Awards Time

On April 28, after ten days of fierce NBA playoff battles, two teams finally emerged to advance to the second round.

Neither team came as much of a surprise to the fans, as they had been the two biggest championship favorites this season.

That day, the Memphis Grizzlies crushed the Mavericks 103-89, sweeping their opponents 4-0 and advancing to the Western Conference semifinals for the fourth straight year! It was also their third consecutive year advancing out of the first round with a sweep. Over in the East, the Miami Heat swept Jordan's Charlotte Bobcats 109-98 to advance as well.

The Heat and Grizzlies were also the only two teams in the first round of this season's NBA playoffs to advance with sweeps.

While other teams were still locked in grueling battles, these two title favorites had advanced with ease. There was a reason they were considered championship contenders.

Next, the Grizzlies would await the winner between the Clippers and Rockets. The Heat, meanwhile, would wait for the Raptors and Nets to settle their series.

Link was quite satisfied with the first-round results. In the original timeline, the Spurs and Mavericks had gone to Game 7, but the Grizzlies had taken down their opponents in just four games. It was a dazzling result, to say the least.

The Mavericks had been unlucky too. If they had faced another opponent, they might have squeaked into the second round. But instead, they had run into the most ruthless team around.

During this stretch without games, Joerger first gave the players two days off. After all, the Grizzlies players had not rested during those two transition days between the regular season and the playoffs. Now, they were making up for that missed rest.

Link did not train during those two days either. Instead,