No one had expected Link to single-handedly snatch victory from the Suns.
The Grizzlies players' performance in this game might have been their worst of the season.
Conley had 4 points and 4 assists for the entire game, along with "contributing" 5 turnovers!
This was absolutely a massive stain on Conley's career.
Although Jokic scored 18 points, he shot only 40.2%.
What was worse, Jokic went 0-for-5 from beyond the arc today.
Dillon Brooks, wearing No. 24, had finally transformed into Kobe today. Don't get it wrong—he hadn't scored big like Kobe. Instead, he had inherited Kobe's bricklaying abilities.
He went 1-for-10 for just 5 points, with efficiency so awful it made one's scalp tingle.
When three of a team's five starters played like that, winning was basically out of the question.
Especially when the opposing team's franchise star had exploded for 40 points in a single game.
Yet Link had somehow won this game that should have been impossible to win.
Throughout the game, Suns head coach Monty Williams had believed that as long as Booker could hang with Link until the final moment, the team would have a chance.
After all, Link was playing on the second night of a back-to-back. His efficiency would surely decline late in the game once his stamina ran dry.
In the end, the Suns were brought down without ever seeing the moment when Link's efficiency dipped.
Monty Williams was on the verge of tears. Booker and the Suns had played so well, yet they still couldn't buy a win.
The Western Conference was just too hard to survive in. Could they transfer divisions with their record...
At the postgame press conference, Monty Williams kept shaking his head as he complained, "Only after Link retires will the other 29 teams truly experience the