The curtains rose on Game 5 between the Washington Wizards and the Detroit Pistons.
At the Detroit Pistons' home arena—The Palace of Auburn Hills—the sound of car horns made the air feel as if it were mixed with the scent of gasoline. Furthermore, to Commissioner David Stern's pleasant surprise, despite this being a decaying market, the stadium was packed to capacity for this game.
Over twenty-two thousand home fans stood ready and waiting.
Banners of all kinds cheering for the home team were spread throughout the arena.
For one, Michael Jordan's injury gave Detroit Pistons fans hope for advancement. The miracle of coming back from 3-0 down to win 4-3 seemed very possible at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Secondly, the Detroit Pistons' home fans wanted to be there in person to see Link, the first high school number one draft pick in NBA history, the Chinese Magician who was even more versatile than Magic Johnson.
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The Detroit Pistons' starting lineup was the same as in G4. Head coach Carlisle still moved Corliss Williamson into the starting lineup, swapping him with Michael Curry. The five starters were: Chucky Atkins, Jerry Stackhouse, Corliss Williamson, Clifford Robinson, and Ben Wallace.
Lacking Michael Jordan, the Washington Wizards made significant adjustments to their starting lineup.
Tyronn Lue, Richard Hamilton, Gerald Wallace, Link, and Brendan Haywood.
Lue was promoted to the starting lineup as the team's point guard, while Link shifted up to the Power Forward position. The regular starting interior player, Laettner, was moved to lead the bench.
The Detroit Pistons' offense intentionally let their starting Power Forward, the 208cm Clifford Robinson, target Link. From the perspective of physical tools, the 205cm barefoot Link wasn't much shorter than his opponent; in fact, his thighs were thicker and his shoulders broader. Clifford Robinson, who weighed only 105kg and didn't have a weight advantage, chose not to post up with brute force. After receiving the ball, he opted for a face-up attack. However, as soon as he put the ball down to start his move, Link almost stripped it away. This scared him into securing the ball and quickly Passing it out.
Link loved it when opponents attacked face-up, especially interior players with high centers of gravity and slow speeds. This time, Link's luck was a bit off, as he only nicked the edge of the basketball; otherwise, it would have been a direct Steal.
But soon, to Link's surprise, Clifford Robinson came back for more. He suddenly sprinted, trying to move to the other side to call for the ball, hoping to catch Link off-balance. This is a common trick for interior players; the defensive intensity varies greatly between a defender standing still and one on the move.
However, Clifford Robinson vastly underestimated Link's strength. Although it wasn't necessarily stronger than his, it wasn't much weaker either. During the shoving match under the basket, Clifford Robinson couldn't establish a firm footing. The perimeter guard, Atkins—an 'attacking point guard' who focused on drive-and-kicks and whose playmaking ability was honestly mediocre—committed a cardinal sin for a point guard by choosing to pass before the interior player had established position. Link took the opportunity to lunge for the ball. With a 'clap!', Link completed the Steal.
"Eh..."
"Clifford Robinson is getting old after all. Facing Link, whose height and physical strength aren't much different... he doesn't have much of an advantage."
The Detroit Pistons' home commentator couldn't help but shake his head.
The Detroit Pistons' offensive strategy at the start of the game had major issues. Clifford Robinson, who had no matchup advantage, missed all three of his shots and committed two turnovers within three minutes.
"Honestly, after Washington moved Link to the Power Forward position, the team's Interior Defense has improved by a level. It's just that the Perimeter Defense looks a bit ugly... Tyronn Lue is being blown by like a sieve by Atkins..."
The 180cm Atkins was indeed fast; he could blow past Tyronn Lue even without a screen. Additionally, Atkins had a decent mid-range game. However, as Link rotated up to provide help defense and cover for Tyronn Lue, Atkins immediately began to struggle. He could only pass the ball to teammates on the perimeter and could no longer effectively attack the rim. The Detroit Pistons' starters weren't accurate Three-Point Shot shooters to begin with; without open looks, they posed little threat.
The Washington Wizards repeatedly capitalized on transitions. By the end of the first quarter, they had built a 7-point lead, 32 to 25!
As the game moved into the second quarter, the Detroit Pistons hoped to use their bench depth to catch up. However, the bench lineup featured Randolph and Laettner. With Laettner acting as the hub for distribution and Randolph attacking the interior with force, the result was surprising: during the bench transition phase, the Washington Wizards not only prevented the opponent from catching up but even extended the lead to double digits. The Detroit Pistons immediately brought back their starters, and the Washington Wizards shifted their lineup again.
The Washington Wizards' lineup on the floor was: Tyronn Lue, Richard Hamilton, Gerald Wallace, Link, and Christian Laettner.
The Detroit Pistons' Jerry Stackhouse, seeing that the 213cm Brendan Haywood wasn't under the basket, took advantage of a screen between Atkins and Clifford Robinson to suddenly cut from the weak side. Hamilton failed to keep up and was left behind. Laettner, on the other side of the basket, didn't have time to help. After receiving the ball, Stackhouse powered through Hamilton behind him and rose up strong. With a 'bang!', a large hand suddenly lunged from behind, ruthlessly pinning the basketball against the backboard.
Stackhouse looked up in confusion, curious as to who had blocked him. In the next instant, Link's voice rang in his ears, "Old man, thanks for the block!"
Stackhouse was momentarily stunned. It was that damn rookie. After his [Rim Protector] talent was promoted to'Silver', Link's defensive awareness in the paint had significantly improved. Stackhouse's explosiveness wasn't top-tier either, which gave Link time to rotate for the help defense.
At this moment, the Washington Wizards' lineup on the floor looked average defensively, but Link's ability to rotate and sweep on help defense could compensate for it. Furthermore, the Detroit Pistons didn't have any interior players who could forcefully attack the rim.
Moreover... the advantage of this lineup lay in—Offense!!!
After Lue dribbled past half-court, he first ran a pick-and-roll with Laettner. Link immediately cut from the weak side, and Clifford Robinson couldn't keep up at all. Unlike typical interior players, Link's Three-Point Shot was very accurate, so you had to stay glued to him, which undoubtedly increased the defensive difficulty for his matchup.
Ben Wallace immediately dropped back, trying to protect the rim. Link slowed down to receive the ball at the elbow, while Laettner moved up a step toward the perimeter. Ben Wallace glanced at Laettner in the mid-range and then looked solemnly at Link. Link took small, choppy steps, continuously pressuring Ben Wallace and forcing him to make a choice. Ben Wallace ultimately decided to stay back to defend Link's drive. With a 'whoosh!', the ball was passed to Laettner. The latter caught the ball and made a shooting motion, baiting Jerry Stackhouse into helping. Then, with another 'whoosh!', he passed the ball again to Hamilton, who caught it and sank the jump shot!!!