"Link had already worked hard enough. Unfortunately, they came up just a little short."
"The Grizzlies had indeed fought hard. They showed the spirit of defending champions. But with Klay Thompson's magical performance, no one could escape unscathed."
"Link was undoubtedly a great player. There was no need to elaborate further on his greatness. But even the greatest players could be defeated. Today, Link could only accept his loss."
Almost everyone lamented the Grizzlies' defeat.
Kobe was truly sick of those voices. He could not understand what there was to lament.
A loss was a loss. No amount of lamenting could change the outcome.
Besides, the Grizzlies had not lost yet.
Who could guarantee that the Grizzlies' efforts would truly go to waste?
Kobe himself had changed the outcome of games more than once in the final minute. He had never believed that being down by nine points in the last minute was an insurmountable deficit.
Besides, NBA history had the great precedent of 13 points in 35 seconds. Compared to "McGrady Time," nine points in one minute suddenly did not sound so terrifying.
Surely, some people would say that 13 points in 35 seconds was a miracle only a superstar like McGrady could create.
But Kobe did not think Link was any less capable than McGrady of creating miracles.
After the timeout, the Grizzlies launched their first possession.
This time, Link gave the ball up early as soon as he crossed half court.
He handed it to Butler, then set a screen for him.
Seeing that Link was not attacking himself, Marc Jackson launched into another round of analysis.
"As everyone knows, Link's clutch finishing efficiency has clearly declined since late March and throughout April compared with before. The most typical example was the Grizzlies' game against the Cavaliers