On the night of the 22nd, the entire Grizzlies team boarded a plane for Philadelphia.
Gasol Jr. did not travel with the team to Philadelphia this time, because he simply could not understand how the 14-0 Grizzlies could possibly find a mere 4-10 Philadelphia 76ers team troublesome...
If it was only because of Embiid, then Gasol Jr. was even less worried.
It had to be said that Embiid was an outstanding center. His post-up skills were very solid, and his three-point shot was quite threatening as well.
At 2.13 meters tall with a 2.28-meter wingspan, his physical tools alone put him ahead of many opponents.
But Gasol Jr., who went up against Jokic in practice every day, knew very well that the big kid was truly no worse than Embiid.
So, Gasol Jr. simply stayed in Memphis to rest. Once he woke up, the Grizzlies would surely have another big win under their belts.
This game would probably only seem intense to media outlets that did not know the full story.
Meanwhile, on the plane, Jokic was carefully watching footage of Embiid's games.
Link curiously moved over beside Jokic and watched with him.
"This guy... he really is incredible," Jokic said as Link sat beside him.
"I've never denied Embiid's ability." Link spread his hands. "I just think you're every bit as good as he is."
"If I screw up tomorrow... you're not going to ban me from drinking Coke for the rest of my life, are you?"
"Pfft!" Link covered his forehead. He had thought Jokic was worried about something serious.
"I can't control you for the rest of your life, Nikola. I just think people don't respect you enough. You dominated the Dream Team's frontcourt this summer, yet people still don't take you seriously. So in the next