With 23 seconds left in the first quarter, the atmosphere in the arena had not cooled in the slightest.
Generally speaking, fans' enthusiasm for a marquee game followed a U-shaped curve.
At the start of the game, everyone watched intently, their blood pumping with excitement.
But afterward, their enthusiasm would gradually fade. Their attention would drift from the court as they checked their phones or chatted.
Only in the crucial moments of the fourth quarter would the fans' focus and excitement return to their peak.
After all, a basketball game that appeared to last only 48 minutes but actually stretched on for several hours could not possibly be thrilling every second.
Once the initial excitement wore off, everyone would inevitably enter a lull.
But today, even as the first quarter neared its end, the fans' enthusiasm had not dipped at all.
Many were even surprised—how had the first quarter gotten to its final moments so quickly?
The reason was simple: this game was just too entertaining!
From the moment Link drove through three defenders for that layup, the game had remained at a fever pitch.
What followed was an uncompromising battle between Link and the Lakers, with the score incredibly tight and the largest gap no more than four points!
That was right—not a battle between the Grizzlies and the Lakers, but between Link and the Lakers.
By this point in the first quarter, Link had already scored 19 points!
In the first quarter alone, Link had nearly 20 points! Meanwhile, the Grizzlies had scored only 25 points as a team.
It would not have been an exaggeration to say that Link had accounted for virtually all of the Grizzlies' first-quarter scoring by himself!
On the Lakers' side, their offense had blossomed everywhere today. The Grizzlies' defensive efficiency had dropped