By the seventh minute of the first quarter, the Thunder had already taken a six-point lead over the Grizzlies. Lionel Hollins called a timeout and finally made some adjustments.
Link and Tony Allen, two stars from the bench, checked in for Mayo and Gasol respectively. The Thunder had just sent out a lineup of Westbrook, Harden, Sefolosha, Durant, and Ibaka. Since Durant was not a true interior player, the Grizzlies also switched to a lineup with Randolph as their only big man.
Conley, Tony Allen, Link, Gay, and Randolph—this lineup Hollins sent out was highly unconventional. The Grizzlies generally did not keep only one big man on the floor.
But today, if they wanted to defeat the energetic Thunder, they had to use some less conventional methods.
"We have to hold our ground defensively. Tony, take Westbrook. Link, defend Harden. Conley, watch Sefolosha. Gay, keep battling Durant. Zach, teach Ibaka a proper lesson. Everyone, stay on your assignments and disrupt their offense. We can't let the Thunder keep extending the lead. Make them feel our defense. Get tough, all of you!"
Hollins was practically spraying saliva as he spoke. He did not want the Grizzlies' season-best five-game winning streak to be snapped by the Thunder. On paper, the Thunder were indeed the stronger team. But with the Grizzlies so close to catching the Rockets and breaking into the top eight in the West, Hollins had no intention of giving up at the doorstep.
The timeout was brief. The moment the electronic buzzer sounded, Link locked his eyes on Harden. No one could stop the Thunder? Perhaps that was true.
But the ferocious Grizzlies could!
The instant Link stepped onto the court, the cheers inside FedExForum rose another level. Looking up, he saw countless fans waving signs with his name or