Durant and Green had mocked Link by pretending to cough during the press conference, and it was probably the biggest news story before the All-Star Game began.
Although Durant and Green were criticized by everyone, Durant had also offered a halfhearted apology on social media under pressure.
But once a grudge had been formed, it was not so easily resolved.
Clearly, Link had once again done exactly what he said he would. Whenever reporters asked questions related to Green or Durant, Link's answers were always sprinkled with words starting with F and B.
Silver was greatly troubled by this and issued Link a fine and a warning.
But Link still went his own way without the slightest restraint. He had said he would no longer respect Durant and Green, and he had certainly followed through thoroughly.
It was not as though Silver had not considered suspending Link outright, but suspending one of the stars heavily promoted for the All-Star Game right before it was about to begin... that did not seem quite appropriate either.
So, he could only let the conflict between Link and Durant continue to escalate.
Finally, the arrival of All-Star Weekend eased the matter somewhat. Everyone's attention shifted from the conflict between Link and Durant to the events of All-Star Weekend.
After losing to the Warriors, the Grizzlies went on to defeat both the Pelicans and the Nets, which somewhat soothed the anger of Memphis fans.
However, the matter had merely been put on hold. It was far from over.
In this year's All-Star Game, even Durant and Westbrook had played up the angle of burying the hatchet, but Link and Durant still could not stand each other.
Reporters noticed that Durant and Link were the only two players on the Western All-Star Team who did not