The game entered the second half, and both sides made adjustments to their lineups.
The African Mountain, Mutombo, is truly getting old, and he's "countered" by the Washington Wizards in defending the pick-and-roll. There's no helping it; Link can be said to be the active player most skilled at playing the pick-and-roll. However, the 76ers' interior height needs him, so Larry Brown kept Mutombo on the court.
As an ironman, Allen Iverson playing over 40 minutes in a playoff game is like child's play, so naturally, he wouldn't be subbed out.
The Philadelphia 76ers subbed out Aaron McKie and brought on Raja Bell. An undrafted player from the year 2000 and Philly's backup Point Guard, he's still quite green right now. Larry Brown hoped he would use his "mad dog" defense to gnaw at Link—simply put, to use a "war of attrition" against him.
The former number one draft pick, Derrick Coleman, performed quite poorly tonight, contributing nothing on defense and being extremely inefficient on offense. Therefore, the 201cm tall, 104kg Matt Harpring replaced him in the starting lineup for the second half.
The Washington Wizards sent out a "one-big, four-small" lineup, with Laettner sliding up to the 5, Gerald Wallace playing the 4, and Link sliding up to the 3.
Michael Jordan remained at the shooting guard position, but the Point Guard spot was taken by Tyronn Lue. Of course, Doug Collins' purpose for sending Lue onto the court wasn't for him to organize the team's offense, but merely to hunt down Allen Iverson, thereby keeping Richard Hamilton and Zach Randolph in the rotation...
Also sporting cornrows, Lue ran incredibly fast, sticking to Iverson like glue. At the same time, he wasn't afraid to get physical, doing his best to interfere with Iverson's catches.
"Whistle!"
"Whistle!"
Less than two minutes into the second half, Lue picked up two fouls for off-ball defense. However, during this time, it was visibly difficult for Iverson to even receive the ball, and he only managed one shot attempt.
This made Iverson unable to resist complaining: "Man, is your only purpose on the court to follow behind me?"
Although Tyronn Lue was the Wizards' Point Guard, his responsibility on offense was just to bring the ball across half-court, hand it to Link, and then find a spot to stand. No other Point Guard in the league plays like this...
"Exactly!" Tyronn Lue responded candidly.
Iverson didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that.
Tyronn Lue's effect in chasing Iverson off the ball was even better than Hamilton's. Of course, this only limited Iverson's catches; it couldn't truly shut him down. The high wall forged by Michael Jordan and Link was the key to defending Iverson.
Link and Michael Jordan took turns double-teaming from the weak side. While Iverson's Passing wasn't bad, the second-year Raja Bell couldn't punish the Washington Wizards for leaving him open with Three-Point Shots. Although the Philadelphia 76ers' backup forward, Matt Harpring, was good at crashing the Offensive Rebound and had excellent strength for contact, his running and jumping abilities were average—essentially a "lite" version of "The King of Cats" Gerald Wallace. In his matchup against Gerald Wallace, he was completely outclassed.
Philadelphia head coach Larry Brown watched as Gerald Wallace plucked rebounds right over Matt Harpring's head and consistently beat him down the court in off-ball transitions, his face full of helplessness. This starting lineup for the Washington Wizards in the second half featured two offensive engines; both Laettner and Link could complete full-court long passes.
"Link, I can stop you," Raja Bell said to Link, who held the ball at the top of the arc.
In the half-court offense, Link acted as the primary ball-handler, with Raja Bell responsible for guarding him. In the first two possessions, besides hitting a mid-range jumper, Link also delivered an assist. Larry Brown's expression was very grim, and Raja Bell, noticing this, couldn't help but feel trepidation. As a role player, he knew very well that his purpose for being on the court was to harass Link, but if Link continued to play so easily, his playing time would undoubtedly be slashed.
To stay in the NBA, Raja Bell began to increase his defensive physicality, not only placing his lead hand on Link's chest but even actively applying force. This allowed him to anticipate Link's moves and also provoke him, ideally aiming for a "one-for-one" trade-off.
After sensing his intentions, Link didn't back down. After exchanging a look with Laettner, Link passed the ball and cut inside off-ball. Receiving the ball in the mid-to-low post, he first gave a shoulder fake. Raja Bell's defensive instincts were good, and he didn't bite. Of course, Link wasn't in a hurry and went straight into a post-up.
"Wow!"
"Wow!"
The home Washington fans saw their star player and franchise cornerstone, Link, backing down his opponent like an interior player. Raja Bell stood at 196cm and 95kg, a standard shooting guard build. However, Link's frame was a full size larger, and his strength was a level higher. Combined with his [Backdown Punisher] and [Drop Step Master] badges, it really gave the fans a visual of a "big-on-small" mismatch. Link, having ground his way under the basket, didn't rush to jump. He paused slightly, waited for Raja Bell to jump first, and then went up into him, drawing a 2+1.
"And-one!"
"And-one!"
The fans in the arena also started shouting passionately along with the commentator.
The free throw was good!
84 to 78!
Link had four consecutive isolations. Twice, he received the ball and used powerful back-downs, drop-steps, and 45-degree angle bank shots. Twice, he faced up after receiving the ball, using jab steps, power drives into jump stops, and spin moves.
All four possessions were successful. He also drew two fouls from Raja Bell. In just four minutes, the Washington Wizards went on a 13-5 run, bringing the score to 88 to 75!
The moment Larry Brown called a timeout, Raja Bell's eyes were red and brimming with tears. He knew... in those few minutes, Link had played him right out of the rotation.
...
...
106 to 74, with 5:11 left in the fourth quarter, the Wizards' lead was still 32 points. The Philadelphia 76ers showed no desire to persist and threw in the towel, letting the game descend completely into garbage time.
The game ended with a score of 74 to 105; the Washington Wizards defeated the 76ers by 31 points.
Link finished the game with a massive triple-double of 32 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 Steals, and 1 Block.
It's worth mentioning that Link also became the fifth rookie in NBA history to record a triple-double in the playoffs. The previous four were: Tom Gola (1956), Jerry Lucas (1964), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970), and "Magic" Johnson (1980).