying I was a blue-collar player? I have to drive past you a few times.
The 34-year-old Pippen chose to drive aggressively against Link's defense in the next 4 minutes. Pippen's drive was half successful if he could just keep up with the first step. Of course, this refers to defensive players like Link who have sufficient size. Peak Pippen might have been able to get past Link's defense with his first step, but he clearly couldn't do it now. After successfully anticipating the first step, Link applied physical contact, causing Pippen's dribbling motion to deform.
"Slap!"
"Slap!"
Within 4 minutes, two face-to-face Steals by Link ignited the Washington Wizards' bench. In addition, there were two forced missed shots by Pippen. The Washington Wizards seized the opportunity to launch a fast break, going on a 12-2 run and extending the lead to 30 points. However, the disheveled Pippen managed to regain some face with a chase-down Block on Link during a transition defense, but... this was followed by a powerful dunk from Gerald Wallace who was trailing behind.
The Portland Trail Blazers were forced to call another timeout. After this timeout, with internal conflicts and such a large deficit, the Portland Trail Blazers would likely choose to wave the white flag early.
"Michael, Link, your defense has improved quite a bit recently." On the bench, Washington Wizards head coach Doug Collins couldn't help but praise Link.
"Mm." Michael Jordan nodded with great satisfaction.
How exhilarating!
Seeing his current subordinate batter his former subordinate, he couldn't describe how thrilled he felt. At this moment, Michael Jordan even thought Link's defense was a work of art, completely forgetting that he had almost gotten into a fight with Link during a team practice game due to dissatisfaction with Link's defensive moves.
"Huh..."
"Is Scottie just old? Why isn't he fighting with Link? He's being defended like shit, and he can tolerate that?"
The only thing that left Michael Jordan feeling a little disappointed was why Pippen didn't get into a fight with Link. Alas, it's a pity, Scottie can't appreciate Link's talent in fighting…
"Michael, what do you mean by that look?" Link noticed Michael Jordan's complex and slightly mischievous gaze and couldn't help but frown and ask.
"Link, you did well tonight. I'll treat you to golf in a few days when there's no game," Michael Jordan said.
"No. You should treat me to a meal instead. Of course, if you're busy, cash works too," Link said with a smile.
…
…
After the timeout, the Portland Trail Blazers gave up on the game early, substituting Pippen and other starters. The Washington Wizards also substituted Link and other starters after 1 minute.
Finally!
119 to 82, the Washington Wizards won tonight's game with a 27-point advantage.
Player statistics:
For the Washington Wizards, Link, having only played 27 minutes, scored 30 points very efficiently with 12-of-18 shooting, 2-of-5 from Three-Point Shot, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, along with 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 Steals, and 2 Blocks. It's worth noting that this was achieved against Scottie Pippen's defense. Besides Link, Haywood, Gerald Wallace, and Randolph all scored in double digits. Especially Gerald Wallace, who shot 6-of-6, with 4 scores from fast break conversions and the remaining 2 from put-back offensive rebounds, achieving a terrifying 100% field goal percentage.
For the Portland Trail Blazers, Rasheed Wallace, the Rasheed Wallace, shot 8-of-14, 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, scoring a team-high 18 points, along with 1 rebound, 2 Blocks, and 2 assists. Although Rasheed Wallace had an almost unstoppable straight-arm jump shot, he wasn't actually a scoring-type interior player; he was just very dissatisfied with the arrogant Scottie Pippen. Scottie Pippen, on the other hand, had the worst game of his career, shooting only 1-of-8 from the field, 2-of-4 from the free-throw line, scoring 4 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 Steal…
At the same time, Link's mind once again echoed with the system's cold, mechanical electronic voice.
[Ding, congratulations to the Host for completing the main quest — Locker Room Leader.]
[Quest Reward: 3000 Goat Points + Superstar sparring partner card x1.]
…
…
After gaining this wave of 3000 Goat Points, Link's Goat Points — [Goat Points: 3,111/70,781].
He's less than 10,000 points away from the 80,000 points needed for the next player template draw.
After the regular season ends, during the season settlement, he should probably be able to draw a new player template.
As for this Superstar sparring partner card, Link was a bit surprised that it was Stephen Curry.
Hehe... Curry is good!
He could completely sit on him with his butt in the Hundred-Point Battle, and the five-star reward would be easily obtained.