With 23 seconds left in the game, Link had the ball.
After crossing half court, he stopped in his tracks.
By then, the cheers inside FedExForum had reached their peak. In another 23 seconds, they would lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the fourth time in franchise history!
The Cavaliers still trailed the Grizzlies by 12 points. As expected, making up 16 points in the final minute was simply unrealistic.
Throughout the entire final minute, the fans had been in a state of extreme excitement.
A year after last embracing the championship, this was the moment nearly every person in Memphis had dreamed of day and night.
Now, that wonderful moment was finally about to arrive!
Link watched the clock above the backboard. He had never felt 23 seconds stretch on for so long.
His body was still on the basketball court, but his thoughts had already flown beyond the arena.
James had initially settled into a defensive stance, but when he saw Link stop, he simply put his hands on his hips and waited for the game to end.
This was undoubtedly the most humiliating Finals James had ever played in, bar none.
Even though Link had swept him before, that could only rank second on the list of the most humiliating Finals of his career.
In this game, the fourth-quarter free throw count was 10 to 3, while the offensive foul count was 5 to 0.
That was right—the Grizzlies alone had been called for five offensive fouls in the fourth quarter!
On top of that, Jokic had fouled out with six fouls. Link's playing time had also been far less than before because of his four fouls.
Honestly, the Cavaliers had benefited so much in this game that even James himself felt a little embarrassed.
The referees'