Link and Conley's trap worked. On the Grizzlies' very first defensive possession, Lillard ran into a brick wall.
The facts proved that the Grizzlies' defensive strategy was correct. They forced Lillard into a defensive trap, with Link positioned farther out and decisively doubling Lillard whenever necessary.
By doing so, Link, as a power forward, was essentially giving up on competing for defensive rebounds and on tightly guarding LaMarcus Aldridge. But in exchange, every one of Lillard's offensive possessions had to get past Link first.
Under those circumstances, combined with Gasol's help defense in the paint and control of the boards, it produced perfect results.
That successful stop on the very first possession was proof enough.
The strategy itself was the right medicine for the problem, not to mention that Link was one of the best defenders in the league. In fact, the "one of" could be removed altogether.
Although Link had won this year's Defensive Player of the Year Award by a narrow margin, that did not mean his defensive ability had declined. On the contrary, his defense was every bit as outstanding as it had been last season.
In addition to averaging 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, Link held opponents to just 43.5% shooting.
He held them to 49.5% in the restricted area, 35% from mid-range, and 29% from beyond the three-point line.
Moreover, while he remained excellent this season at stealing the ball head-on and cutting off passing lanes, he had also repeatedly used his lightning-fast reactions to make steals the instant an opponent tried to pass over him.
Link's defensive intimidation at this point was much like the fear Gobert and DeAndre Jordan inspired in players preparing to attack the paint.
The moment he stood at the top of the arc, lowered his stance, and