Four Hundred and Sixty-Nine: Twenty-Five-Year-Old Professional Player

8 blocks and 3 steals. This time, even the ball blind can see how much Marc Gasol has contributed to the Grizzlies' defense.

Although the Spaniard is not capable of scoring explosively, he is indeed not a star if measured by his scoring ability. But basketball is not just about scoring. Every player has what he is good at, and if he can bring out what he is good at in the game, that is a good player.

After this game, DeAndre Jordan became the object of drooling, and his frizzy performance in the game was a far cry from Gasol.

People say, "DeAndre is totally over his head, he shouldn't have overstepped his level and killed the enemy."

"Without Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan is like a lost child."

"Compared to Mark, DeAndre really only ranks fourth."

Seeing the 180° turnaround in the media's word of mouth, Link was proud of Gasol. The other side shut up after a game, the guy who likes to grow vegetables is a typical representative of people who don't talk much.

Don't underestimate any old man who grows melons.

After watching the news, Link practiced shooting in his own arena at night. Now, even at home, he can go to practice with nothing to do while sitting. After all, his home has half an indoor basketball court built in.

Although shooting at home doesn't have much improvement, it can help Link feel at all times. By the way, it can also increase the progress of the small white bar a little bit.

The training of shooting casually has little effect on the progress of Xiaobaitiao, but it is better than nothing, and the accumulation will add up. If Link practices like this every day, it can at least save a day or two of time.

Link has waited long enough for this upgrade at the end of January. He found that the further back, the slower the accumulation of small white bars.

At the beginning, you can level up after practicing for a month. But now that more than half the season has passed, Xiao Baitiao still has a little space left.

And what worries Link is that his next upgrade will be very awkward.

When Link fills up the small white bars next time, he will superimpose the ability of Grant Hill in the 0304 season. Link was impressed with Hill in the 0405 season. After all, Hill seemed to be dreaming back to the top that year, averaging close to 20 points per game, and was also selected as an All-Star starter. Although his athletic ability has fallen off a cliff, he is still one of the best threes in the league.

But for Hill in the 0304 season, even the most senior Hill fan wouldn't be able to tell what he was like playing that year.

Because that year, Hill didn't play a game.

From 2001 to 2005, Hill, who was caught in an endless loop of comeback injuries, underwent five foot surgeries. It is also in the past few years that a real "Jordan successor" has completely fallen.

In the past few years, Hill's most serious injury was the 0304 season.

In 2003, the fifth ankle surgery caused a Hill Staphylococcus infection. "Devil Mountain" once had a high fever of 40 degrees, let alone playing, but almost died in Jiuquan! Although he survived with his wife in the end, Hill spent the years between the ages of 31 and 32 in a hospital bed.

So, will it be useless to gain the ability of Hill in the 0304 season? This worried Link very much.

Although his rate of improvement is unparalleled, although he is now one of the best 3s in the league, and even if he doesn't get stronger after the upgrade, it can take him one step closer to the peak of Hill. But of course Link doesn't want his sweat to go to waste. If he can become stronger, who wants to stand still?

Link is an older rookie. He didn't enter the league until he graduated from his senior year. He doesn't have a lot of time to squander like other young people.

In the future, Wiggins can soak wolfberry in a thermos cup, after all, he was only 23 years old at the time. But Link will be 25 when he arrives this summer.

25 years old is old saying for a professional player, saying old is not old, but young is not young. Most of the stars, at this age should show results.

The 25-year-old Kobe is already a three-time champion.

The 25-year-old Jordan averaged 35 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, and won the scoring, steals, regular season MVP and All-Star MVP that season.

The 25-year-old James is already a top star in the league and won the first regular season MVP trophy in his career.

What about Link? At almost 25 years old, he is even considered by many to be not a first-tier superstar.

Therefore, Link naturally hopes that every upgrade he makes has an effect. But now he has no way to control so many things, the only thing he can do is to sweat and try to fill up the white bars to see the results.

This January, Link is destined to spend most of his day on the basketball court.

※※※

The training continues and so does the game. Although the devil's schedule in January has passed, the regular season battle still has three full months.

Just after the Clippers, the Grizzlies ran into their old enemy, the Spurs again. Only this time, the battlefield became the ATT center.

The last time the two sides played against each other, Link's last-minute lore made Popovich linger in fear. In the pre-match interview, he also told reporters, "The key to winning is not to allow the Grizzlies to drag the game into the final moments. The Grizzlies' ability to end the game at critical moments is simply too powerful."

Popovich was scared, and so were the Spurs players. So today, the Spurs played extremely cautiously, passed the ball very smoothly, and played a perfect team attack.

The Spurs had 33 assists throughout the game, making sure everyone had an open shot. In the end, under the patient team attack, the Spurs shot 58.7% overall and 50% three-point shooting! Terribly efficient.

Leonard, a guy who doesn't shoot three-pointers in people's impressions, may have been stimulated by Link in the previous game, so he made 3 of 3 three-pointers today, which made Link even lose his temper.

With such an efficient offense, the Spurs will have a hard time losing this time. In the end, the Spurs defeated the Grizzlies 103-98 at home. In the regular season, the Spurs regained a 2-1 lead.

Link performed well today, with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. But in the face of the Spurs' perfect offense, it's still not enough for the Grizzlies to win.

Just after 8 days and 6 games, he met the Spurs. Link found that the time when the Grizzlies and the Spurs met this year was not very coincidental.

The tit-for-tat situation between the Spurs and the Grizzlies in the regular season has already made fans of the two teams look forward to the playoffs.

"Maybe it's only in the playoffs that we can really tell the difference." Link, who eliminated the Spurs for two consecutive years, replied to reporters.

Over the next few days, the Grizzlies won and lost.

No. 18 and No. 19 won the Kings and Bulls respectively, and No. 21 lost to the Pacers who came for revenge. But on the 23rd, he immediately won the Lakers again.

Kobe Bryant played 39 minutes and scored 29 points. But the Lakers' chaotic offense and poor locker room atmosphere left Kobe Bryant without any strong support.

Gasol and Howard made 14 combined shots and only hit 4 goals. Therefore, the accumulation of superstars is not necessarily a shortcut to winning the championship.

106 to 93, the Grizzlies beat the Lakers at home to avoid a losing streak. Kerr even forgot to hug Link after the game, but threw off the towel and walked into the tunnel.

Link can understand, after all, Kobe is going for the championship this year, and it turns out that the team is now struggling to even make the playoffs.

This huge gap is naturally unbearable for a competitive person like Kobe.

After tonight's game, the Grizzlies will get two days off. Therefore, Link decided to continue training after the game.

He can't wait to see what new abilities he can acquire tonight.

※※※

Practice after the game is actually not uncommon in the NBA. Most of the time, though, it's because a star doesn't do it well this game. In fact, there is so much meaning to compete with yourself.

But Link's performance today was very good, with 32 points in the game, overshadowing Kobe Bryant, who had worked so hard. By the way also sent 7 assists, so that Randolph also scored 18 points.

So, when Stevens heard that Link was going to practice extra even though he was playing like this, he felt a little weird.

"That guy, still dissatisfied with his performance? His score is higher than Kobe!"

Elston Turner just shrugged. Tonight, the trainer has to work overtime with Link again.

An hour and a half after the game, Link, who had been practicing catching and shooting, suddenly stopped his movements and looked surprised.

"Noah, hard get off work, let's be here today." Then, he waved and told the trainer to get off work. And Link, who was covered in sweat, sat on the floor, digesting the few lines that had just appeared in front of him.

Grant Hill's abilities have been superimposed in the 0203 season.

That's right, not the 0304 season, but the 0203 season! It seems that because Hill didn't play in 0304, that year was simply skipped!

It is equivalent to Link's promotion of two levels tonight! Link really didn't expect this.

In this way, Link is only two upgrades away from the omnipotent peak Hill in 2000.

At 25 years old, maybe he can have a career too.