Markieff Morris had never been a nice guy, much less a pushover.
If every team needed a "bad guy," then Markieff Morris was undoubtedly the Suns' bad guy.
Eleven technical fouls, most in the league. That statistic alone said plenty.
Clashing with opponents was nothing unusual for him. Markieff Morris had even shoved referees on the court, and rumors had spread of him trading insults with teammates during practice.
That was Markieff Morris—a hot-tempered, genuine brute.
Yet now, this Phoenix brute stood before the swaggering Link like a frightened child, unable to utter a word for a long while.
He simply could not believe that someone had managed to make the basket through such a vicious foul.
Vicious people were actually most afraid of others being unmoved by their viciousness. What they feared most was being ignored.
When Markieff Morris realized that his aggression had no effect whatsoever on Link, that even fouling him so brutally could not stop him from scoring, he was completely intimidated.
Some people truly were not to be messed with!
When the referee saw Link roar at Markieff Morris, he was already prepared to step in at any moment.
The Suns and Grizzlies had already been playing a highly combustible game, and things could easily escalate into a conflict. Besides, Markieff Morris was a powder keg that could explode at the slightest spark.
But to the referee's surprise, Morris did not dare say a single word back to Link.
Faced with Link's roar, Morris took two steps back before turning around and walking away.
It was not just Morris. The Suns and everyone in the arena had been intimidated.
From that offensive rebound to that impossible bucket... more precisely, Link had completely dominated the final minute-plus of the game.
Isaiah Thomas? He had indeed played