Participating in the Tryouts

Thinking back to yesterday's championship parade, Link still felt as if it had all been a dream.

The championship parade began on the fourth day after the Grizzlies returned to Memphis. Open-top double-decker buses specially prepared for the celebration rolled through the streets of Memphis. Though this was the Grizzlies' second championship, the fans' enthusiasm for the parade had only grown rather than diminished.

Many fans had even come to Memphis from outside Tennessee just to witness the spectacle of a championship parade.

By now, the championship parade seemed to have become a symbol of Memphis itself, as alluring as the carnival in New Orleans.

Countless mounted police officers and several police cars accompanied the buses. As Memphis's pride and joy, dispatching police vehicles for the Grizzlies had become standard procedure.

Holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy, the Defensive Player of the Year Award, the regular-season MVP trophy, and the NBA Finals MVP trophy, Link stood at the very front of the lead bus, waving to the fans lining both sides of the street.

Fans wearing dark-blue Grizzlies jerseys or championship commemorative T-shirts packed the sidewalks, constantly waving their arms and flags as they cheered for the players on the buses.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but dark blue! Once again, all of Memphis had poured into the streets!

The buses moved very slowly, practically inching forward through the packed streets.

But nobody thought they were too slow. Whether fans or players, they all wanted to spend a little more time together.

The fans shouted the names of every Grizzlies player. Whoever was called would wave back, earning an even louder roar in return.

When the convoy finally reached City Hall, there were even performances by celebrities.

But no matter how famous those stars were, they