Before the game began, neither side exchanged trash talk. But when the two groups truly faced off, both radiated killing intent.
The referee stood between the Grizzlies and Warriors players with the basketball in hand and could not help swallowing.
Just meeting their gazes, the referee felt an intense pressure.
The two teams' starting lineups were virtually unchanged from the regular season. The Warriors still started Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green, and Pachulia.
The Grizzlies still had Conley, Wade, Link, Jokic, and Gasol.
The two teams could not have known each other better. There were no secrets left between them.
Whoever won would simply depend on who performed better.
Amid the deafening cheers of the fans, the referee tossed the ball into the air.
The Western Conference's ultimate showdown had officially begun!
Right from the opening tip, Pachulia won the first possession for the Warriors.
The arena immediately erupted in furious boos.
Pachulia had now practically become public enemy number one. After all, no fans of any team could accept someone deliberately injuring the opponent's star player and stripping the game of all suspense.
Pachulia was miserable too. At one point, his social media accounts had crashed from the sheer number of people insulting him.
Later, Pachulia had even been forced to temporarily disable comments on his social media accounts.
This period could be called the peak of Pachulia's popularity.
Of course, that kind of negative fame had no real benefit for Pachulia.
The Warriors' first possession was played with remarkable patience. Durant desperately wanted to score, but he was in no rush.
He knew that when matched up against Link, the more impatient he became, the worse he would play.
In the end, Durant patiently worked his way open and received Curry's pass in the right mid-range area before immediately