George and Leonard's pairing had ultimately been sent on an early vacation.
Link and his teammates raised the Western Conference championship trophy at Staples Center, that basketball mecca, on that highly anticipated grand stage.
In his post-award speech, Link also admitted frankly, "The Western Conference championship is just a side prize. We've only ever had one true goal: the Larry O'Brien Trophy. We're merely close to victory now. Only after we win the Larry O'Brien Trophy can it be considered a real victory."
Link made no secret of his desire for the championship. Besides, even if he had said nothing, the whole world knew what Link wanted.
No one ever regarded a conference championship as a real championship. Only players who raised the Larry O'Brien Trophy earned everyone's recognition.
The Grizzlies had broken out of the West for the fourth consecutive year, undoubtedly becoming the hottest topic of the night.
This trophy also made the Grizzlies the second team in NBA history to win the Western Conference championship trophy for four straight years.
The last team to dominate the West so arrogantly had been the Los Angeles Lakers from 1981 to 1985.
As everyone knew, the league had always followed a pattern of "the West being strong and the East being weak." Winning the Wild West four years in a row was indeed an extremely difficult feat.
The value of that record was obvious.
Moreover, at the start of the season, no one had believed that 32-year-old Link could lead a group of "old, weak, sick, and injured" players to continue their brilliance.
Thus, the tremendous contrast created by the Grizzlies' current achievements gave fans plenty to discuss.
Besides that, Paul George's statement that "no one can defeat Link" became another hot topic.
His exaggerated words also sparked heated discussion