Slaying the Serpent (2)

Once again seeing Link dunk, the Blue Team's fans were no longer surprised. Although Link always seemed slow and steady, whenever he had the chance, he could deliver a thunderous strike.

In the somber atmosphere of Upshaw's passing, Link's dunk undoubtedly boosted the on-site morale. It lifted not only his teammates' spirits but also the fans'.

After completing the dunk, Link heard the entire arena chanting his name. Though the crowd wasn't as large as the NBA's and the roar wasn't as fierce, it brought him immense comfort.

In Houston, he was just a clown drawing attention for the Rockets. But here, in Oklahoma, at the Blue Team's home court, he was a hero to these fans!

For the first time, Link fully understood what it meant to have a home court.

He wore Upshaw's number 0 jersey, had teammates and fans supporting him from behind—he feared nothing now!

"I've never seen any G League game with such an intense atmosphere. Link seems to have brought the NBA's heat back to Oklahoma. The Vipers won't have an easy time today, and the Houston Rockets will pay for not re-signing Link!"

Amid this fervent atmosphere, Vipers point guard Larry Morris brought the ball past half-court. Larry Morris, a star point guard in college who played three years at Washington State University, went undrafted after declaring for the draft.

As a college star, Morris was just an insignificant pebble in the G League. He went undrafted mainly because he stood only 1.80 meters tall and lacked strong scoring ability. Plus, his physicality was a major disadvantage in professional play.

Don't think it's strange for a college star point guard to go undrafted. Heat point guard Chalmers, a household name, was the MOP of the NCAA Final Four. And what happened? He was only picked in the second round.

Larry Morris had lacked confidence since entering professional basketball, so as soon as he crossed half-court, he looked for Carroll, wanting to pass the ball as early as possible.

But he waited in the gap between the midcourt line and the three-point line for a long time, still unable to make the pass. That was because the yellow-skinned player in the number 0 jersey was guarding Carroll with relentless tenacity.

"Carroll is trying to shake off Link but can't succeed. His movement looks too naive to Link. The tragic fates of Luke Ba Weiyuan and Lance Stephenson seem to be repeating with Carroll!"

"Link's defense is definitely NBA-level. In his three games with the Rockets, he's adapted to the NBA's pace. Coming back to the G League, the game is a breeze for him!"

The commentators couldn't stop marveling at Link's defensive ability. Carroll wasn't a player with particularly strong self-created scoring. Though active, his athleticism was very average.

With neither athleticism nor scoring ability in his favor, Carroll shaking off Link was nearly impossible.

Throughout the defense, Link stuck to Carroll like glue. This forward, with his exaggerated dreadlocks and wild look like a Predator, was now tamed by Link into a trapped beast with no way out.

As the shot clock dwindled, Larry Morris decided not to drag it out any longer. He called for a screen from the center and drove with the ball himself!

Morris, only 1.80 meters tall, lacked confidence after driving, so instead of taking the layup, he passed the ball on a bounce to the rolling Vipers center.

The center caught the ball and went for the rim, but the next second, cheers filled the entire arena again.

Jon Brockman flew in from the side with a powerful stance, swatting the ball clean off the Vipers center's hands! This Big White Bear, a tweener in the NBA, was a defensive anchor in the paint in the G League.

The ball went out of bounds, and the Vipers' offense was disrupted. Brockman glared fiercely at the opponent, then turned and lightly high-fived Link.

On the sidelines, Conner smiled with relief. In his years coaching the Blue Team, he had never seen the team's chemistry this good.

Link's presence had created a subtle chemical reaction within the team. He wasn't just a good player; he was a good teammate. To put it bluntly, Conner believed Link would one day become a great leader.

"Damn Houstonians, they're asking for trouble," Conner muttered to himself on the sidelines.

Though the Vipers still had possession, their confidence had taken a huge hit.

The "death frontline" of Link and Brockman had made the Blue Team's defense incredibly tight.

Sure enough, on the next offensive attempt, the Vipers still couldn't score. Carroll couldn't get the ball, and others were intimidated by Brockman from driving to the basket. The Vipers could only settle for a forced outside shot, and the efficiency was predictable.

With just one offensive and one defensive possession, the Blue Team seemed to have seized control of the game. The Vipers players were all shaken—they weren't facing a group of players today, but a pack of furious beasts!

Carroll swallowed hard, feeling utterly passive. He didn't know how the yellow-skinned player in front of him would attack.

Logically, defense was Carroll's true value. This active forward had always been praised for his defensive contributions.

So he wanted to use tight defense to limit Link, but now he was torn—should he press up or guard against Link's drive?

Though Link didn't look fast, his rhythm was tricky, and he could slip to the basket unnoticed. Thinking back to Link's dunk just now, Carroll took a few steps back. He couldn't let the opponent attack the rim easily again. Sometimes, it was better to bet on the opponent's shot than let them get to the basket.

Besides, Carroll wasn't giving Link much space. If Link shot, he'd have enough time to close out.

This black forward still underestimated Link. If he knew his opponent was Grant Hill, he probably wouldn't dare defend like this...

Link still didn't have the ball. Wearing the number 0 jersey, he moved to the right side of the court. But he didn't stop at the three-point line; he cut inside.

Carroll secretly rejoiced—his strategy was working!

But Link hadn't even reached the basket yet. He was just inside the three-point line when the Blue Team's point guard passed the ball!

Link caught the ball, suddenly stopped, and pulled up for a jump shot from two steps inside the three-point line!

Carroll was caught off guard. He thought Link would keep driving to the basket, but instead, the opponent suddenly stopped for a jumper. Flustered, he lunged to block, but by the time he reacted, the number 0 had already released the shot.

Shooting was a strength of Grant Hill in this era, and his main scoring method. Whether from mid-range or three-point range, Grant Hill excelled.

Link knew that in the near future, mid-range shooting would nearly vanish. Most players would either shoot threes or drive straight to the basket. But Link understood that mid-range shooting was an old but cost-effective skill—provided you could shoot it accurately.

The ball sailed over Carroll's fingertips, arcing like a rainbow, and dropped straight through the net.

For the second straight possession, DeMarre Carroll was scored on by Link. At that moment, only one question echoed in Carroll's mind—why on earth didn't the Rockets re-sign this guy? Were they out of their minds?

※※※

Daryl Morey had been in a good mood these past few days. For just $50,000, he had successfully drawn attention with that Chinese-American player.

Now, the Rockets' game attendance was gradually recovering, and viewership was climbing. Most importantly, he had stabilized the Chinese market.

The Chinese market was a big cake, and anything was worth doing for that cake.

As for that undrafted Chinese-American player? Who cared? G League players always came and went quietly. In another week, everyone would forget who Link was.

Morey didn't re-sign Link not only because Link was never in his plans but also because Morey believed Link wasn't good enough for the NBA.

In his eyes, Link was just a soft player with high basketball IQ but a terrible physique. And at 22 years old, Link definitely didn't have much potential left to tap. A young player whose body was already like someone in their thirties or forties—Morey didn't think he could amount to anything.

If he needed shooters, there were plenty of excellent ones waiting in Europe. He didn't have to waste time on an undrafted rookie.

Harsh as it was, business was business.

Just as Morey was savoring his "victories" over the past few days, he got a call from his scout.

"Darrell, you still awake?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I don't think you should've given up on that undrafted Chinese-American kid."

"Huh?" Morey froze. What was this? A scout telling a general manager how to do his job?

Back when they decided not to re-sign Link, Adelman had protested to Morey too, and Morey hadn't listened. Why would he listen to a scout?

"Can you give me a reason?" Morey asked mockingly.

"Reason? God, turn on your TV! Link is tearing the Vipers apart, he's about to shred Carroll! And..." The scout's voice paused on the other end. "And, he's about to break the G League's single-game scoring record..."