When Devin Booker caught the ball at the top of the arc beyond the three-point line once again, he was already exhausted.
Dinwiddie continued to crowd him tightly, seemingly unafraid of Booker driving past him.
Amid the intense physical battle, Booker ultimately chose to hand the ball to Bledsoe.
Bledsoe forced his way past Wade and drew a foul from Harrell underneath the basket.
The Suns earned two free throws, making their offensive possession a success.
However, everyone could see the fatigue written all over Booker.
"What's wrong? Can't keep playing already?"
The referee's whistle had barely faded when Link began chattering in Booker's ear.
Booker did not respond. He merely gasped for breath, under tremendous pressure.
Throughout the entire game, Link had been like a huge shadow hanging over Booker at every moment.
Ever since Link had blocked Booker twice in a row at the start of the second quarter, Booker felt that the game had changed.
What had begun as a display of talent in the first quarter had turned into a journey of suffering.
From then on, every one of Booker's offensive possessions had been extremely difficult. Every attack came with immense psychological pressure.
Whenever he prepared to shoot, he no longer thought about how to make the basket. Instead, he wondered whether Link would suddenly appear and swat his shot away.
That overwhelming pressure had drained Booker mentally and physically. By the fourth quarter, he no longer had any strength to spare.
Yet even so, Link still showed Booker no mercy.
Booker had actually played quite well today. He had already scored 38 points!
Although Link's help defense had shut Booker down several times, Link was not Superman. He could not rotate over to help on every possession.
So overall, Booker's offensive performance today was still