While the players on both sides were still warming up, ESPN repeatedly showed split-screen shots of Link and Embiid.
Though they would not be directly matched up today, they were the real focal point of the entire game.
"I'd bet that if Link and Embiid were each handed a pair of boxing gloves right now and told to fight it out on the court, the fans wouldn't be nearly as excited for the game to follow."
Kevin Harlan joked as he watched the stern-looking Link and Embiid.
It was clear that the verbal sparring between Embiid and Link had made the overall relationship between the two teams rather tense today.
Although the 76ers had two former Grizzlies players, that did nothing to ease the hostility in this game.
Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson had both warmly greeted the Grizzlies before the game and chatted with Link for quite a while, but they were Philadelphia 76ers now.
No matter what glory they had achieved in Memphis, no matter how close they had once been with Link, they could not possibly side with the Grizzlies now.
As professional players, the most basic principle was to help their own team win.
Moreover, neither Harris nor Richardson carried much influence in the 76ers' locker room, so they naturally could not change the fact that this game was overflowing with tension.
Before the game began, Stephen A. Smith, who loved stirring things up, specifically interviewed the big-mouthed "Emperor," asking whether he was ready to battle Marc Gasol.
Embiid was extremely dismissive in response.
"Marc Gasol was once one of the best centers in the league. Well, once. Today, I'll do everything I can to help the team find an advantage in the paint. The nonsense Link said is just him trying to comfort himself."
It