The highly anticipated 2019-20 playoffs finally began with the first day of battles.
Although many media outlets insisted that Link could not possibly choose to retire at the peak of his career, fans still viewed this year's playoffs as Link's final postseason journey.
Now, every game truly counted as one less game.
There were only four rounds in the playoffs. Even if every series went the full seven games, Link had just 28 games left to play.
Besides, everyone knew the Grizzlies could not possibly be dragged to a Game 7 every round.
Game 7s had never been the style of the Grizzlies or Link.
Throughout all his years in the league, Link had never even played a Game 7 in the Finals.
In that regard, Link was very similar to Michael Jordan.
So, if Link truly planned to retire after this season, he had fewer than 28 games left to meet with the fans.
That was why this year's playoffs were especially meaningful to the fans.
Many people had never had the chance to witness the beginning of a legend, so they refused to miss the chance to witness a legend's end.
During warmups, Link looked very relaxed. To be honest, over all these years, Link had never run into trouble in the first round.
An eighth-seed upset was already a low-probability event. Pulling one off against the Grizzlies was even more impossible.
When Stephen A. Smith interviewed Link courtside, he once again asked about Link's career plans. "Whether you win the championship or not, do you really plan to retire after this season?"
"Of course." Link answered without hesitation. "To be honest, I haven't made any plans at all for next season."
"What if you don't win the championship?" Stephen A. Smith pressed, desperately hoping to hear that