The electronic buzzer sounded, and the score froze at 128–120.
The unfavored Grizzlies had ultimately defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, who had their sights set on the championship this season, by eight points at Staples Center.
Of course, the final margin no longer mattered.
When the game ended, no one cared about who had won or lost. All eyes were on Link. His 61-point performance had become the only thing anyone was talking about.
"Link delivered a great performance at Staples Center! He personally sent LeBron James straight to hell!"
Mike Breen had completely lost his mind. He had called countless games at Staples Center, but no night had ever been as insane as this one.
Sixty-one points, and he had done it while being guarded by James.
Link's performance had been absolutely surreal.
Indeed, 61 points was neither the highest single-game total in NBA history nor a score only Link could achieve.
But most players who dropped fifty or sixty points in one game were usually facing opponents who were not particularly strong defensively.
Back when Arenas exploded for 60 points at Staples Center, many media outlets promoted it as him destroying Kobe.
But in reality, Kobe had not guarded Arenas at all that night. It had been Smush Parker, a player considered at the time to be the weakest starting point guard in the league.
And when Kobe scored 81 points, Jalen Rose—and even the entire Raptors team—had played terrible defense. That was why Kobe had been able to create such a miracle.
But today, Link had faced LeBron James, one of the most terrifying superstars on the planet!
And the Los Angeles Lakers were also one of the best defensive teams in the entire league.
Scoring 61 points in a single game under those circumstances showed just