After Link received the ball at the baseline, Jay Williams picked him up with full-court pressure. When they were two steps away from half-court, Jay Williams suddenly went for a gambling Steal, lunging at Link with his whole body.
A disdainful smile appeared on the corner of Link's mouth. He then used a Curry-style behind-the-back dribble to easily evade the Steal. The whole process was incredibly smooth; the moment the basketball hit his other hand, Link immediately accelerated, completely pulling away from Jay Williams.
"What on earth is this stupid rookie doing?"
"Coach, I think we should sub him out early. Keeping him on the court is practically a crime."
The Houston Rockets' assistant coach said, somewhat exasperated.
The Houston Rockets' head coach, "Rudy Tomjanovich," also looked very displeased. Although he knew before the game that there was a gap in overall strength between the Houston Rockets and the Washington Wizards, and that Jay Williams, the team's second overall pick this year, was no match for Link, Coach Tom had hoped Jay could learn something from the matchup.
However...
Now, Jay was being played like a fool by Link.
For a primary ball-handler like Link, easily bypassing the first line of defense to create a 5-on-4 opportunity was no different from getting something for free. Seeing no one guarding him as he dribbled to the top of the arc, Link unceremoniously pulled up for a transition Three-Point Shot.
With a "swish," the ball went through the hoop, further widening the lead.
After this shot, only 1 minute and 19 seconds remained in the first quarter. Normally, without special circumstances, neither side would make a substitution. But at this moment, the Rockets called a timeout to sub out this year's second overall pick. There was no choice; if they let this second overall pick stay on the court, the game would be blown open in the first quarter.
...
...
42 to 28, the first quarter ended with the Washington Wizards' lead expanding to 14 points. As the game entered the second quarter, Link, who had played almost the entire first quarter, did not return to the floor. Tyronn Lue paired up with Yao Ming and others. Yao Ming didn't look to score himself; instead, he set screens and provided cover for his teammates. The one who benefited most was Larry Hughes. In terms of off-ball ability, Larry Hughes and the opposing Old Cat Mobley were evenly matched, but Yao Ming's screen quality was clearly superior, allowing Larry Hughes to get better shooting looks.
The Rockets' leader, Francis, saw the Wizards threatening to extend the lead to 20 points in the second quarter and stepped up. He drove and kicked to teammates after screens, used screens to penetrate, and skillfully used the Euro Step to finish layups. Additionally, Francis hit a Three-Point Shot, briefly cutting the deficit to nearly 10 points.
Seeing things take a turn for the worse, Washington Wizards head coach Doug Collins quickly deployed his strongest tactic—which was subbing Link back in. Compared to the diminutive Tyronn Lue, Link was like the O'Neal of point guards. Although Francis was very fast, Link was adept at creating a "buffer zone." Francis's pull-up jumpers weren't lethal enough, and furthermore, Link's Explosiveness, long arms, and defensive awareness could interfere with Francis to some extent.
64 to 46, the half ended with the Washington Wizards racking up 64 points against the Rockets' defense, holding an 18-point lead.
It's worth noting that the Rockets' second overall pick didn't play at all in the second quarter. Clearly, the Rockets' coaching staff was making him reflect. However, for a second overall pick early in the season, the team naturally wouldn't leave him on the bench the entire night.
As the third quarter began, Jay Williams actually started in place of Francis, which made Link's eyes light up.
Link said with a serious expression, "rookie, from now on, as long as you're guarding me, I'm going to take every shot right over you."
As the Michael Jordan of his basketball career path and the second overall pick of '02, Jay Williams completely forgot what the coach had told him in the second quarter after hearing such insulting trash talk from Link. At this moment, he only wanted to destroy Link.
"Shut up! You damn bastard!"
"You're only favored by the league because of your skin color. Other than that, you're nothing but crap!!!"
Jay Williams said, incensed.
"Hehe." Seeing his opponent fuming with rage, Link was delighted.
However, for the next stretch of time, Link really did target Jay Williams on every possession, and without using screens.
Link first tested him with a Triple Threat at the top of the arc before hitting a Three-Point Shot in his face. Soon after, Link received a pass from Laettner at the Elbow, used a face-up fake to mislead him, drove into the paint, and drew a foul.
With a face-up drive from the 45-degree wing, he bypassed Glen Rice's help defense with a hop step and knocked down a mid-range jumper.
In transition, Link used a Tank Drive, overpowering his opponent and devouring him whole all the way to the rim for a powerful dunk.
In just four minutes, Link went 5-for-5 against Jay Williams's defense and earned two free throw attempts.
The lead ballooned to 22 points, 78 to 56!
And Jay Williams's anger gradually turned into despair...
Jay Williams even resorted to dirty fouls, but he still couldn't stop Link from scoring. Not only that, Link also shut out Jay Williams on the offensive end.
0-for-1!
Don't be fooled by the fact that Jay Williams only took one shot; it wasn't because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. Link's Death Coil left him with no shooting opportunities at all. Even with screens, he couldn't completely shake off Link's defense.
When Jay Williams was subbed out, despite his sour face, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief and joy, as if he had escaped from a nightmare.
However...
In the next instant, a few words from Link made Jay Williams wish he could crawl into a hole and disappear.
"Coach Tom, why are you subbing him out now?"
"I haven't had enough fun yet!"
"I've only scored 28 points so far!"
"Don't do that, I still wanted to get 50 points on his head tonight!"
Link shouted toward the Rockets' bench in a conversational tone.
Yao Ming, whose English was only average, was a bit confused by what he heard, but to support his good friend, he nodded along. Meanwhile, Laettner, an old rogue who usually didn't care much for sportsmanship, couldn't stand it either and forcibly pulled Link away.