Since entering February, the Grizzlies had continued to post an outstanding record.
After Link hit a game-winning and-one against the Suns at the start of the month, the Grizzlies went on to defeat the Jazz, Hawks, and Nets.
Other than being upset by the Timberwolves on a last-second shot, the Grizzlies had encountered no other surprises.
Although their fourteen-game winning streak had come to an end and they still had not surpassed the Warriors' sixteen-game streak, the Grizzlies' 44-7 record still had them firmly atop the league standings.
The Golden State Warriors stood at 41-9, still being held firmly beneath the Grizzlies.
Before the All-Star Game had even begun, the Grizzlies had already established themselves as the league's dominant force.
Judging by their record alone, the Grizzlies' February seemed to be smooth sailing. Randolph and Gasol's successive returns had also resolved Memphis's issues in the paint once again.
Yet the "injury curse" still hung over the Grizzlies. Their frontcourt had barely escaped its crisis when a wave of injuries struck their perimeter players.
In the game against the Timberwolves, Vince Carter suffered a muscle tear in his left foot, with no timetable for his return.
Carter was getting old, after all, so the team had expected injuries to happen.
When they brought Carter in, the Grizzlies had already considered the risk of him getting hurt. And that was a risk they could bear because it had been foreseeable.
Though Carter was an important force off the Grizzlies' bench, his absence would not have too great an impact on the team.
The Grizzlies had the deepest reserves at the shooting guard and small forward positions, so even after Carter was injured, someone could still step up.
But what the Grizzlies had never expected was that, after Carter, Mike Conley would go