1131: Warriors drop the chain first (1/5)
In the last game of the Grizzlies in February, their team went to the Denver Plateau to face the Nuggets.
People thought that this game would be the same as the previous match against the Suns, and that the winner would not be decided until the last moment.
However, the thin air in the Denver Plateau did not block Link's offensive, and he let his teammates "check in and get off work" in the third quarter.
31 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, 5 of 9 shots from outside the three-point line, and the total shooting percentage was as high as 56.3%.
This is the data that Link got in just three sections!
If Link was willing to play four quarters like Westbrook did, triple-double wouldn't seem impossible.
For Westbrook, triple-double is a "can't you" thing. But for Link, it's just a "will or not".
After the third quarter, the Grizzlies have already led the civilian Nuggets with no stars by 26 points.
Theoretically, the Nuggets still have hope, but it is just theoretical hope. Even if the Grizzlies are not allowed to open a single point in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets may not be able to score 26 points.
"Link is fully fire today, and he let Wilson Chandler suffer all the hardships." After the commentator's station, the local commentator in Denver could only keep sighing.
"Yes, Link is merciless today. I feel that he seems to be aiming at ending the game early. From the first second of the game, he directly outputs the maximum power."
The live camera also echoed the chat content of the two commentators, giving Link a close-up.
Although he has already led by 26 points and has entered garbage time, Link still frowned and is very serious.
It's like the Grizzlies are 26 points behind now.
Link is actually not worried about this game, but about the next March.
Today is just the beginning of a series of difficult situations.
It is good to end the game early like today, but the March schedule may not have many opportunities to put the game into garbage time.
When the team was most tired, they met a bunch of the strongest opponents, and Link couldn't help but feel a little worried.
But worrying is useless. The only thing Link can do is to start from scratch like today!
The garbage time is always very long. Link feels that he has been waiting for a long time before finally hearing the electronic beeping.
122-94, the away team was in front and the home team was in back. The Denver Nuggets lost at home by 28 points.
As the No. 2 scorer of the Nuggets, Wilson Chandler made only 5 of 15 shots today, with a shooting percentage of only 33%. If Link hadn't continued to play against him in the fourth quarter, his shooting percentage would have fallen below 30%.
After all, three of Chandler's five sports goals were obtained after Link was staggered in the fourth quarter.
Link's horror made the Grizzly soldiers win without any blood, but everyone knows that this is just a warm-up before the start of "March Crazy".
After this game, the Grizzlies will officially step into the gates of hell!
At this time, Durant and the Warriors fans were completely gloating and waiting for the Grizzlies to start the March schedule.
They firmly believe that the Grizzlies will soon experience losses at the beginning of March.
At the post-match press conference, some reporters also asked Link about the March schedule.
"The next March will definitely be a month of great pressure for you. If you are not careful, you will be caught up by the Warriors or even overtake. The playoffs are coming, will you strive to win or give up strategically?"
"Give up? No, no, we never know what giving up means. We can win while ensuring health. Let the Warriors not have to worry about us, they should give up."
Link's answer was very firm, and if someone else had answered the question, people might have said he was bluffing.
But Link, he never does bluffing things. He doesn't like bragging because he's bragging has achieved it.
Can something that has been achieved be called bragging?
Since Link said that, the next March will be really interesting.
The Warriors and the Grizzlies are both on the verge of high standards, which is likely to be the most intense showdown in NBA history for the league number one.
This is likely to be the first time in history. NBA can still maintain such a high popularity under the influence of NCAA's crazy March.
Generally speaking, the NBA's ratings in March are definitely not able to withstand the impact of the NCAA's crazy March Championship.
But the current alliance facade has given NBA the capital to compete with NCAA in March.
Although the NBA's ratings in March are definitely not as good as NCAA, at least the gap will not be too big.
On March 1, neither the Grizzlies nor the Warriors played. Today is like a day to give fans a buffer, so that everyone can prepare.
After March 2, the final chase between the Grizzlies and the Warriors officially began!
The Golden State Warriors will be the first to play in March at the United Center Arena in Chicago, with the Bulls.
The Bulls have a record of only 30 wins and 30 losses this season, with a winning rate of just 50%. Such a record cannot be ranked too high even in the Eastern Conference. Currently, the Bulls are struggling on the edge of the playoffs.
When the Warriors face such a team, they should be able to win ease and joy.
As a result, with the former Grizzlies' strongman Jimmy Butler's outstanding performance of 32 points in a single game, the Bulls defeated the Warriors 94-87!
This is also the second time this season, with the Warriors scoring no more than 90 points in a single game.
Although the Bulls' coach is no longer Thibodeau, their defensive traits are still preserved.
In this game, the Bulls limited the Warriors' shooting percentage to be only 38.6%, among which Butler even made Durant hit 17 times, locking his shooting percentage to 37%.
With this tough defense, the Bulls broke into a big upset! This game also reminded the Warriors not to think that your game in March will definitely be easy!
The Warriors were the first to lose in March, which caused an uproar.
If they themselves cannot guarantee that they can win the games, no matter how difficult the Grizzlies' schedule is, the Warriors will not be able to win the No. 1 spot in the West.
At the post-match press conference, the Warriors players were besieged by reporters and asked countless questions that made them extremely embarrassed.
Link was not idle either. He praised his former younger brother Jimmy Butler on social media. He did not forget to say sarcastically: "Warriors continue to do this, we will lose motivation. Because we don't have to do anything, the Warriors will automatically open the gap."
This game put the Warriors' team in shame, and Durant was also very unwilling to give in. If he could rewind, he would definitely fight Butler with his life!
But losing to the Bulls is not the end of the world, because if the Grizzlies play badly in the future, the difference in their winning matches will not be widened.
Durant now puts all his expectations on the Grizzlies' next game.
On March 3, the Grizzlies started their new January schedule one day later than the Warriors.
In the first game in March, the Grizzlies' opponent was the Dallas Mavericks who had entered the reconstruction period.
Link continued to adhere to the style of not procrastinating if he could finish the game early, and he made Harrison Barnes autistic at the beginning of the game.
When he was at the Warriors, Barnes had a lot of confrontations with Link. But after all, he was not the most important player of the Warriors at that time, so Link did not put all his experiences on Barnes.
But now, as the core of the Mavericks' reconstruction, Barnes must face Link's destruction alone.
The result was that in the first three quarters, Link only allowed Barnes to score 7 points! And Link once again solved his opponent in advance with a super high shooting percentage of 60% and 30 points!
After the third quarter, the Grizzlies led by 25 points! With the Mavericks' state today, they had no chance of turning the tables.
Once again, the Grizzlies achieved a relaxed but refreshing victory, giving them a good start to "March Crazy".
But after this game, no one of the Grizzlies relaxed, and Durant and the rest of the Warriors were not anxious.
Because tomorrow, the Grizzlies will face the Rockets back-to-back! That game is the real test for the Grizzlies!
Durant is looking forward to the Grizzlies' first crash scene in March. If the Warriors lose, the Grizzlies won't even think about winning!
Chapter completed!