Today, Gasol remained on the day-to-day watch list.
His recovery had been slower than expected, so his return date had been pushed back again and again.
Thus, the Grizzlies' starting center for this game was still Hassan Whiteside, who had just recorded a triple-double with 10 blocks not long ago.
The Trail Blazers were not fully healthy either. Their starting center, Robin Lopez, had been sidelined by injury for quite some time.
As a result, the Trail Blazers' current starting center was former All-Star Chris Kaman.
Though Kaman had made an All-Star team during his time with the Clippers, after being plagued by serious injuries and growing older, he no longer had much left in the tank.
His speed and leaping ability had both declined drastically. He simply could not be compared to Whiteside.
Therefore, "Big Whiteside" easily won the tip and kicked off this showdown.
The last time these two teams met, Link had been absent, and the Trail Blazers had crushed the Grizzlies.
122 to 108. That remained the Grizzlies' largest margin of defeat this season.
Though Link had not mentioned it once, he had remembered it all clearly.
Returning courtesy was the most basic form of politeness!
Link was highly aggressive today. The moment he crossed half court, he ran a handoff with Conley.
Nicolas Batum was fully prepared. Over the past seven games, he had scored in double figures only once, and the controversy surrounding him had continued to grow.
He did not want to be slaughtered by Link again.
Link's gaze was focused, both hands gripping the basketball tightly without revealing the slightest flaw.
Batum nervously raised his right hand and held it in front of Link's face.
But Link was completely unaffected. He suddenly accelerated, then immediately flowed into a smooth behind-the-back crossover.
With