Madison Square Garden (MSG)—the Mecca of Basketball—was packed tonight.
The New York Knicks were hosting the Los Angeles Lakers in a showdown between two struggling, yet storied, franchises.
Under the bright lights, the atmosphere was thick with the notoriously demanding and loud New York crowd, and familiar celebrity faces dotted the courtside seats: Spike Lee, Jay-Z, Beyoncé...
This legendary matchup was drawing immense attention, and it was the only nationally televised game of the Lakers' four-game road trip.
The Knicks were also in the mud this season. Star player Stephon Marbury, acquired at great cost last season, wasn't performing up to expectations. New coach Larry Brown's system simply hadn't clicked with the team.
Both sides were desperate for this win, but the Knicks had the advantage of resting up at home! It was never going to be an easy night for the Lakers.
The game started with the Lakers looking exactly as heavy-legged as expected.
Tired from the continuous road stretch, players were drained. Early in the first quarter, Vujacic threw up a wildly inaccurate air ball. Smush Parker was completely broken down and spun around by Marbury on a drive, drawing a roar of laughter from the home crowd.
Kobe Bryant's face was stone cold, showing only a chilling killer instinct. Every time he touched the ball, he was met with aggressive double-teams and heavy physicality from the Knicks, making every shot attempt a brutal effort.
By the end of the first quarter, the Lakers were already down by seven points. The slump seemed far from over.
Link entered the game late in the second quarter. Despite his active movement, the Knicks' tight man-to-man defense denied him any open looks. He only managed two points on a fast break layup.
As Parker ran back down the court, he gave Link a sneering, "I knew it" look.
Halftime arrived, and the deficit had swelled to 12 points. The locker room was heavy; Kobe was struggling at 6-for-15 shooting in the half. His competitive nature was taking over, forcing him to duel with the defense—the more the Knicks trapped him, the more he tried to force the issue. If not for a solid performance from Lamar Odom, the scoreboard would have looked much worse.
The turning point came midway through the third quarter.
During a stoppage in play, Link was subbed into the game.
He didn't hesitate: \[Focused Shooter Lv2] and \[Quick Shooter Lv1] were activated simultaneously!
The world instantly went silent, as if muted. The surrounding chaos faded, and Link's vision was consumed only by the basket. An unprecedented feeling of focus and confidence flooded his entire body.
On the offensive end, Kobe had adjusted his attack in the second half. He drove, drawing the double-team, and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Link sprinting around the baseline.
A perfect cross-court pass sliced through the defense and landed in Link's hands.
He caught the ball, didn't need to settle his feet—the defender was closing fast, but Link felt the opponent was a beat slow. He jumped, shot, his motion flawless and natural!
"Swish!"
Nothing but net! The sound was crystal clear!
The first one!
The Knicks missed on their ensuing possession, and the Lakers pushed the fast break. Odom grabbed the rebound and fired a long outlet pass to Link, streaking up the court. Link paused at the top of the arc. Before the chasing defender could set his feet, he pulled up again!
"Swish!"
The second one! Back-to-back!
Scattered boos mixed with murmurs started in the Garden.
The next possession, Kobe aggressively drove and, amidst the crowd of bodies, kicked the ball out to Link on the left wing at the 45-degree angle.
It was the same familiar shot, completely disregarding the defender, quick as lightning!
"Swish!"
The third one! Three in a row!
The deficit evaporated! The Knicks' coach immediately called a timeout!
Link's explosion ignited the Lakers' bench, which erupted in cheers, a stark contrast to the suddenly quiet home crowd. The Knicks seemed completely thrown off by this surprise X-factor.
"Hey! Get the damn ball to Link! He's on fire right now!" Kobe uncharacteristically shouted to his teammates as he walked to the bench.
But it wasn't over. After the timeout, despite the Knicks intensifying their focus on Link, he seemed to have entered a mystical zone. The hoop looked as wide as the ocean!
The extra benefit of \[Focused Shooter Lv2] was activated!
After a complex series of double screens, Link found a brief window of space in the right corner, and the ball arrived right on time. He barely had to see the hoop, relying on pure muscle memory and that incredible confidence to launch the shot over the outstretched arms of the defender.
The ball soared high, tracing a beautiful rainbow arc, reminiscent of Dirk Nowitzki's fadeaway.
"Swish!"
The fourth one!
And, the whistle blew! A four-point play!
"Ohhhhhh!" The whole arena let out a giant gasp. Even some Knicks fans couldn't help but applaud the incredible shot.
Link felt his shooting confidence and touch reach a boiling point!
Meanwhile, the Knicks' defense was collapsing. They didn't know whether to focus on Kobe or to swarm the suddenly lethal shooter on the perimeter. Caught between two fires, the Lakers' offense flowed like a flood breaking a dam!
Late in the third quarter, Link shook off a dazed Knicks player, ran around a double screen to the top of the arc, and received the pass with three meters of open space!
He took his time, adjusted calmly, and shot the ball with the practiced rhythm of ten thousand repetitions.
"Swish!"
The fifth one! His fifth three-pointer of the quarter!
At the end of the third, Link had scored a massive 16 points in the quarter! The Lakers had gone from trailing by 12 points to leading by six!
The entire Madison Square Garden was stunned into silence by this unknown Lakers rookie, broken only by the frantic cheers of a few Lakers fans.
In the fourth quarter, the Knicks attempted one last rally, but the Lakers had found their rhythm. Kobe also rediscovered his shot. With Link drawing massive attention outside, Kobe finally got some one-on-one looks and consistently knocked down mid-range jumpers.
Link, despite facing near-frantic defense, still hit one more high-difficulty catch-and-shoot three, along with two free throws and a successful backdoor cut! Every time he touched the ball, the New York crowd held its breath.
With two minutes left and the Lakers up by 20 points, the game was decided, and Coach Jackson began substituting his starters.
As Link headed to the bench, teammates rushed up to high-five him one by one. Even the Zen Master, Phil Jackson, gave him a rare pat on the shoulder.
Link looked up at the scoreboard: 8-for-12 overall, 6-for-9 from three, 3-for-3 from the free-throw line, for a total of 25 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Kobe finished with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists on 10-for-23 shooting. He adjusted in the second half, distributing the ball and hitting several key mid-range shots.
Link, however, set a new career-high! He even outscored Kobe by one point!
Link sat down, accepting a towel and a Gatorade from a teammate, breathing heavily. His excitement was irrepressible; his blood felt like it was boiling.
The final buzzer sounded: 108 to 91!
The Lakers secured a resounding victory on the road, wiping away the cloud of their three-game losing streak!
As the players exchanged high-fives and hugs on the court, Kobe Bryant walked directly through the crowd toward Link.
He didn't say a word, just looked intently at Link, and extended his right hand.
Link paused for a second, then immediately understood and raised his own hand without hesitation.
"Clap!"
A crisp, powerful sound of a high-five exploded in the air! It was as if all the suppressed pressure, doubt, and previous failures were completely shattered!
Kobe cracked the first smile he'd shown all night.
"Hell of a job, Link," he said, clasping Link's shoulder, then turned and headed down the tunnel.
Link stood there, feeling the slight sting in his palm, an unspeakable feeling welling up inside him.
This time, he had personally rescued the game, saved the tattered dignity of the Purple and Gold, and earned the respect of Kobe Bryant.
25 points, a career-high!
Ten thousand hours of work, finally, shining bright at the Mecca tonight!