Chapter 76: Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City was freezing. It felt like there were actual ice shards in the air, cutting into your skin.
Link shivered uncontrollably the moment he stepped off the plane.
Coming from the eternal warmth of Los Angeles to this frozen tundra was a shock to the system.
The bus shuttled the players to their hotel. Even Lamar Odom, usually the first one to hit the town, chose to hole up in his room.
The next evening, EnergySolutions Arena.
Because of the biting cold, the pre-game media availability was significantly shorter than usual.
"Beat LA!!!"
"Beat LA!!!"
"..."
The moment the Lakers players stepped onto the floor, the arena erupted in a deafening chorus of boos.
It wasn't that these two teams had some deep-seated blood feud; it was just how the fans here operated. They were ruthless.
Link felt his ears tightening up a bit from the noise.
"Don't let it rattle you," Kobe said as he tightened his laces, not even looking up. "If they're booing you, it means you matter. If they couldn't even be bothered to boo..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but Link understood.
If they don't boo, you're invisible. You don't exist.
No haters means no fans.
Players like that don't last long in the NBA.
During warm-ups, Link specifically tested his range from the corner—his sweet spot.
Even though the cold weather made his arms feel a bit stiff, the muscle memory from [Focused Shooter Lv3] controlled his arc perfectly.
Swish, swish, swish!
Five in a row.
Andrei Kirilenko was stretching on the other side of the court. He glanced over, his face an emotionless mask.
After running through a few simple layup lines, the referee's whistle blew.
Game on!
The ball was tossed high into the air.
Bynum used his superior height and wingspan to win the tip, tapping the ball backward.
Aaron McKie brought the ball up, unhurried.
The Lakers' first possession was patient.
After swinging the ball a few times, they fed it to Kobe in the low post.
Defending him was Derek Fisher.
Once a key piece of the Lakers' three-peat dynasty, Fisher was now heavily relied upon in Utah.
Fisher was incredibly strong, pound-for-pound, but his height disadvantage was obvious.
Kobe caught the ball, turned, and hit a fadeaway.
Easy money.
2-0.
Clean and crisp.
Link noticed that Kobe's offensive aggression was high tonight.
Those four airballs from his rookie year playoffs were still a thorn in Kobe's heart. Whenever he played the Jazz, he wanted to make a point.
Change of possession. Lakers on defense.
Deron Williams brought the ball up. His dribble was low to the ground, and while he didn't look fast, he was gaining ground quickly.
Deron used a screen to drive right. Bynum was forced to switch out to hedge and delay him.
In that split second, Deron fired a bounce pass.
The ball zipped right past Bynum's hip, perfectly finding Carlos Boozer on the roll.
Boozer caught it, adjusted his feet in one fluid motion, and pulled up from mid-range.
Swish!
Coach Jerry Sloan's signature pick-and-roll tactic was on full display from the very first play!
Lakers' turn.
Link started from the baseline, using a Bynum screen to curl up top.
Kirilenko stuck to his side like a shadow, one hand constantly resting on Link's waist.
It was borderline fouling, but refs rarely called that kind of hand-checking here.
The passing lane was choked off.
Link cut back out in the opposite direction.
This time, Kirilenko fought over the screen early, his long arms completely sealing off the catch angle.
Kobe glanced at the shot clock.
After a simple jab step, he pulled up for a dry three-pointer!
5-2.
Kobe's touch was scorching hot tonight!
The next few minutes turned into Kobe Bryant versus the entire Utah Jazz system.
Kobe started 4-for-5, showcasing his entire offensive arsenal.
The Jazz, meanwhile, clung to the score by spamming the Deron-Boozer pick-and-roll.
It was "pick your poison" for the Lakers:
Either hedge hard and get punished by Boozer's mid-range jumper, or switch and let Deron Williams go to work on a mismatched big man.
With 6:22 left in the first quarter, after Deron slashed into the paint for another bucket, the Lakers called their first timeout.
Lakers trailed 15-17.
And the Jazz still had two free throws coming up.
"We can't keep playing like this," Kobe said, wiping sweat from his face with a towel. The physical battle with the Jazz was draining his stamina fast.
"They're playing way too comfortable. We aren't making them work for it!"
The Zen Master, Phil Jackson, glanced at the players on the bench.
Given the current roster construction, he didn't really have a silver bullet.
"Phil, I suggest we switch everything aggressively. Don't let Carlos get comfortable catches in the mid-range..." Brian Shaw suggested, before adding, "Force Deron to play hero ball. He can't stay hot for the entire game!"
Phil narrowed his eyes. It seemed like the only option.
Just as he was hesitating, Link suddenly spoke up.
"Coach, let me try. I'll pick up the ball handler!"
Kobe and Phil both turned their gaze to Link.
"I'll guard Deron. I'll fight over the screens. I won't give him the switch onto the bigs!"
As the timeout buzzer sounded, Phil nodded.
He agreed to let Link try. If it didn't work, they'd switch to Shaw's strategy.
The players returned to the court.
Deron hit both free throws.
The Lakers responded with another extreme fadeaway from Kobe.
The score was 17-19. Lakers down by two.
Possession change.
Deron collected the ball in the backcourt and brought it up at his own pace.
Link picked him up at center court, applying full pressure.
His significantly improved defensive stats and lateral quickness allowed him to stay in front of Deron's deceptive rhythm without losing his position.
Deron reached the top of the key and waved his left hand.
The familiar signal.
Boozer came up from the low block, ready to set the pick.
Here it comes!
Just as Boozer was planting his feet, Link made his move.
[Defensive Specialist Lv2] Activated!
He didn't wait for the screen to fully form. He suddenly power-stepped, forcibly squeezing his way through the gap between Boozer and Deron!
Thud.
The physical impact made Link grunt.
Boozer's screen was like a brick wall.
But Link's footwork was faster. He had timed his fight-through perfectly.
Deron was just preparing to use the screen to launch, only to find Link's face right in front of him again.
Deron paused for a fraction of a second, but kept his dribble alive.
He pulled the ball back with his right hand, crossed over to his left, and accelerated to drive!
Link slid his feet, his chest staying glued to Deron's drive side.
Deron's physicality was immense; every dribble came with a shoulder barge.
"He's going to cross over again!" Link's mind raced.
Memories of Deron's highlight reels from his past life flashed through his head.
Deron loved to create contact, then hit a massive killer crossover.
If the defender bit on the first move, they were dead.
Sure enough, near the free-throw line, Deron violently snatched the ball back.
Link slammed on the brakes with his right foot, forcing his body to stop.
He didn't bite!
At the same time, his left hand shot out silently toward the ball, which was momentarily exposed in front of Deron's chest.
In that split second of Deron's hesitation, the ball was vulnerable.
Slap!
Finger tips touched leather!
The ball rolled forward. Deron reacted instantly, turning to scoop it back.
But Link was faster. He dove headfirst onto the floor, pinning the ball to the hardwood with both hands.
Players from both teams swarmed the pile.
Tweeeet!
After a few seconds of wrestling, the referee's whistle blew.
Jump ball!
"Good Defense!!" Odom high-fived Link hard.
That possession, thanks to Link's determination to fight over the screen, the Lakers had cracked the Jazz's pick-and-roll!
A wave of dissatisfied boos rained down from the stands.
Deron stared at Link, frowning for the first time that night.
The jump ball was a foregone conclusion.
Link, with his length and height, easily won the tip.
Lakers possession.
Kobe immediately pushed the break.
Facing a retreating Kirilenko, he used a rhythm change followed by a Euro-step to finish the layup.
19-19. Tie game!
For the next few possessions, Link harassed Deron relentlessly.
The Jazz tried to initiate their pick-and-roll several times, but failed to get any traction.
"Link's defense has improved so much! GOD, what did he do during the offseason?!" Brian Shaw exclaimed from the sideline.
Deron's competitive fire was lit.
He stopped calling for screens and started trying to take Link one-on-one.
Crossovers, spins, step-backs—he threw the whole bag at him.
But Link was like a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of a shoe—he just wouldn't shake off.
Deron was miserable.
Every time he put the ball on the floor, he felt Link's hand hovering nearby.
Just getting free to shoot was exhausting.
With 2:11 left in the first, Deron used an Okur screen to pull up for a mid-range jumper.
Link fought through and contested from behind.
Clank!
Another brick.
Boozer committed a foul going for the rebound.
Dead ball. Phil Jackson signaled for subs.
Link was pulled for a rest.
As he walked to the bench, his jersey was completely soaked through.
Brian Shaw high-fived him. "Great job, Link!"
"How you feeling?" A teammate handed him a Gatorade.
Link took a huge gulp, his chest heaving violently. "It's more tiring than I thought."
Even with the [Stamina Boost Lv3], maintaining that level of defensive intensity was draining.
The results were obvious, though.
He hadn't gotten many looks on offense, but he had made Deron's life a living hell.
When Link sat down, Deron's stat line was 6 points and 3 assists, but his efficiency had plummeted since the start.
More importantly, the Jazz's offensive rhythm was broken.
Boozer and Okur were barely involved.
Link watched from the bench as the second quarter began.
The Lakers' second unit and the Jazz traded blows, with the point differential hovering between 4 and 6 points.