Antetokounmpo's confidence was gradually being devoured.
Link was more terrifying in this game than ever before.
Although the Bucks had struggled in the first two games as well, Antetokounmpo had not faced Link one-on-one that often. More often, he had been tormented by the Grizzlies' double-teams.
As a result, the Greek player had not felt like he was being dominated.
But today, that feeling was growing stronger and stronger.
For some reason, Antetokounmpo thought of Paul George's earlier warning...
Back then, Antetokounmpo had dismissed George's warning with utter disdain. He believed that George simply had not been good enough to handle Link.
But now, Antetokounmpo seemed to understand Paul George. He finally knew what Paul George had gone through in the Western Conference Finals.
The oppressive feeling of Link always being one step ahead of you was truly unbearable.
Every time you had the ball against him, you felt nervous. Every time he had the ball against you, you felt afraid.
At first, Antetokounmpo could still face Link with high fighting spirit. But as the score gap gradually widened, and as the difference between their individual scoring grew, Antetokounmpo's confidence slowly began to fade.
The Greek player looked up at the arena's big screen. The game had reached the final stretch of the third quarter. The Bucks trailed the Grizzlies by 10 points—a double-digit deficit.
The Bucks' most urgent task was to cut the gap to single digits before the fourth quarter.
Just now, Antetokounmpo had clearly had a chance to do that. But his short jumper under Link's interference had clanked off the rim again.
Antetokounmpo had actually played quite well today. Before the third quarter was even over, he had already poured in 22 points.
Yet none of Antetokounmpo's scoring felt satisfying. He had barely put together any