Fifty-Three: Fill in the Shortcomings

Link's appearance made the Grizzlies turn the tide in an instant. After all, the Raptors are a belly team, and they also lost their star Bargnani at the same time, so their strength will naturally not be too strong.

Despite the fact that his strength itself is not strong, Kleizha, who has the potential to explode today, was still locked, which undoubtedly made the Raptors worse.

Who will the Raptors use on offense without Kleiza? Joey Dorsey? That short center who is the same height as Link and can't do anything but dunk?

Amir Johnson? That pure blue-collar who plays fiercely?

Or Calderon, who is almost 30 years old, and DeRozan, who is only in the second year?

The Raptors can't even find a solid offensive spot in the lineup, and that's the dilemma they have to face right now.

So after the first quarter, the Grizzlies went from an 8-point deficit to an 8-point lead. Link scored 5 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds. The data is not amazing, but his successful defense against Kleiza is the most important reason why the Grizzlies can lead.

"I don't know if you have noticed that Link seems to be more aggressive on defense than before. He is now more of a typical Grizzlies player."

During the break in the first quarter, the commentators neither talked about Rudy Gay nor Kreza, but focused on Link.

"It's true that his pressing on Kleiza left the Lithuanians at a loss. Back-to-back, the Grizzlies were very tired. I think the bench players will dominate the game today. Link, has done a great job. Good example."

It is not unreasonable for the commentator to make such an analysis. Link left the game today in the eighth minute of the first quarter. As a backup, he didn't play the full first quarter. This must be because Hollins wants him to start as soon as the second quarter begins!

Use the Raiders to open the score at the beginning of the second quarter, and then use the starter to consolidate the advantage, this must be what Hollins thinks!

That guy's plan was very clear, to take advantage of this qi and pull the difference in one breath.

Sure enough, after the start of the second quarter, Hollins made the two substitutes starters in one breath. Rudy Gay sat off the court to take a few breaths, and the arrogant O.J. Mayo also became a "substitute" again.

Tony Allen and Link went into battle with Conley, Randolph and Gasol Jr. Hollins believes that this lineup is enough to give the Raptors a good drink. After the difference between the points is widened and then replaced by two masters of chaos, Guy and Mayo, isn't it easy to get the score?

When Kreza saw Link's return, he instantly became extremely nervous. What Link didn't know yet, Kleiza had become the first NBA player to fear him.

The first offense of the Raptors, the old Spanish guard Calderon was in trouble. Because neither DeRozan nor Kleizha could get rid of the entanglement between Link and Tony Allen.

The inside Joey and Amir Johnson are not the kind of masters who can play in the low post. What's more, defending them is the fierce black and white bears.

Calderon wanted to attack himself, but Mike Conley wasn't to be messed with either. Among all the No. 1 positions in the league, Conley's defense can definitely be ranked in the first echelon.

Five positions, five people are defensive giants. Hollins' platoons didn't follow his mood. He had long wanted to see how powerful this terrifying defensive lineup could be.

If this lineup is successful, defensive madman Hollins believes, it will allow the Grizzlies to go further in the playoffs!

Well, but the top priority now is to squeeze into the top eight in the Western Conference first, and then talk about the playoffs.

As a point guard, the most embarrassing thing is not being able to find someone to pass the ball. Calderon is facing this embarrassment now, and this lineup of the Grizzlies is too cruel.

In desperation, Calderon had to call the pick-and-roll and plan to do it himself.

Unfortunately,

Under Conley's tough defense, the Spanish defender's throw hit the frame.

The moment Calderon shot, Link was already running towards the front court. Although Hill's athletic ability in the 2009-10 season was not good, he was still a lot stronger than Kleiza.

Link took the lead in running to the bottom corner on the right. Mike Conley received a pass from Randolph and made a long pass from the backcourt!

"Link, when did he run over there!?"

Following the shouts of the commentators, Kreza ran as fast as he could. It's a pity that he has never been able to catch up with the flying speed of basketball.

In this way, Kleiza watched as Link lifted the basketball, took off, pressed his wrist, and fingered from the bottom right corner.

Link's shooting is very standard and pleasing to the eye. Under the premise of good-looking action, the hit rate is also very impressive.

"brush!"

The basketball went into the net hollow and didn't even touch the rim. The Grizzlies have been missing a consistent 3-point shooter, and now they have.

"A three-pointer in a counterattack, haha, the Grizzlies couldn't play this kind of offense before. With 11 points, the Raptors are 11 points behind the Grizzlies. If the Raptors can't get over this hurdle, the game may be It's about to end early!"

In the first quarter, Kleiza only felt the power of Link on the defensive end, but now, Link will let Kleiza feel what his offense is like.

Twenty seconds later, the Grizzlies made a comeback. Just after the Raptors' offense, DeRozan actually chose to single out Tony Allen. I have to say, this is the stupidest decision Link has ever seen.

Sure enough, DeRozan's single attack made Tony Allen guess him to the death. Allen shrank all the way, just waiting for DeRozan to lay up. Under severe interference, DeRozan's layup hit the frame. And just like that, the Grizzlies got another scoring opportunity.

This time, Conley hit the ball to Gasol Jr. According to the original plan of the Raptors, once the black and white bears get the ball in the low post, they must immediately double-team.

But at this time, Kleiza couldn’t leave Link behind to double-team Gasol Jr. He has just experienced how accurate the 3-point vacancy of No. 0 is.

So, Pau Gasol easily singled Joey Dorsey on the inside. Pau Gasol is 2.16 meters tall and Dorsey is 2.03 meters tall. When the Spanish center hooked, Joey Dorsey could only watch.

13 points, the difference continues to expand.

After this, Randolph also showed great powers. Gasol once again got the ball in the low post, and Amir Johnson had to go to help defense.

As a result, Pau Gasol tacitly passed the basketball to the middle distance. Randolph, who was emptied, made a steady hit in the mid-range shot, and this guy was waiting for this opportunity.

With a 15-point difference, the Raptors were almost crippled.

Pulling the trigger and moving the whole body, Link's appearance messed up the Raptors' defense and made the Grizzlies' offense easier. It was as if the Thunder took off after the Thunder had Perkins, a tough guy on the inside defense.

Maybe Link and Perkins are not very strong players, but they fill a team's biggest shortcoming, which is enough to make a team's strength rise a lot. Filling the team's shortcomings is precisely the greatest value of role players.

At this time, Jane Triano made a low-level mistake. He actually did not call a timeout in time, but encouraged the players to seize the next offensive opportunity on the sidelines.

Triano is also in a hurry to lose. Although this is his third year coaching the Raptors, he is still a rookie coach. At the crucial moment, Triano was not calm enough.

Triano was in a hurry on the field, but the players on the field were already demoralized.

Especially Kleiza, as the starting striker of the Lithuanian national team, as a prospective NBA starter with an annual salary of 5 million, he was actually defeated by an undrafted.

This plunged Kreza into deep self-doubt.

This negative state eventually allowed Kleiza to take a big risk on Link from beyond the three-point line. There is nothing confusing about his shooting. Link has always been open to this kind of fraudulent behavior.

Link's block on Kleiza from beyond the arc brought the morale of the Raptors' players to the lowest point. Although the ball still belongs to the Raptors after the block, they did not find any offensive opportunities until the 24-second violation.

"The 15-point difference, the Raptors must withstand! If the Grizzlies continue to pull the score, this game will end early! You know, O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay are still there. Gearing up on the bench!"

The casters were worried about the Raptors, after all, no one likes to cast a game without suspense.

After the first few attacks, the black and white bears have already played their momentum. This time, they continued to ask for the ball, intending to disintegrate the Raptors from the inside.

Kleizha thought about it, and finally decided to double-team according to the tactics!

It's a pity that Gasol's golf quotient has not been low. He is one of the best support centers in the league. Seeing Kreza pounce on him, he passed the ball to the right corner without thinking.

There, Link was already ready.

"Damn, ****!" Kreza had collapsed, and he hurriedly rushed over. That's what 3-and-D players are. They don't look like they have any strength, but they can really drive defenders crazy.

Seeing the horrified expression on Kreza's face, Link did not shoot immediately, but pointed to his feet. It means: "I'm going to end you here."

"Fucking crazy!" Kreza was completely incensed, and he didn't allow an undrafted pick to offend him so much. So the Lithuanians rushed towards Link like crazy.

Link finished the shot before Kleiza interfered. Just like before, Link's hand felt extremely hot.

He had just thrown the basketball when Kleiza rushed in. Because of the rush, Kreza slammed into Link, and the two fell to the bench at the same time.

"Dudududu!" The referee's hurried whistle sounded, and what was even more incredible was that the basketball that was flying in midair was still hollowed out!

"And one! The goal is valid, four points, Kleizha actually gave Link a chance to score four points!"

Hearing that he was called for a foul, Link also scored a goal, and Kreza immediately got up and complained to the referee.

The Lithuanian can guarantee it was the most emotional night of his career.

It is a pity that the referee of Kleiza's appeal turned a deaf ear. Kleiza’s action just now was really too big. If the referee didn’t blow the ball, with the Grizzlies players’ personality, the game would definitely get out of control.

"Hahaha, thank you for my wonderful story! Well done man, you are amazing today!"

Link was still lying on the pile of chairs that were swaying. Unexpectedly, Marc Gasol was the first to come up and pull him. Gasol's attitude towards him has been tepid in the past few days.

But after this ball, Link believes that he has completely won the trust of Gasol.

After continuing Tony Allen and Randolph, and gaining the trust of a general, Link believes that his career with the Grizzlies will become more and more enjoyable.

After being pulled up by Randolph and Gasol Jr., Link stood at the free throw line. After adjusting his breathing, he made a solid free throw amid the desperate interference of Raptors fans.

With a four-point success, Link widened the difference to 19 points in one breath! During this period of mixed starters and substitutes, the Grizzlies played the Raptors' 11-0 offensive climax!

"The Raptors finally got a timeout. They were down by almost 20 points. Can you believe it? When did the Grizzlies, known for their defense, have an offensive climax?"

Although the narrator said a question, everyone knew the answer to this question.