Link's appearance instantly turned the game around for the Grizzlies. The Raptors were a weak team to begin with, and they had also lost their star player, Bargnani. Naturally, they weren't very strong.
With their already limited talent, the Raptors were in even worse shape now that Kleiza, who had the potential to break out tonight, had been shut down.
Without Kleiza, who could the Raptors turn to on offense? Joey Dorsey? The undersized center who was the same height as Link and couldn't do anything but dunk?
Amir Johnson? The tough, pure role player?
Or the nearly thirty-year-old Calderon and DeRozan, who was only in his second year?
The Raptors couldn't even find one reliable scoring option on their roster. That was the predicament they had to face now.
So when the first quarter ended, the Grizzlies had gone from trailing by eight points to leading by eight. Link had put up five points, two assists, and two rebounds. The numbers weren't dazzling, but his success in shutting down Kleiza was the most important reason the Grizzlies were ahead.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but Link seems even more aggressive on defense than before. He's starting to look like a typical Grizzlies player."
During the break between the first and second quarters, the commentators weren't talking about Rudy Gay or Kleiza. Their focus was on Link.
"Definitely. His tight defense left the Lithuanian completely flustered. The Grizzlies' starters are all exhausted from playing back-to-back games. I think the bench players will dictate the game tonight. Link has already set a great example."
The commentators had good reason to think so. Link had come off the floor with eight minutes gone in the first quarter. He hadn't played the entire quarter, even as a bench player. That had to