The moment Link "destroyed" Kanter's ankle, the fear growing in the Thunder players' hearts erupted all at once.
Although the term "ankle breaker" had been around for years, actual cases of someone shaking a defender so badly that they injured their ankle on the court were exceedingly rare.
After all, everyone was an elite NBA-level athlete. Simply shaking an opponent to the floor was already difficult enough. Besides, NBA players generally had incredibly strong ankles.
Though ankle sprains still happened from time to time, their ankles were many times sturdier than those of ordinary people.
Yet just now, Link had played the role of an "ankle breaker" to perfection.
Not only had he humiliated Kanter with a between-the-legs dribble, he had directly caused him to sprain his ankle after losing his balance.
Such an effortless finish stunned not only the fans, but even the players!
"This is unbelievable. Link has practically shattered the Oklahoma City Thunder's confidence in the first quarter alone. If Russell can't pull himself together and lead the team in regrouping, this game could very well turn into a one-sided slaughter!"
Hubie Brown even clutched his head. The old man had spent most of his life in the NBA in all sorts of roles, but even he found it outrageous to see someone get shaken so badly that they were injured.
While this was not Link's first time doing it, examples like this were simply far too rare! And Link's between-the-legs move had been spectacular as well.
Watching Kanter leave the court and head straight into the players' tunnel with the team doctor supporting him, Link felt no sympathy for the Turkish player.
How should he put it? A sprained ankle was not a career-ending injury. It was one of the most common injuries basketball players suffered.