In the closing moments of the second quarter, Kobe ran into unexpected trouble. He had thought Tony Allen was the Grizzlies' only player capable of going toe-to-toe with him one-on-one. But to his surprise, this rookie wearing No. 0 played defense with incredible maturity.
It was not just Kobe—Link's defense shocked nearly every fan, reporter, and commentator at Staples Center. People could understand Link beating Matt Barnes, but seeing him stop Kobe possession after possession was something Los Angeles fans simply could not accept.
No. 24 was their hero, their leader. Yet now, he was being suppressed by an undrafted player they had looked down on. More importantly, the defending champions were actually down by double digits to the Grizzlies, a team that had failed to make the playoffs last season.
Los Angeles grew restless, but by the time they finally began taking their opponent seriously, it was already too late.
By the end of the second quarter, Kobe had managed to score four points over Link. But without a doubt, that was not the result Kobe wanted. He had decided to play the entire second quarter, not just to score four measly points on Link.
Link's defense, combined with Gasol Jr.'s offense, allowed the Grizzlies to maintain their ten-point lead heading into halftime.
During halftime, a sideline reporter found Kobe. On camera, Kobe was gritting his teeth, visibly furious. For an undrafted player to make Kobe angry, Link had done quite well for himself.
"They're tough. In the second half, we have to be tougher than them." Kobe gave that simple answer before turning and leaving, a clear sign that the Grizzlies had put enormous pressure on him.
Meanwhile, after the Grizzlies returned to the locker room, the first thing Hollins did was lavishly praise Link's defensive performance.
He