Listen, the Grim Reaper's footsteps are approaching

As Mike Conley brought the ball up, the entire arena cheered for him.

Lillard had thought he could carry over the form that had seen him explode for 38 points in the previous game, beat Conley, and solidify his place among the All-Star reserves. But to his surprise, Conley had beaten him so badly today that he was left scrambling for answers.

There were 38 seconds left in the second quarter, and the Grizzlies had possession. Though the first half was not yet over, the Grizzlies already had 59 points on the scoreboard.

If they scored on this possession, the Grizzlies would put up 60 points in a half.

Meanwhile, the number beside the Trail Blazers was still stuck at 46. Their score had not changed for several possessions.

The 13-point deficit weighed heavily on the Trail Blazers, leaving every player in black road uniforms struggling to breathe.

Lillard included.

From the opening tip, the Trail Blazers had been suppressed, and that had not changed.

At the start of the game, Link had led an 11-0 scoring run with a chasedown block.

After Stotts called timeout, the Trail Blazers settled down a little. Then the steady LaMarcus Aldridge scored seven straight points to stabilize the situation.

People thought this marked the beginning of the Trail Blazers' comeback charge. Little did they know, it had already been their final struggle.

After that, Link and Conley went to work again. Conley drove and dished to Link for an alley-oop, while Link drove and kicked it out to Conley for a corner three...

After that flurry, the Trail Blazers' momentum was snuffed out. By the end of the first quarter, they were already down nine.

In the second quarter, however, Link began playing "low-maintenance basketball." On offense, he simply passed, moved, and found