164: West Ranking Battle
The Grizzlies beat the Hornets with 13 points, and many people think it was because Paul's performance was not good. Paul's performance in this game was indeed unsatisfactory, but Link's accurate triple-double data is also a major factor in the Hornets' defeat.
Some reporters initially questioned Link's winning of Player of the Week, but after playing against the Hornets, no reporter would be stupid enough to question him. After all, Link did show his strength as Player of the Week today.
28 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, as a third-place shooting percentage is as high as 57.9%, what other bike do you need?
This game is considered Link's name-proof battle, and he told everyone that he deserves to be the best in the week. But in fact, Link doesn't want to prove anything at all. He is just trying to help the Grizzlies improve their rankings.
The game with the Hornets is not the end, it is just the beginning of "overtaking on the curve".
On April 2, the Grizzlies defeated the Timberwolves back-to-back, surpassing the Trail Blazers, officially becoming sixth in the West!
The Grizzlies had no game on April 3, and the NCAA Finals started on April 4, and the NBA suspended the game to make way. On April 5, the Grizzlies lost to the Clippers, but the Trail Blazers also lost to the Warriors, and the Grizzlies continued to stabilize in sixth place.
On April 8, the Grizzlies beat the Kings at home, Link scored 18 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, and the Grizzlies won 48 times.
On April 11, the Grizzlies revenge the Clippers, in a jaw-dropping state, flew from eighth in the west to sixth in the west in half a month!
So far, the Grizzlies' record is 49 wins and 32 losses. The Denver Nuggets, the fifth in the Western Conference, also has a record of 49 wins and 32 losses. Since losing Anthony, the Nuggets have taken off all the way and now occupy the fifth place.
It is very coincidental that the last opponent of the Grizzlies and the Nuggets in the regular season are each other! In other words, the final ranking of the Western Conference will not be decided until the last moment of the last day of the regular season.
Whether the Grizzlies can jump from eighth to fifth in the West has become the last suspense of the regular season this season.
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"The Grizzlies are leaping to the fifth place in the West!"
"If the Grizzlies can eventually defeat the Nuggets, they will tie the highest ranking in the team's history!"
"This will definitely be a very exciting battle. Coach George Carl has publicly stated that he does not want to meet the Dallas Mavericks or the Los Angeles Lakers in advance. So in order to defend the fifth place in the Western Conference, they will definitely attack with all their strength!"
"The Memphis Grizzlies will not give up this opportunity to tie the team's highest ranking in history. Before the playoffs, Coach Hollins will definitely send all the main lineups to play!"
With the last game left in the regular season, the situation has become quite clear, and the final rankings of most teams have been confirmed.
Now, the rankings of four teams in the league have not been confirmed. One group is the Mavericks and the Lakers, and they still have to continue to compete for the second and third place in the Western Conference.
Although the rankings of these two teams may change, for the Lakers and the Mavericks, the difference between ranking third and second is not much. Therefore, they do not like their final rankings.
So, now the league's attention is on the Nuggets and the Grizzlies. The final rankings of these two teams will determine how far they can go in the playoffs.
Now, as soon as Link opens his phone, he will see overwhelming reports, all about the Nuggets and the Grizzlies.
As the last suspense of the NBA regular season this season, the Grizzlies and the Nuggets suddenly became highly anticipated, as if theirs were in the finals.
Hollins has been in a tense mood these two days. He thought he could give the main players a rest before the playoffs came. But in this situation, he still has to send all the main players to play.
Hollins and George Carl don't want to play with the Mavericks and the Lakers. Although the final rankings of the Mavericks and the Lakers have not been confirmed yet, the sixth place in the West will definitely meet one of these two teams.
Of course, there is no need to say much about the Lakers. They are the defending champions. They have Kobe Bryant, the most dangerous "venomous snake" in the league. Whoever encounters Kobe will be in trouble.
As for the Dallas Mavericks, although the Mavericks have not paid much attention this season, they are not considered a favorite to win the championship. But as professional coaches, Hollins and George Carl know that the Mavericks are not as simple as they seem.
Head coach Carlisle, along with Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler, Terry, Marion and Peja, ensured that the lower limit of the Mavericks would not be too low. If you meet those Texas, you will be in danger.
Hollins and George Carl would rather play the young Thunder than meet a team between the Lakers and the Mavericks. So in this last game of the regular season, neither coach will give up the victory.
The two head coaches, Hollins and George Carl, are full of fighting spirit, and as players, Link is also very fighting spirit!
Originally, Link hoped that the Grizzlies would be ranked higher, after all, this would be able to show his value to the greatest extent. And as a time traveler, Link knew very well that this year's Mavericks were really untouchable!
Nowitzki performed very well this season, and the other Mavericks are in excellent condition. Whoever meets the enemy will be in trouble. At that time, Randolph may have to be dealt with whenever he meets Nowitzki. And Gasol Jr. has no advantage when he meets the "boxing champion" Tyson.
If the Grizzlies finally rank sixth in the West and meet the Mavericks early, the Grizzlies are likely to be eliminated in the first round. Therefore, in the next game, they have to find a way to upgrade their ranking to fifth in the West.
When he thought of this, Link was eager to try. The next game was a formality for most teams, after all, the ranking has been confirmed.
But for the Grizzlies, it is a fork in the road to fate. Whether it is to shine in the playoffs or to be eliminated after a round of games, the last game of the regular season will determine the final trend of the Grizzlies!
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George Carl felt extremely tired. He finally got rid of Cameron Anthony. He thought everything would go smoothly this season. Who knew that the Grizzlies suddenly rushed to the sixth place in the West!
What's even more terrible is that they are eyeing the Nuggets' fifth West.
George Carl did not expect the sudden jump in the Grizzlies' rankings at first. The Grizzlies were in the eighth circle of the West throughout the season. Who would have thought that they would suddenly make efforts in the last half month, surpassing two in a row, and reaching sixth in the West.
If they are defeated by the Grizzlies again, they will have more than three teams in a row.
Old Carl gritted his teeth. All his plans were originally so perfect, but Grizzlies were like this. The outside world called Grizzlies the villain, but George Carl would rather call them to mess with them!
Carl knew very well that in addition to the black and white bears, the damn undrafted draft was also a big trouble.
When he and Anthony scored, George Carl knew that No. 0 would become a hindrance for many teams in the West. But he didn't expect that his Nuggets would become the first target that Link wanted to block.
Link has performed very strongly since April. George Carl can guarantee that Link's condition will not suddenly collapse in the last game of the regular season. If Link's trouble is not solved, the Nuggets' situation will be very dangerous.
George Carl then picked up the Grizzlies' roster and drew a small red cross on Link's name.
Then, Old Carl got up and went to the training hall. Today, the first thing he said to the players set the tone of the game against the Grizzlies.
"I need you to beat me harder, do you understand? I mean that kind of real roughness."
Chapter completed!