762: The Votes Weren't Close At All

26 points in the first half, 30+10 for the game, 8 of 10 from three, including a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first half.

Those outrageous numbers were what Chris Paul put up in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Without a doubt, he had brought his very best form. By all rights, it should have been a glorious night for him.

Looking at the numbers alone, everyone would have assumed Paul's team had the win in the bag.

Yet after the game, media outlets around the world were all praising Link. Chris Paul, despite his outstanding performance, had instead become a laughingstock.

This was not the first time Link had ruined an opponent's glorious night. He was particularly fond of turning other people's beautiful stat lines into empty numbers. Chris Paul should have received all the praise, but instead, he came crashing down.

The higher Paul climbed in the first half, the harder he fell in the second.

It was as though his brilliant performance in the previous game had existed solely to highlight Link's even better defense in the second half.

After that game, all debate over whether Link deserved Defensive Player of the Year vanished completely. The players who had previously questioned Link now kept their mouths shut on the matter.

Nothing made a point better than a victory, especially not a convincing comeback blowout. Link had completely ended the debate with his actions.

DeAndre Jordan and Paul also stopped attacking Link on social media. After all, the two of them had been beaten up the worst by Link in the previous game.

After Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, everyone on the Clippers fell completely silent.

They would probably need quite some time to digest the bitter result of that game.