Rudy Guy's absence gave Lionel Hollins an illusion that the Grizzlies' offense seemed to be smoother.

That's right, Guy is the player with the Grizzlies' most average score, the team's most comprehensive star, and the player with the most winning times at critical moments.

But similarly, Rudy Guy's occasional performance in his brain will also break the Grizzlies' established tactics and turn team offense into singles.

Guy has always been something that Hollins loves and hates. On the one hand, he needs Guy's personal ability and needs such a strong singles. But on the other hand, Guy is often out of control.

Today, when Link replaced Guy into the lineup, Hollins felt that the game was extremely smooth.

Both the black and white bears have shown their power, and the team's defense will not have loopholes. Whether Rudy Gay is bad or good for the Grizzlies, Hollins fell into deep thought.

But soon, Hollins came back to his senses. Rudy Guy is the team's star, and he can't decide whether it's good or bad in just one word. Look at how intense the farce between Deron and Sloan are, you will know how unreliable the head coach's position in a team.

Even a meritorious coach like Sloan cannot argue with the team's leading stars. At present, what Hollins should consider is not whether Guy is suitable for the Grizzlies, but to use all the players he has given to his management.

Hollins knew very well that if Link hadn't been restrained outside the three-point line, Randolph and Gasol Jr. wouldn't have been able to get so many singles opportunities. In the second half, if Sloan finally decided to double-team the inside player with the number three. Then, I hope Link won't mess up everything.

"Link."

"I'm here, coach."

"Keep alert." Hollins said only this to Link, but he believed Link could understand.

Because that guy is so smart.

※※※

Link wants to score 20 points today, which is the goal he has set long ago. In a few days, the Grizzlies should decide whether to go back to the Development League or sign until the end of the season. It depends on Link's performance in the past few days.

He didn't know how much chance he would stay now, but he knew that if there was a game of 20+ points, it would increase his chance of staying a lot.

After stepping into the court, Link found that the Jazz were still using Hayward to face him. He was ready to fight, and both sides were testing each other in the first half. Even if they were courtesy first and then soldiers, it was time to start fighting.

"The Jazz are 13 points behind, and their inside defense needs to be mainly responsible. Zach and Gasol have scored nearly 30 points together. What tactics will coach Sloan use to limit the performance of the Black and White Bears?"

At the beginning of the game, Steve Cole explained the key points of this quarter.

The inside battle will be the key to determining the outcome of this game. Speaking of which, this is really a bit like the game in the 1990s.

"Although the Jazz were 13 points behind, they were not without highlights in the first half. For example, Hayward, after he appeared, Link scored only 2 points. He has solved the trouble with the Grizzlies' third position. If it can continue, the Grizzlies' offense will be restricted sooner or later due to excessive singleness."

Beside Cole, Reggie Miller gave Hayward a high opinion of him. Cole didn't say anything, but just smiled. Hayward defended Link? This was just an illusion.

The Jazz's first offense, Hayward wanted to take the lead. He suddenly cut in, received a wonderful pass from Deron, and prepared to make a layup.

But Link's defense is very active, and he is constantly giving Hayward physical confrontation. Hayward was thin in size and his ability to fight is far less powerful than his peak period.

Under Link's sticky defense, Hayward's layup was unstable and failed in the first attack.

It is actually very unfair to let a veteran with more than ten years of experience in NBA competitions compete against a group of first-year students. But Link's identity is also a rookie. Therefore, he has done fairness in the face of injustice.

Link is not afraid of Hayward's attack. Link doesn't care how strong he will be in the future. But now, Hayward averages only 5 points per game in the rookie season. Players of this level cannot defeat Grant Hill.

Link took the rebound himself, handed the ball to Conley and quickly rushed forward.

At the same time, Gasol and Randolph both landed. It seemed that the Grizzlies still wanted to play the inside.

Link continued to help the two big guys stand at the bottom, but this time, he found that Hayward did not stick to him, but leaned a few steps towards the inside.

Link swallowed, and he knew that his chance had finally come. The Jazz finally couldn't help but use the number three to double-team the inside line!

But now can I seize the scoring opportunity and see if Xiaokangli can see the situation here.

Conley slowed down after reaching outside the three-point line. He stared at the inside, raised the basketball, and seemed to be slinging the ball into the penalty area.

But the moment the basketball got out of hand, Conley shook his wrist and quickly passed the ball to the right bottom corner!

"Thank you, brother!" Link was secretly happy in his heart. Conley's judgment on the offensive situation was very accurate.

Hayward didn't expect Conley to hand the ball to this No. 0 because he almost disappeared in the second quarter. In the entire second quarter, Link's role on the offensive end seemed to be the bottom corner. But as soon as the second half came, the Grizzlies actually hit the ball to Link.

Before Hayward could react, Link broke through from him with the ball. Hayward hurriedly followed, and at the same time, the Jazz's defense also habitually contracted.

Halfway through, Link suddenly stopped suddenly, then turned around in the back, jumped with one foot, leaned back slightly, and made a jump shot!

If you think a 3D player can score 52 points in the Development League, you're very wrong. Link has a wealth of offensive methods, and he has always been more than just a 3D player.

First, play according to the coach's arrangements and win playing time and trust, then you will have room for freedom to play. Link knows this truth, and now, the time for proper freedom to play is up.

Hayward is not prepared for Link's turnover jump shots. Such extremely difficult shots are usually only used by super scorers such as Kobe and Anthony. A undrafted pick? He could not guess that Link has this trick.

Therefore, Hayward's interference was not in place at all. Link took a easy move, and as he watched the basketball fall into the net, a strong sense of accomplishment suddenly surged in his heart.

"After entering, the Jazz's defense is a bit of a loss. They plan to defend the penalty area, but were hit hard by Link from the middle distance. 15 points, Jazz must be careful."

Cole applauded, is that Chinese boy finally going to take action?

Link defeated Hayward with one offense and one defense. Hayward was a little annoyed. He was a team player. If one-on-one comparison, he would not be excellent at this period.

But now, everyone is looking at him and Link, which is very unfavorable for Hayward.

"Come on, prove your ranking right." After scoring the goal, Link did not forget to stimulate Hayward with trash words. It was not that he had any grudges against Hayward, but that Link knew that the more impatient the opponent was, the easier he would be on the defensive end.

Grant Hill is a good gentleman, but Link is not.

However, Hayward has a very good temper. He was not angry at all when he was shown off in front of the undraft. This time, Hayward did not actively look for opportunities. He still made room for others in a straightforward manner, and even if he couldn't get the ball, he would have no regrets.

Link shook his head, no wonder this guy averaged only 5 points per game in the rookie season. In the NBA, being too good-tempered may not be a good thing. You look like you have no desires and still expect your teammates to pass the ball to you?

This time, Millsap scored a mid-range shot and pulled the gap back to 13 points. But this was useless, because 20 seconds later, Link scored another goal.

This time, Link played a complex off-ball tactic with his teammates. Link needed to first provide off-ball cover for Mayo, use Mayo to attract attention, and then use Randolph's off-ball cover to get the opportunity.

This was the first time Link played such a complicated tactic in the Grizzlies, because Hollins was afraid that Link would not be able to adapt. Little did they know that the first time he played this tactic, Link's running accuracy surprised Hollins.

The only uncertain point in this tactic is whether Mayo will take action by himself as a bait for transit and attracting defense.

Fortunately, Mayo did not make any mistakes this time. After attracting the defense, he handed the ball to Link as arranged. Link took the ball and took the ball decisively without hesitation or adjustment.

The more hesitant a three-point shooting, the less accurate it is. Shooting is sometimes a kind of muscle memory. If hesitates, the movements will be incoherent.

In Hayward's desperate eyes, Link made a steadily three-pointer. He scored 5 points in a row, and his personal score had reached 12 points!

"Jump, jump shot, jump shot, Link was jump shot all night today. And what about the Jazz? Are they going to watch Link throw the game to death?" Reggie Miller was anxious. He did not forget what he said before the start of the second half.

He said Hayward restricted Link to death, but now, Miller has realized the risk of being slapped in the face.

But this is not a Miller blame. One of the undraftsmen won't have the power to fight back. This is indeed unreasonable.

"What are you waiting for? Come on, or I will defeat you." Link continued to squirt trash. Deron and Millsap saw that the touch was already up, and he needed to stimulate Hayward to share the two people's right to take action.

"What is that guy doing?" Hollins frowned as he looked at Link chattering on the court.

"It seems like it's squirting trash." Assistant coach Elston Turner replied.

"Haha," Hollins nodded, "It seems that he is born a Grizzlies player."

Link's trash talk worked because this time the Jazz's offense, Hayward actually chose to break through with the ball. No matter how good a person has a temper, he will also have emotions in a fierce competition like the NBA. What's more, Hayward is still a first-year rookie and is far less mature than Link's in his heart.

But unfortunately, when Hayward took the first step, he had already fallen into the defensive trap.

Link deliberately led Hayward to the inside, and Gasol's yellow bird was behind, and a big slap made Hayward's eyes burst into flames.

Sloan stood up and was about to curse. But then he thought about it and sat back. The team was already 16 points behind. What's the use of cursing him? I'd better think about how to adjust later.

"Hayward was completely deceived, and he was always led by Link. Conley received the basketball and advanced quickly, and he gave the ball to Link. Link's layup was very steady. After entering, 14 points, Link scored the 14th point of the game. The Jazz were also 18 points behind because of Link's performance! Coach Sloan called for a stoppage because of the No. 0 rookie for the second time today. He thought that getting the inside would be equivalent to winning. It's a pity that Link brought more offensive options to the Grizzlies."

Link looked at the big screen and he was only 6 points away from scoring 20 points. There was still a little more than a quarter and a half left in the game, so it was not difficult to score 20 points.

Meanwhile, in Indianapolis, a man watching football at home also remembered Link's name for the first time.

This man didn't expect that his most proud disciple would actually lose in the face of this unsuccessful draft.
Chapter completed!