When Tyronn Lue, Link, and Laettner were on the court at the same time, the team's offense immediately moved up a level.
During the Washington Wizards' semi-transition offense, Tyronn Lue pushed the ball forward and found Link at the free-throw line. The moment Link caught the ball, he looked at Gerald Wallace cutting from the wing and made a Passing motion. Clifford Robinson, an experienced defender, crouched low to interfere with the pass. Suddenly, Link seized the moment when his opponent turned his head to look at Gerald Wallace and quickly raised the ball. The latter hurriedly raised his hands, but Link then executed a waist-height pass, once again finding the cutting Gerald Wallace. With a 'Boom!', the latter finished with a one-handed power dunk, while Ben Wallace's help defense was half a beat slow.
"FUCK!" Ben Wallace couldn't help but let out a curse.
The Washington Wizards' offense tonight looked very much like the Sacramento Kings, who had the best regular-season record this season. The ball was moving through everyone's hands, and every player was actively running, seeking better shooting opportunities.
Gerald Wallace's slam dunk further extended the lead to 15 points.
Score on the court: 49 to 34!
Although neither Gerald Wallace nor Richard Hamilton were particularly good passers, Passing is contagious. Moreover, both were NBA players. Under the influence of Link and Laettner, these two also became flashy on the court.
Tyronn Lue handed the ball to Link at the high post horn on the left wing. Then, he made a curl cut, but unfortunately, no opportunity arose as the opponent followed closely. However, Tyronn Lue quickly used a back screen from Laettner to reach the right-wing three-point corner. With a 'Whoosh!', Link, holding the ball with one hand, slung it hard—a diagonal pass right into Lue's hands. Jerry Stackhouse quickly switched to cover. Although Lue could have shot directly, the opportunity wasn't great. Lue paused for a moment and then passed to the cutting Masked Man, as Ben Wallace moved towards him.
The Masked Man saw that Link had shaken off Clifford Robinson and appeared behind Ben Wallace. With a 'Whoosh!', the Masked Man also distributed the ball, making a lob pass. When the ball flew into the air, Link cursed inwardly, 'Damn it!'
Clearly, the Masked Man had overestimated Link's Jumping Height. Uh... to be fair, Link could almost never complete an alley-oop dunk; this pass was too high. However... Link went for an alley-oop layup, tipping the ball into the basket. 68 to 50!
With 1 minute and 1 second left in the third quarter, the Washington Wizards held an 18-point lead at the Detroit Pistons' home arena—The Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Detroit Pistons' home fans were like deflated balloons at this moment, listless.
They really hadn't expected that this team without Michael Jordan would actually seem even stronger.
To be fair, it wasn't that they were stronger without Michael Jordan, but rather that the Detroit Pistons' starting lineup didn't match up well with the Washington Wizards. Especially with Link sliding up to the Power Forward position; if your three-pointers aren't falling and you can't hit from the perimeter, your interior offense is constantly under threat from Link.
What puzzled Detroit Pistons head coach Rick Carlisle the most was that after Link took over the Power Forward spot, the Washington Wizards' defensive rebounding improved. Ben Wallace, who was skilled at positioning and fighting for Offensive Rebounds, only managed to grab one Offensive Rebound against the Washington Wizards' small-ball lineup.
Ben Wallace repeatedly fought for position with Link but didn't gain much advantage—of course, this refers to situations where Link had boxed out in advance.
Uh...
As for letting Link grab an Offensive Rebound over Ben Wallace, that was naturally out of the question.
Tonight, Link gave veteran Detroit Pistons fans an extremely 'familiar' feeling.
When Link made difficult shots against defense and assisted teammates through touch passes without the ball touching the floor, it couldn't help but remind them of the legendary Larry Bird.
When Link pushed the ball quickly, assisting teammates directly with fast passes, and posting up smaller players in mismatches, it reminded veteran Detroit Pistons fans of Magic Johnson—Ervin Johnson.
It was just that Link was Larry Bird one moment and Magic Johnson the next. Oh, right... and from time to time, he transformed into a frame-dropping Michael Jordan.
...
...
In the fourth quarter, the Detroit Pistons sent in their shooters, wanting to take a gamble. However, Link immediately returned to the Point Guard position, focusing the defense on the perimeter. As Jon Barry missed three consecutive three-point attempts under Link's pressure, the outcome of the game completely lost its suspense.
97 to 80!
The Washington Wizards won Game 5 with a 17-point lead.
They eliminated the Detroit Pistons 4-1.
As for when the Eastern Conference Finals would be played, they had to wait for the other matchup in the Eastern Conference.
Currently, the New Jersey Nets and the Boston Celtics were playing a pivotal Game 5.
To be fair, although Paul Pierce has a bit of a big mouth, his overall strength goes up a notch in the playoffs. Even in the mid-to-late stages of his career, Paul Pierce could cause great trouble for a prime LeBron James.
Link felt that Paul Pierce's ability to perform in big moments was almost catching up to his own.
After the game, Ben Wallace led Detroit to embrace Link and offer their blessings.
At this moment, Michael Jordan, lying at home watching the live broadcast, suddenly gritted his teeth.
"Isiah, if you had this kind of class, our relationship wouldn't be like this..." Michael Jordan suddenly sighed.
During his peak, Michael Jordan defeated countless opponents, personally creating numerous uncrowned kings.
Isiah Thomas, the absolute core of the Bad Boys, had a bad relationship with Michael Jordan, and even now there were no signs of reconciliation. The most crucial reason was that after Michael Jordan got past the Detroit Pistons, Isiah Thomas pettily chose to leave without showing respect to his opponent.