1060: Beat them up
Now, the Grizzlies' performance in the second quarter can only be considered a warm-up.
Because the Grizzlies' firepower in the third quarter is even more intense than in the second quarter!
To be precise, Link's firepower in the third quarter was stronger than the firepower in the entire Grizzlies in the second quarter.
Klay Thompson and Ian Clark seem to have become marionettes, at the mercy of Link.
The entire third quarter became Link's solo performance time. Although he did not play alone with Durant, this still could not hide his explosive performance on the offensive end.
At this time, Link once again got the ball outside the three-point line. Thompson had already posted it very closely, but he was still worried.
After receiving the basketball, Link looked at Durant behind Clay, as if saying to him, "Are you really not here to help defend?"
After that, Link took two steps back, set a little distance from Thompson, and prepared to sprint!
Link's dribbling rhythm was fast and slow. On several occasions, Thompson thought Link was going to break through, but he did not make any breakthrough.
Defending Link made Thompson feel powerless all over his body because he felt that what he did was under Link's control.
He was like a nervous recruit, while Link was the mighty instructor.
To the left or to the right, he could only obey Link's command.
Link's series of fakes made Thompson unconsciously distance himself from Link, and he subconsciously wanted to defend Link's breakthrough.
However, this is exactly what Link wants to see.
When Thompson was still guessing that Link would go left or right, Link suddenly pulled out a jump shot from a step further outside the three-point line!
Link's shooting was unpredictable, and a series of movements were completed in one go, from dribbling to jump shot.
Therefore, Thompson did not predict Link's movement at all, and the interference was half a beat slower.
Seeing Link easily attacking Thompson's head, Cole covered his forehead in advance.
He knew that Link could not miss this kind of ball.
"brush!"
"I'm in again, it's amazing! Link's three-pointer left the Golden State Warriors 21 points behind, 21 points! In the third quarter, the Warriors were completely beaten by the Grizzlies! No, to be precise, they were beaten by Link!"
Hubby Brown stood up in disbelief with his hands covering his head. Although he witnessed the whole process, he still felt unbelievable.
If the Grizzlies were playing this score against other opponents, Hubby Brown would not be so excited.
But at this time, the defending champion was the defending champion on the court!
But a team that has three superstars Curry, Thompson and Durant!
They always win with big scores and score 130+ points in a single game!
However, it was this team that was rampant in the league that fell behind the Grizzlies in 21 points in three quarters today.
Before the game began, people believed that no team in the league could match the Warriors' offensive firepower. But today, this statement is undoubtedly outdated.
"Link had a god-level performance in the third quarter. So far, he has scored 20 points! No, don't get me wrong. I don't mean that Link has scored 20 points now, I mean that he has scored 20 points in the third quarter alone! Including the 15 points in the first half, Link scored 35 points before he finished playing in the third quarter!"
Jeff Van Gundy also took out a tissue to wipe the sweat from his bald head. Link's scoring performance in the third quarter was simply doing whatever he wanted.
Cole wanted to fight Link, and he made a huge mistake from the beginning!
The Warriors' firepower in the third quarter cannot be compared with Link at all.
Indeed, the lineup without a center has allowed the Warriors to play well on the offensive end. But their offensive efficiency today is simply not up to Link.
Drawing any single rounds of Link, Thompson and Clark is enough to be included in the daily five.
Sway, jump shot, break through, Link can do everything!
When facing Thompson and Clark, Link seemed to be a dimensionality reduction attack. It was like an NBA All-Star, as easy as playing NCAA.
Grizzlies fans cheered for this, while Warriors fans were shocked and dropped their chins.
They were desperate to find that Link's personal singles ability may not be as good as Durant!
When Link scored another easy goal, Steve Cole called a timeout.
But at this time, there is only 1 minute and 45 seconds left before the third quarter ends.
In other words, no matter what, the Warriors have to enter the fourth quarter with a score difference of nearly 20 points.
"Damn it, I'll defend him next!" Durant was very angry. For him, Link's excellent data was an insult to him!
He was unwilling to lose to Link. He didn't want to lose to Link, whether in the game or his personal performance.
Facing the roaring Durant, Cole didn't say anything. Because he knew that if Durant was asked to defend Link, the inside would be blown up again!
Unless, he will replace McGee or Valaijo.
Whether to play in the center became Cole's only choice for changing the game.
But before he made a decision, the pause time ended again.
In the end, the Thunder played the last 1 minute and 45 seconds of the third quarter with five small lineups.
After the third quarter, the difference between the two teams also became 25 points.
Golden State Warriors have never encountered such a big crisis this season.
Most importantly, they have never been so embarrassed on the offensive end!
During the break between the festival, Cole finally compromised. He knew that it was not the grizzly who had to follow him now, but the grizzly who had to follow him.
We must first narrow the disadvantages before we can launch a counterattack.
Cole hasn't fought this kind of unsatisfactory battle for a long time. He is more accustomed to the three-quarter clock-in game. Today, he suddenly encountered such a strong opponent, and Cole was really caught off guard.
So after the fourth quarter started, the Warriors finally got center.
Javier McGee was ordered to be in danger, but in this team with the Big Four, he became the key to the Warriors' reversal.
However, after seeing the Warriors having to withdraw their small lineup, Joe Geer became more relieved.
He knew that Link had already made the Warriors taste great. If it weren't for being forced into a desperate situation, Cole wouldn't have given up his small lineup easily.
After the fourth quarter started, the Warriors launched a fierce counterattack.
However, their offensive efficiency is not as good as in the third quarter. Because of McGee's existence, the Warriors' offensive space is no longer so large, and the pace can no longer play so fast. Their offense, which was not smooth enough today, was even cut into pieces.
Although McGee's existence greatly improved the Warriors' ability to protect the frame, it still could not completely curb the Grizzlies' scoring momentum.
Link was not satisfied, and he was still making violent output after the start of the fourth quarter.
Although Durant returned to Link, Link had already accumulated a hot touch in the third quarter.
Durant is coming too late!
All the frustrations in the Western Conference Finals last season, Durant's arrogance from last summer to now, Link's unwillingness... All of this turned into huge power and burst out.
So much so that even Durant was pulled out to train for military training!
When the fourth quarter was halfway through, Link's personal score had reached 45 points!
Today, Durant and Curry scored more than Link alone.
When Link scored 45 points, the Grizzlies had already expanded their lead to 32 points. Even for the Golden State Warriors, there was no hope for this game.
Therefore, Jogel took the lead in replacing Link.
This move attracted crazy cheers from all the fans of the audience.
Because Link was out of the game, it means that the Grizzlies officially announced that the game has entered garbage time!
Generally speaking, garbage time is a torture for fans. But today, Memphis fans are cheering for it.
Because it is an honor to be able to throw the game into garbage time against the Warriors!
When Link got out, he waved to the stands from all sides.
Finally, he looked at the Warriors' bench and looked at Durant who was dead.
Chapter completed!