One Thousand Two Hundred and Twenty-Five: Just a Small Problem

It has been almost a week since the 19-20 season started. During this week, many things happened that were beyond people's expectations.

Each team has made its debut one after another after undergoing huge changes in the summer, which also greatly satisfied the curiosity of fans.

But no team is as hot as the Memphis Grizzlies.

As long as you open a webpage or APP related to sports news, you will find that at least 8 out of 10 news items are related to the Grizzlies.

"The Grizzlies are looking to trade Mike Conley, but there are currently no offers."

"Inevitable to fall off the altar? The Grizzlies' performance was disappointing."

"For three consecutive games, the winner was decided at the last moment. The Grizzlies' dominance has hit rock bottom."

"Now it seems that the Grizzlies were just lucky to beat the Nets. Being pushed to the last minute by the Nets also shows that the Grizzlies do not have overwhelming strength."

The last time the Grizzlies were so questioned was probably six or seven years ago.

At that time, the Grizzlies had just won their first championship. But in people's conventional understanding, the Grizzlies still have nothing to do with the term "strong team."

Therefore, most people gave a negative answer to whether the Grizzlies can defend the championship.

But after that, the Grizzlies sealed everyone's mouths with a series of consecutive championships. The Grizzlies' undoubted strength has made the voices of doubt smaller and smaller. Last season, no reporter even dared to say anything wrong about the Grizzlies.

This year, after three games, the Grizzlies have become the subject of doubt again and have been sentenced to death by fans.

Although the Grizzlies' current record of 2 wins in 3 games is not too bad, for a team that is used to winning ten or twenty consecutive games at the beginning of the game, such a record is indeed not excellent.

During the three consecutive championships, the Grizzlies were able to win easily against teams on the fringe of the playoffs.

No one thought that the Grizzlies, who were inextricable from teams like the Bulls and Heat, could defeat all the powerful players in the Western Conference and reach the finals.

The best proof to prove their conjecture is the game between the Grizzlies and Lakers on October 29.

If the Lakers win easily, it will prove that the Grizzlies are really just paper tigers this season.

But if the Grizzlies win...there's no such thing as,

Many people simply don't have this option in mind.

There are also many people who support the Grizzlies. After all, Link's popularity cannot be overshadowed.

But the voices of praise are never as good as the voices of slander.

Were Kobe and James not very popular back then? However, there are also sunspots all over the world.

Rather than analyzing things calmly and carefully, most people prefer to blast things out of hand.

Under the guidance of public opinion, the Grizzlies seemed to have experienced three consecutive losses in the beginning and were reduced to nothing.

Link was surprised. The Grizzlies only lost one game, so why should they go online like this?

If a meeting is called for every loss, then there will be no team in the league that is not called for a meeting.

Link himself is quite satisfied with the Grizzlies' performance in the past three games.

The reason why we were so anxious in all three games was because they played really well.

Against the Nets, Irving scored almost 40 points and Durant scored almost 30 points.

Losing to the Heat, the outstanding performance of those three young people has a high probability of winning the game against any team.

LaVine, who was eager to prove himself against the Bulls, also scored 37 points. Coby White's 19 points really caught the Grizzlies off guard.

When your opponents play well, isn't it normal for the score to be tight?

Moreover, at the beginning of the season, it is also when young players are most excited and in peak condition.

Now they are energetic and ambitious.

But as the season continues, when they experience the beatings of NBA veterans and are less physically fit, their performance will calm down.

The Grizzlies just met two teams with outstanding young people at the most inappropriate time.

Link doesn't think this means the Grizzlies have lost their dominance. He is still confident of winning four consecutive championships.

What fell off the altar was a complete fart in Link's opinion.

The only real problem exposed in the Grizzlies' three games is Conley.

Conley's decline this season is indeed unexpected.

Whether it is offensive efficiency or defensive efficiency, Conley has experienced a cliff-like decline.

In the last game against the Bulls, Conley made 0 of 7 shots and only scored 1 point on free throws in the entire game.

And his defense has gone from being a defensive leader in the first position to a colander that everyone bullies.

As one of the best point guards in the league, his performance this season is truly shocking.

But Link had nothing to complain about.

First of all, Conley is old enough after all. At the age of 33, it is naturally impossible for him to maintain his peak form.

It's common for players to decline after their 30s, but Conley's decline was more severe than others.

Link was actually mentally prepared for this.

Secondly, poor defensive ability at the first position does not mean that a team has no hope at all.

Curry's defense was not good that year, but this did not prevent the Warriors from becoming the best defensive team in the league.

Is Tony Parker's single defense really strong? No, but the Spurs' team defense belies that fact.

Countless examples have proven that if the No. 1 position is not good at defending, just let players in other positions help defend and wipe the butt.

Although everyone's tasks will be a lot heavier on the defensive end in the future, this is not a fatal problem that cannot be solved.

As for the decline in scoring efficiency, it would be over if Conley's scoring tasks were evenly handed over to others.

Green, Brooks and Rose are all waiting for the right to fire.

Having solved the problems of defense and scoring, Conley can still continue to contribute as the metronome of the Grizzlies.

After all, there is no point guard in the league who understands the Memphis Grizzlies better than him. Even with his eyes closed, he can deliver the ball to the right person at the right time.

Although the Grizzlies players have changed, their core and system have not. Therefore, Conley is still the best No. 1 position for the Grizzlies.

Conley's state has declined, which has indeed affected the Grizzlies somewhat. But from beginning to end, Link never thought this was a fatal problem.

From beginning to end, the Grizzlies never thought about trading Conley. The trade rumors about Conley on the market are completely fabricated by reporters.

For the Grizzlies, Conley can still play a huge role.

After beating the Bulls, Joger gathered everyone for a tactical meeting and adjusted Conley's future roles on both offense and defense.

In fact, with just a few adjustments, the problem can basically be solved.

It is not difficult for the Grizzlies to make up for the defensive shortcomings at the first position.

From the perspective of Link and most Grizzlies players, this is just a small ups and downs in a long season.

But people outside have already raised the level to a level that makes the grizzly bear fall off the altar...

Link looked at these news and online comments and was speechless.

I'm still here, are you telling me that you fell off the altar?

Although he was unhappy, Link didn't want to have a direct fight with the fans.

After all, Link has always tried to be a gentle person.

Although the execution was not very successful...

Seeing that the Grizzlies had been lifeless and silent these past few days, the Los Angeles fans were completely inflated.

The day before the game, when the Grizzlies arrived in Los Angeles and took the bus to their hotel, the Los Angeles fans on the street raised their signs to "warmly welcome" the defending champions.

"The crown belongs to the true king." The content on the sign is very simple, but it reveals pride.

The real king undoubtedly refers to LeBron James. And the crown must be snatched from Link's head!

Looking at the Lakers fans, Link just wanted to laugh.

A few years ago, James was still one of the favorite targets of Lakers fans. When Kobe was still there, James was the old enemy of Los Angeles fans!

This is great, everyone calls James the king. It's as funny as one day when Memphis fans called Durant King.

Really, the face changes faster than the sky changes.

At this moment, Link received a text message from Kobe's second daughter, Gianna.

"Tonight, dad and I will go watch your game. Come on, I know, you must all be holding your breath. Let those idiots see who is the king!"

This text message was all written in Chinese. Gianna's Chinese language skills have improved as rapidly as her football skills over the years.

Link smiled and silently turned off the phone screen.

With her number one fan present, of course she couldn’t be disappointed.

Staples tonight is destined to be anything but peaceful.