In today's game, it was already rare to see an inside-outside duo work together so brilliantly.
In the past, a star pairing of one big and one small was practically standard equipment for most teams. Yao Ming and McGrady, Kobe and O'Neal, Kobe and Gasol Jr., Roy and Oden, and so on.
But after the league entered the small-ball era, such combinations had instead all but vanished.
As the status of interior players continued to decline, most teams preferred to build their core lineups around perimeter players.
Take the Warriors, for example. Among Curry, Thompson, Durant, and Green, not one was a true interior player.
Or the Trail Blazers, whose two core players were both guards.
Then there were the Raptors' "Trash Brothers," and so on.
Without anyone noticing, the classic inside-outside combination was gradually disappearing.
Yet Link and Jokic's performance over the previous few possessions instantly transported fans back several years.
Fans had truly missed this kind of exquisite connection between an interior player and a perimeter player!
"Beautiful behind-the-back dribble! Nikola Jokic looked like a real guard, making the Grizzlies' offense flow as smoothly as silk. He is absolutely one of the most skilled centers I have ever seen. He's practically a giant block of White Chocolate!"
"Hahahaha, yeah, but if you ate that entire block of White Chocolate, you'd probably get diabetes on the spot. The Warriors are in trouble now. With Jokic's help, the Grizzlies' offense is rolling along effortlessly. Back on the Western Conference Finals stage, Jokic has undergone a complete transformation!"
Everyone had been won over by Jokic's dazzling performance. Even Warriors fans were left staring wide-eyed after that series of moves.
Could you imagine it? A chubby, seemingly dim-witted center actually bringing the ball across half court himself, then using a behind-the-back dribble