With the preseason over, anticipation for the new season had reached its peak.
The Grizzlies' pursuit of a fourth straight championship, coupled with Link's final performance, had fans completely hooked.
Although experts everywhere had analyzed how Link's retirement would deal a severe blow to both the NBA and the city of Memphis, before that blow arrived, the NBA and Memphis were both about to experience a surge in revenue.
Before the NBA regular season even began, visitor numbers in Memphis had risen by 40% compared to the same period in previous years!
Tickets for the Grizzlies' season opener against the Nets were nearly impossible to get. Some fans even said, "This game should be held in a major stadium, not an arena that can only hold a little over twenty thousand people!"
Even if all those visitors could not pack into FedExForum, they would still stimulate Memphis's economy.
And without question, NBA ratings would surely hit another record high this season.
Did anyone really think Silver could afford not to suck up to Link?
Everyone was counting on Link to make money.
It was worth noting that the Grizzlies were not even the team that had spent the biggest in free agency that summer.
The two Los Angeles teams were undoubtedly the center of attention that summer.
Yet the Los Angeles derby between the Lakers and Clippers on opening night did not come close to matching the impact of the Grizzlies' game.
Of course, the Los Angeles derby was also hugely popular. Everyone wanted to see who the real daddy of the streets of LA was—James, Davis, or Leonard.
Or perhaps Louis Williams.
But the hype around that game was more of a self-indulgent frenzy among Los Angeles fans.
The truly global spectacle was still the Nets versus Grizzlies matchup!