Alvin Gentry was caught between joy and worry.
He was pleased with Zion Williamson's performance in the first quarter.
Although Zion had not matched up directly against Link, he had at least proven that he could score efficiently against the Grizzlies' suffocating defense.
What worried him was that behind Zion's outstanding performance, Brandon Ingram's showing had been truly agonizing to watch.
As the Pelicans' leading scorer, Ingram had failed to score a single point in the first quarter. It was easy to imagine just how severely that would affect the Pelicans' offense.
Trailing by eight points put enormous pressure on Gentry.
If they could not cut into the deficit in the second quarter, winning would become extremely difficult.
The third and fourth quarters? It was another question altogether whether this game would even make it to the fourth quarter!
Against the Grizzlies, no one should count on staging a comeback in the closing moments.
The second quarter was the Pelicans' only hope of preserving their chance to win.
Right now, Gentry's only option was Zion Williamson. Only if he could maintain his first-quarter performance for the rest of the game would the Pelicans have the strength to contend with the Grizzlies.
Thus, during the break between quarters, Gentry emphasized the plan going forward: Williamson would be the primary scorer, while the team would increase its defensive intensity to close the gap.
It was also the first time Williamson had carried such a heavy burden. After hearing his head coach's instructions, he silently nodded and took a deep breath.
He had not expected his first professional game against Link to be this intense.
Williamson had already experienced Link's strength firsthand.
But Williamson believed that as long as he did not have to match up with Link, he could continue producing efficiently.