The Man Who Can Suppress Link?

The Grizzlies defeated the Trail Blazers, extending their winning streak to 11 games since losing to the Clippers after the All-Star Game. Link also recorded his seventh triple-double of the season.

James had only just recorded his sixth triple-double of the season, tying Link. But now, James could only settle for second place in triple-doubles once again.

Before the game, people had placed high hopes on the Trail Blazers. Nearly everyone believed they would be the endpoint of the Grizzlies' unstoppable surge.

In the end, the game had indeed been thrilling. Unfortunately, Link and the Grizzlies were still the winners—and they won beautifully.

Link's chase-down block and long pass to seal the game in the final moments became the talk of the town. People said Link had practically been born to close out games. Even without scoring himself, he had ways to finish a game.

The day after the game, the media were fiercely discussing the Grizzlies, who now stood at 62 wins and 5 losses.

Most people believed the Grizzlies breaking the 72-win record was already a foregone conclusion. Given their current form, they had neither injuries nor any need to worry about stamina. Those were the only two factors that could stop the Grizzlies in their tracks.

Yet a small group still stubbornly insisted that the Grizzlies could not break the record. Naturally, Bill Simmons was among them.

Perhaps they believed the Grizzlies could not break the record simply because they did not like the Grizzlies or Link.

But Bill Simmons could always find all sorts of seemingly reasonable arguments to support his views, and this time was no exception.

"I studied every game on the Grizzlies' schedule from now until the end of the season, and I found that things aren't as simple as many people think.