Link scored 53 points in three quarters, and the Grizzlies put away the Rockets in three quarters, sending the game straight into garbage time.
The result of this game brought the first surprise to this "March Madness."
It also suddenly wiped away the Warriors' swagger. The form the Grizzlies displayed made the Warriors deeply wary.
Perhaps the grueling schedule in their eyes was nothing much to Link. Relying on others to take care of the Grizzlies was simply far too unrealistic.
Everyone understood that the Grizzlies finishing off the Rockets in just three quarters was no coincidence.
Although the Rockets' three-point shooting was cold in this game, they should not have lost to the Grizzlies by nearly 40 points.
At the end of the day, Link's 53 points in three quarters had completely beaten the Rockets into submission.
He was a player who could end games by himself. As long as Link wanted to, he could lead his team to plenty more games where they could clock out after three quarters.
The Grizzlies' brutal schedule had yet to reveal its difficult side, while the Warriors, who had been expected to have an easy schedule, kept running into trouble.
On March 5, at Madison Square Garden in New York, the Warriors nearly stumbled again.
The Knicks had not been doing well this season. Their 25-37 record at this point was vastly different from what they had originally expected.
At the start of the season, people had expected the Knicks to contend for the championship. They believed that, with their powerful roster, the Knicks should have been able to break James's dominance over the Eastern Conference.
Instead, the Knicks could barely even make the playoffs now.
The lineup of Rose, Anthony, Porzingis, and Noah had not reached the heights people had envisioned.