One Thousand Three Hundred and One: The 1st Showdown

Zion's destructive dunks allowed Grizzlies fans to see the power of this new No. 1 pick.

Link even felt that Zion was simply a black version of Sakuragi Hanamichi.

His technique is not exquisite, but he can always use his terrifying spring speed to rise up and score the ball.

That's right, Link prefers to use the word "attack" to describe Zion's offense than making a shot.

This kind of player who can't be stopped once he charges up will be very popular in any era.

Link was also amazed by Williamson's abnormal body. In front of him, Jermichael Green instantly became a hero.

He could only be bullied by Fat Tiger.

However, Link is not in a hurry. Get rid of Ingram first, and other difficulties will naturally be solved.

Everything went according to original plan.

Although Zion just scored a goal, the Pelicans players were still very nervous. After all, they were faced with the problem of not being able to guard against Link.

Although Zion's scoring average so far this season is very good, compared with Link's scoring explosiveness, Zion is still a bit unsatisfactory.

If it's an offense versus an offense, the Pelicans don't have much chance of winning. Therefore, whether or not Link can be restrained is the key to the Pelicans' victory today.

This time Link played a pick-and-roll with Green. After Ingram was blocked, Zion had to switch to Link.

A dislocation was formed, and suddenly the cheers in the FedEx Arena soared.

Link VS Zion, this matchup that fans have fantasized about countless times is finally happening!

Although Zion looks fierce on the outside, he is actually quite panicked on the inside.

He had been trying to avoid Link today, but he didn't expect Link to come to him!

This is not leaving a way for people to survive!

In fact, Link didn't deliberately want to change positions and play singles with Zion. He originally just wanted to shoot directly after using the pick-and-roll.

But I didn't expect that Zion had such a good sense of defense that he didn't leave himself any room to take action.

Link was not the kind of person who would underestimate his opponent, even if his opponent was just a first-year rookie. He knew how terrifying Zion's bounce was, and if he made a rash move in front of this guy, he would have to eat the hot pot base.

Therefore, Link gave up his plan to shoot and instead retreated to the three-point line. The 1 on 1 situation was formed inadvertently.

Zion licked his lips. From high school to college and even to the NBA, this physically abnormal beast never knew what nervousness was.

Normally, it's his opponents who should be nervous.

But today was different. For the first time, Zion felt that he was so oppressed when facing an opponent.

After all, the person standing in front of him at this time was the "god" of this era!

Link was very confident, and he began to switch hands on his crotch, looking for a breakthrough rhythm.

Zion adjusted his center of gravity, knowing that Link was a master of dribbling. If you are not careful, you may sit on the floor.

Zion stood firm and judged the direction of Link's breakthrough. Then suddenly, Link stabbed to the right!

Zion quickly moved, his lateral speed not slowing down because of his 129 kilograms of weight.

The moment Link came into contact with Zion, he felt as if he had been gored by a rhinoceros, and he almost flew out.

It is indeed too strong!

No wonder Green was helpless against him.

Fighting against this guy is harder than fighting James! The second heaviest body in the league is indeed not something that can be covered.

Of course, Link is not a star who relies on brute force to win. Seeing that the confrontation was not advantageous, Link suddenly pulled back and prepared to shoot.

But Zion Williamson reacted immediately,

And follow up promptly!

This guy's terrifying core strength allows him to quickly adjust his center of gravity. If you think Zion is a fool who can only attack the frame, you are totally wrong.

The benefits this terrifying body brought to him were far more than just attacking the frame with force.

For Zion, this body itself is a golden finger that has not yet been fully developed.

"Zion has entangled Link, and his defense is impeccable! But Link hasn't stopped the ball yet, Zion has to be careful!"

After Link was posted again, he immediately turned around with Zion as his axis and walked toward the baseline.

Zion also immediately turned around and chased after him. When he chased Link, Link even felt the wooden floor shaking due to Zion's strong stamping.

Good guy, what did you eat when you grew up?

Link dribbled the ball from the baseline, stopped suddenly, and then stepped back to shoot.

Link's change of rhythm dodges Williamson and creates a step of space.

If an ordinary player were guarding Link, he would have no chance of interfering with the shooting.

But Zion is different. He is someone who can take off from the mid-range position and then fly outside the three-point line to block shots.

This distance was no problem for Zion. He still used his terrifying explosive power to fly forward and successfully interfered with Link's shot.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats, Williamson's defense was really outstanding!

There are only a few players in the league who can pester Link so hard.

Williamson's big hand has already covered Link's face. Although it is not a complete interference, it can already be called a textbook-level defense.

Link calmly threw the ball despite Zion's interference. This was a jump shot under serious interference!

Williamson was secretly happy, knowing that he defended well this time. Maybe this ball can really...

"brush!"

Before Zion could be happy, the sound of the net rolling came from behind him.

"Fat Tiger" turned around suddenly and saw the net fluttering and the basketball beating under the basket.

"Going in!?" Zion Williamson's eyes widened. This is so fake!

His interference has been very strict!

Link shrugged at Zion. Following the layup when his body was falling in the air, Link taught Zion another lesson.

Everyone in Zion was dumbfounded. Of course he knew that the stars were very capable of interfering with mid-range jump shots.

But Link was too overbearing, and he seemed not to be affected at all.

Link succeeded in beating Zion in a single, and this scene made the fans at the scene raise their arms and shout.

This season, Link has educated countless talented newcomers.

From the current point of view, Zion seems to be unable to escape bad luck.

Zion picked up the basketball and shook his head.

It seems that today, I can't hide even if I want to.

In this case, give it a try!

Link's goal did not demoralize Zion, but strengthened his determination.

Keeping away is not an option. Facing a player like Link, the only option is to fight to the end.

As the number one pick, Zion is not that cowardly at heart.

Link's blow completely ignited the ability in Zion's body.

As a result, for the rest of the first quarter, Jermichael Green simply became the biggest backdrop today.

Zion Williamson's desire to score increased greatly. He rushed to the basket crazily and used incredible impact power to stage earth-shattering attacks.

Forcibly crushing Green with his back to the basket for an easy layup, making an alley-oop dunk after an empty-handed cut, holding the ball from outside the three-point line and directly pushing Green into the penalty area to forcefully attack the frame...

This game ranks among the top three in terms of humiliation in JeMichael Green's entire career!

While the fans marveled at Zion's terrifying physical fitness, the game time gradually passed.

On the surface, the Pelicans are energized by the presence of Zion Williamson.

But when the first quarter ended, people suddenly discovered that the Pelicans were still 8 points behind the Grizzlies.

30 to 22, the young Pelicans did not play satisfactorily.

During the break, Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry was also very anxious and seemed not very satisfied with the team's performance in the first quarter.

Yes, the "Fat Tiger" played really well in the first quarter. But Zion's excellent performance still cannot conceal the fact that the Pelicans are overall weak.

The main reason for the Pelicans' weakness is the loss of their outside ball-handling core Brandon Ingram.

In the first quarter of the game, Ingram took 5 shots, but none of them hit.

Under Link's defense, Ingram, as the core of the Pelicans' offense, was stunned in a single quarter and failed to score a point!

His hand was gradually becoming colder, and his condition had begun to decline.

The reason why the Pelicans have such a good record during this period is because the combination of Ingram and Zion's two cores, one inside and one outside, has greatly increased the Pelicans' combat power.

But if you take away one of the cores, the Pelicans will immediately return to the level of a lottery team.

When Zion did not return before, Ingram's results when leading the team alone were not good.

Similarly, if the Pelicans' offense can only rely on Zion without the assistance of Ingram, it will not be possible to play well.

However, Link's goal is not to shave off one of the Pelican's wings, his goal is to break off all of the Pelican's wings!

Now, Link has taken care of Ingram, and the plan has been generally implemented. Next, it’s the other half’s turn.

"Green, in the second quarter, try your best to force Zion to move to the side where I am. Next, we have to hunt the beast."

Hearing what Link said, Green nodded excitedly.

His road of suffering has finally come to an end.