No one had expected this to be the final outcome of Los Angeles's Galactic Battleship.
Last summer, when Leonard decided to settle in Los Angeles and joined the Clippers alongside George, and when the Clippers acquired Harrell, a key contributor during the Grizzlies' three consecutive championship runs.
Absolutely no one could have imagined that an apparently ordinary fadeaway jumper would become the true final punctuation mark on the Clippers' season, despite their star-studded roster.
The way Link took that shot was practically a microcosm of his entire game today.
Paul had exhausted every ounce of strength to score with difficulty, yet Link always managed to make the exact same moves with ease.
The Clippers had done everything they could to drag the game to the very end, ready to fight Link to the death.
But for Link, it was something that could be settled with a casual fadeaway jumper.
That stark contrast made it even more despairing.
When backed into a corner, he could turn the tide with 17 points in 37 seconds.
When holding the advantage, Link could effortlessly control the entire game.
Against an opponent like that, there was simply no chance of winning!
Just 35 seconds later, the electronic buzzer sounded anyway.
That sound pierced the hearts of Clippers fans.
How they wished the game could have continued until the Clippers won before it ended.
But time would not stop for them. This cruel moment had finally arrived.
"It's over! 123 to 113, the Los Angeles Lakers have fallen to the Grizzlies by 10 points in the crucial Game 5. 4 to 2—the Grizzlies have defeated their opponents without much danger! For the fourth straight season, they have reached the NBA Finals!"
Amid the disappointed Los Angeles fans, the commentators' cheers sounded utterly out of place.
But