The Last Thread of Comfort

In the ninth minute of the second quarter, Conley's pull-up jumper missed the mark, rattling off the rim.

But Randolph appeared in exactly the right spot at the perfect time. With a light leap, he secured the offensive rebound ahead of everyone else.

"Zach grabbed the offensive board! He's been an absolute beast in the paint today!" Hubie Brown grew excited the instant he saw Randolph snag the rebound. Randolph's performance since the start of the second quarter had been simply incredible!

After grabbing the rebound, Randolph found James and Bosh standing beside him with both arms raised. But Randolph was not intimidated. He powered through Bosh, rose straight up, and went for the putback.

In the end, Randolph muscled the ball in through the double-team. Bosh and James looked at each other, astonishment written across both their faces.

Because after that basket, Randolph was now 8-for-8 in the quarter! Since checking in, he had not missed a shot!

"It's in! The Grizzlies lead the Heat by six! Coach Spoelstra has no choice but to call timeout—Z-Bo has completely demolished the Heat's soft interior today!"

Amid the commentators' roars and the fans' cheers, Randolph raised his right arm and let out a low growl. Like an enraged black bear, he was declaring his territory inviolable.

8-for-8 shooting, 17 points and 4 rebounds in a single quarter, a perfect 100 percent from the field! Zach Randolph had delivered a superstar performance in the second quarter. The facts proved that Joerger's tactics had worked. His offense-for-offense strategy had turned the Grizzlies from passive to proactive, from trailing to leading.

The instant play stopped, Link rushed over and bumped chests with Randolph in midair. Link had barely taken any shots in the second quarter, yet Randolph had already torn the Heat's defense to