Jokic and Link attacked from both inside and out, dragging the Clippers into a hard-fought battle.
Clearly, even the fully evolved Clippers had not shown an overwhelming advantage against the Grizzlies.
A gap like 150 to 101 would never happen against the Grizzlies.
The score had been extremely tight from the very start. Although Jokic had gone to the bench midway through the first quarter, Link was still on the court.
Gasol was now basically a weakened version of Jokic. He could also shoot threes, facilitate the offense, throw long outlet passes from the backcourt, post up, and work with Link.
Therefore, even after Jokic left the court, the Grizzlies still did not let the Clippers gain even the slightest advantage.
On the final possession of the first quarter, Link drove against Harkless's defense, stopped suddenly, and calmly knocked down a mid-range jumper.
Once Link got going, players like Harkless simply had no way to stop him.
That buzzer-beater gave the Grizzlies a four-point lead heading into the end of the first quarter.
The Los Angeles Clippers met fierce resistance in Memphis, and the entire FedExForum was roaring with cheers.
They were delighted. The Grizzlies had displayed the poise of a powerhouse!
"Beautiful buzzer-beater. Link really is working hard to make good on his promise. Number one in the power rankings—I believe Link can definitely do it."
Hubie Brown looked over Link's first-quarter numbers: 12 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal. He had been the best player on the court so far.
People had overestimated the power of George and Leonard together. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that they had underestimated the strength of the Link-Jokic duo.
Most people had not really viewed Jokic and Link as a two-man combination, but in truth, the two