Just a few days ago, the media had been hyping the Grizzlies' dual-MVP lineup to the heavens.
But when they saw Rose starting alone without Link, hardly anyone thought Rose would perform well today.
Over the past two years, Rose had indeed recovered remarkably well, but people believed he was, at best, only at the level of an ordinary rotation player.
The fact that this guy, who had once been preparing to retire, could stand tall on the court again was already incredible enough.
Rely on Rose to win? That was simply a fantasy.
The Grizzlies' decision to start Rose did not cause much of a stir. People believed this game would still depend on how Gobert and Jokic performed against each other.
The game officially began, and Gobert easily won the opening tip over Jokic.
It had to be said that when it came to jumping, Jokic really had his height under perfect control—he could not get even one centimeter higher.
After getting the ball, Donovan Mitchell drove straight toward the basket.
Mitchell was no pushover this season. Selected thirteenth overall in 2017, he was already averaging 24.2 points per game.
For comparison, that shooting guard who had also been selected thirteenth overall in 1996 had not even averaged 20 points per game by his third year.
Mitchell's ability absolutely could not be underestimated, and he was particularly fired up today.
With Link absent, Mitchell naturally wanted to make a scene.
Mitchell's attack came very suddenly, as he burst into the paint before the Grizzlies' defensive formation had even taken shape.
JaMychal Green caught up quickly, but Mitchell evaded Green's block in midair with a beautiful double-clutch layup.
Mitchell scored with ease. Right from the start, the Jazz seemed intent on taking control of the game.
"The Utah Jazz