Link's defense was airtight. Harden knew that from this point on, he could forget about scoring as comfortably as he had in the first quarter.
Although Harden had only produced the best season of his career this year, he had already maxed out his foul-drawing skills when he first joined the Rockets several years ago.
When it came to drawing fouls, Harden was no longer merely the best active player—he was capable of competing for the title of the greatest in history.
Yet he rarely got the better of Link.
First of all, Link himself got a certain amount of superstar treatment. Even if there was genuine suspicion of a foul, the referees had to think twice before blowing the whistle.
After all, too many of those "abnormal" fouls involving superstars would severely hurt the viewing experience.
Secondly, Link had always been extremely composed on defense. He did not lunge recklessly, which greatly reduced the chances of him being baited into fouls.
It was not as if Harden could not draw a single foul from him, but Link was still far less likely to be baited than most players.
The Grizzlies got another chance to run in transition. Since Link's shooting had been off today, Ariza gave him a full step of space!
His intention was obvious: he was determined to shut down Link's drives.
The defense had collapsed inward, and that was indeed a tricky situation.
It was not that Link could not overpower Ariza head-on, but if he kept playing that way, he doubted he could last until the end of the game.
So this time, Link did not go at Ariza directly. Instead, he actively moved without the ball, trying to create space for his teammates.
After a patient spell of ball movement, Conley finally created an