"Jay, that rookie? He should be cleaning popcorn out of his car right now!" Mobley, the Houston Rockets' Shooting Guard, said with a laugh.
Bullying rookies is also considered one of the NBA's unwritten rules.
Never mind that Jay Williams is just the team's second overall pick; even if he were the number one draft pick, he would still be frequently bullied by veterans in his first NBA season.
Even Link was often "bullied" by Michael Jordan after joining the Washington Wizards last year; of course, Link bullied Michael Jordan just as much.
"Steve!"
"Cuttino!"
"When he gets here, help me pass a message: I'll be guarding him personally tonight."
Link said in an extremely serious tone.
"Haha, Link, I'll pass it on for you." Seeing Link suppressing his anger, Francis didn't try to be a peacemaker. After all, both Jay Williams and he were Point Guards. Francis was only 25 this year, in the prime of his NBA career.
Giving up his spot to Jay Williams was impossible.
But the Houston Rockets' foolish management—who knows what they were thinking—having such an excellent Point Guard like himself, yet still not trading Jay Williams away as soon as possible.
...
...
The Houston Rockets' home arena!
Toyota Center, this 18,500-seat arena, was almost packed to capacity tonight. To be fair, the attendance at the Houston Rockets' home games had always been mediocre; it was rare to see even sixty percent of the seats filled on a normal day.
Some of these fans were clearly not there to support the Houston Rockets.
As a result, many fans in the stands were holding up banners—
"Link, I drove 80km just to watch your game."
"Link, you are my daddy!"
"Link, our whole family came specifically for you!"
As the NBA's first high schooler number one draft pick, Link had delivered an epic performance in the regular season. As for his performance in the playoffs, it further showcased his "superstar quality."
Fans all wanted to see this rising star of the NBA, Link, with their own eyes. Of course, this also had to do with the large Chinese-American population in Texas.
Where there is love, there is also hate.
Especially between Link and the Houston Rockets' second overall pick this year, Duke University's talented Point Guard—Jay Williams. However, with an All-Star level Point Guard like Francis ahead of him, Jay Williams didn't get his chance to play until the 7:49 mark of the first quarter during the rotation period.
Normally, Link would also head to the bench for a rest during the rotation, but to teach this arrogant First-Year Players rookie a lesson, Link decided to stay on for a few more minutes to give him a schooling.
On the court, the visiting Washington Wizards held an 8-point lead, 29 to 21.
Houston Rockets' possession.
"I've got him!"
"I've got him!"
"No need for help defense; he doesn't dare to drive past me head-on."
Seeing Jay Williams dribble to the top of the arc, Link shouted loudly.
The confidence and certainty in his tone were exceptionally grating to Jay Williams.
As the second overall pick, Jay Williams was also a talent on par with Michael Jordan; he had never suffered such an insult. At this moment, he forgot the coach's instructions and didn't wait for the Houston Rockets' starting Center Kelvin Cato's pick-and-roll. With a "thud," Jay Williams pounded the ball, lowered his Center of gravity, and accelerated, trying to break through from Link's right side.
The 188cm Jay Williams had a very low Center of gravity and was very agile. Link took half a step back to establish a "buffer zone," mainly to prevent Jay Williams from slipping past him. After the first physical contact, Jay Williams found he couldn't break through Link's defense, and his Speed slowed down. In the next instant, Link's left hand swept toward the ball like a whip. Jay Williams hurriedly dodged the first swipe, but this made his balance even more unstable.
Link stepped forward quickly, controlling his footwork and Center of gravity. His chest only leaned against Jay Williams without any obvious charging motion. Link quickly bent at the waist, and with his 229cm wingspan, he almost reached around Jay Williams' waist to "snatch" the basketball away.
That's right.
For a player with small hands, even if they tipped the ball, they would need time to fully secure possession. But Link, whose palms were almost as large as Michael Jordan's, made it feel like he had just "snatched" it.
After completing the Steal, Link immediately pushed the fast break. Upon reaching the opponent's half, he instantly created a local numerical advantage. Link delivered a brilliant bounce pass to Gerald Wallace cutting from the wing. With a "boom," the latter leapt and completed a one-handed power dunk.
Link looked back and saw Jay Williams still complaining incessantly to the referee. Although he was quite far away and couldn't hear clearly, Link could guess that the other was definitely complaining about a foul during the previous defensive play.
Despite it being the Rockets' home court, the referee ignored the rookie Jay.
When Link came up beside him, Jay Williams said angrily: "Link, you're lucky the referee didn't see such an obvious foul."
"Foul?"
"What? What nonsense are you talking about? Who fouled? Please, this is the NBA, not a place for kids to play house."
Link said with a face full of disdain.
"Hmph!" Jay Williams snorted. Unwilling to give in, he chose a mid-range jumper after using a pick-and-roll from Kelvin Cato.
Seeing this, Link smiled.
He really didn't expect Jay Williams' mentality to be so poor. Had he not seen that Kelvin Cato hadn't managed to pin him down? Link took a big leap, his long arms blotting out the sky, directly blocking Jay Williams' shooting lane.
With a "smack"...
A crisp sound of impact rang out on the court.
Unfortunately, Link's Jumping Height was a bit insufficient to secure the ball. His attempt at a "grab Block" resulted in the basketball flying out of bounds.
"Ugh!"
Link sighed in frustration, clearly dissatisfied with his Block. Uh... as for the blocked Jay Williams, his face turned extremely ugly.
The resentment and dissatisfaction toward Link in his heart gradually transformed into "fear."
Jay Williams had actually heard of Link long ago; after all, Link was known as the "God King" in the high school basketball world.
But until tonight, Jay Williams thought those were just media hype for Link.
Link's voice rang in Jay Williams' ear again.
"rookie, do you understand now why I'm so popular with the fans?"
Jay Williams started to speak but stopped. For a moment, he didn't know how to answer Link and could only silently watch him show off in front of him.
Link's Steal and Block dealt a heavy blow to Jay Williams' confidence.
But...
For Link, this was just the beginning.