On January 25, while the Grizzlies defeated the Rockets, the Warriors also cruised past the Charlotte Hornets on the road.
As a team whose winning percentage was barely above .500, the Hornets were naturally no match for the Warriors. Against the severely declining Batum, Durant erupted for an impressive 33 points.
Though they were playing two entirely different games, fans still felt that Link and Durant were competing against each other.
Link said the Warriors would lose before the Grizzlies did, while Durant disdainfully replied that they would see. Link had just beaten the Rockets, and Durant immediately slaughtered the Hornets.
Even last season, when Durant had first joined the Warriors, the two had not been this hostile toward each other.
After all, Durant had not had much confidence last season. He had only just joined the Warriors and had yet to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
But things were different now. As the defending champions, Durant naturally did not want to see everything he had worked so hard to obtain snatched back by Link.
Thus, despite already being at odds with each other, their hostility this season had skyrocketed.
As the season continued, the battle between them would only grow more intense.
The day after both teams won their games, on January 26, the NBA officially announced the full roster for this year's All-Star Game.
In the West, Curry, Harden, Link, Durant, and Anthony Davis formed the All-Star starting lineup.
Even a forward as formidable as Leonard could only settle for a reserve spot, showing just how fierce the competition in the West was.
Yet even in the fiercely competitive West, Link still became the All-Star vote leader.
Come to think of it, this was already Link's fifth straight year as the All-Star vote leader.
Compared to a three-peat,