28 points, a career high. The Grizzlies crushed the Charlotte Bobcats 96–82.
Judging by the result alone, there was nothing particularly surprising about the Grizzlies beating the Charlotte Bobcats. After all, the Grizzlies had the stronger roster on paper, as their respective records made clear.
But anyone who had watched the game knew just how hard-fought the Grizzlies' victory had been.
Zach Randolph: 7 of 17, 15 points. Rudy Gay: 5 of 16, 13 points. Mike Conley: just 6 of 17, 13 points. O.J. Mayo: 1 of 8, 4 points...
At first glance, several of the Grizzlies' key players had dreadful shooting percentages, and none of them scored particularly much. Based on efficiency alone, the Grizzlies had no business winning.
Yet Link stepped up. With his teammates all struggling, Link answered the call in the clutch and poured in 28 points. He went 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, and while putting up a big score, he also contained Stephen Jackson's offense.
His excellence was not reflected in the stat sheet alone. Without Link, the Grizzlies' players would not have been able to ride the momentum and close out the game in one push.
It would not be an exaggeration at all to call this a victory brought about by Link.
After the game, Link rose from the bench. By then, only half the fans remained in Time Warner Center Arena. They had expected a blowout win today, only to watch their team suffer a crushing defeat.
Stephen Jackson, the Charlotte Bobcats' best performer, walked over to Link. When Link saw the man known as the "Martial Saint" approaching him, he thought Jackson had come looking for trouble.
But when Stephen Jackson got close, the man who had once been hot-tempered and constantly embroiled in off-court trouble opened his