Six Hundred and Ninety-One: Bright Lineup

Link's 0.3-second tip-up to drag the Spurs into overtime gave him another top spot on the day's top five goals.

The game wasn't just a disappointment for Popovich and Spurs fans, but for fans of all 29 other teams in the league to be exact.

The Spurs gave people hope, everyone thought the Spurs would stop the Grizzlies, everyone thought the Spurs were the "savior."

But in the end, when hope was dashed, people would rather the Spurs didn't give them hope.

After all, the greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment.

32 wins and 2 losses, 8 consecutive victories! The Memphis Grizzlies have no intention of stopping, and there is a growing belief that the Bulls' incredible 72-win record is about to end this season.

Among them, the one who most wants to see the Grizzlies break the record is undoubtedly Charles Barkley, who has been stepped on by Jordan countless times.

"It's time to let the 96-year-old Bulls fall to the altar! I support the Grizzlies with both hands, after all, people can't live in the glory of the past. If possible, I am very willing to witness the birth of a new dynasty!"

Barkley now makes no secret of his love for the Grizzlies and Link on the show. People joked that Barkley would never dare to mess with any Chinese players again.

But in fact, many fans are looking forward to the Grizzlies to break history. Jordan in the 1990s is a memory of the last century, and many people have not actually experienced the era when Jordan ravaged the league.

And today's young fans naturally hope that they can also witness the birth of an era in person.

In addition to the record of 72 wins, the popularity of the slam dunk contest has also continued to ferment under Link's high popularity.

Originally, there was still no star reason to participate in the slam dunk contest this year. But after Link announced that he was participating, many players were instantly ready to move.

After all, who doesn't want to beat the best player in the active league?

After the game with the Spurs, the NBA officially announced that the Indiana Pacers star, Link's good brother Paul George joined the slam dunk contest lineup.

George's current position is not low. The seven games he fought against James in the Eastern Conference finals last season have made him a first-line superstar in the league.

this season,

The Pacers' results have gone all the way. So far, the record is 27 wins and 6 losses, better than the Spurs! It is also the best team in the league besides the Grizzlies.

And George averaged 22.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game this season, which is also amazing. The combination of the Pacers' record and George's personal data makes him absolutely worthy of the title of the league's first-tier superstar.

The addition of George made the dunk contest even more popular. Link VS George, the civil war at Fresno University, the first-tier superstar against the first-tier superstar... These exciting gimmicks have been destined to the success of this slam dunk contest.

Link was surprised when he learned that George was going to participate in the slam dunk contest. After all, George didn't do well in the dunk contest last season. Unexpectedly, after George became famous now, he would choose to challenge again.

"You guy, don't you tell me in advance when you participate in the slam dunk contest?"

Link "swears" on the phone, of course, scolding with a smile.

"Hey, you always surprise others, and I have to surprise you too. Be prepared, Link, this time I won't let you steal all the honors again."

George was very excited, but his desire to defeat Link was not so strong. But as long as he can learn from Link, even in the dunk contest, George is very satisfied.

Two days later, on January 10, before the Grizzlies-Suns game, the NBA officially announced the results of the third round of the All-Star voting.

Link didn't disappoint, or rather, Link let something down again.

After three rounds, Link's votes rose to 1.07 million, ranking first, and he was still the king of votes! James came in second with 1.05 million votes.

And Durant, who has always been eager to surpass Link, is now unable to surpass even James. Durant got 1.03 million votes after three rounds. Still only ranked third, farther and farther away from Link.

It is worth mentioning that, due to Kobe Bryant's re-injury, Paul George has completed the counterattack with 900,000 votes, becoming the fourth player in the overall list.

It can also be seen how star-studded this year's dunk contest is. The No. 1 and No. 4 All-Star polls face off in a slam dunk contest that fans never imagined before.

That night, the sun hit the grizzly again hard. Suns coach Hornacek was speechless, as if his team was specially arranged to celebrate Link's re-election as the vote king.

In the end, the Suns also completed their "mission" brilliantly, losing 84 to 103 and losing to the Grizzlies for the fourth time this season! At the same time, it also made Link's night of winning the vote more perfect.

For Hornacek, tonight was both unfortunate and lucky.

Unfortunately, the Suns have yet another humiliating loss to the Grizzlies. But luckily, this is the last time the Suns will meet the Grizzlies this season.

From now on until next season, Hornacek will no longer have to see these ruthless "villains". Thinking of this, Hornacek felt a lot more comfortable.

Grizzlies have 9 consecutive victories, 33 wins and 2 losses!

January 11 was expected to be a quiet day. As a result, another breaking news suddenly appeared.

"Washington Wizards star, 2010 No. 1 overall pick John Wall, announced his participation in the slam dunk contest!"

This time, the lineup of the dunk contest has become interesting again.

John Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in 2010, has been criticized for making little progress in the second year of his career.

But in year three and fourth of this year, Wall began to cash in on his talent. So far this season, Wall is averaging 20.3 points, 9.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game!

His three-point shooting percentage, which has been criticized before, has also risen to 35.1% this season. And, that's while taking more 3-pointers than the previous three seasons.

In terms of data alone, Wall is not even inferior to top point guards like Paul.

And the record? The Wizards' record this season has improved as much as Wall's personal data.

The Wizards were 29-53 last season and ranked 12th in the Eastern Conference. And so far this season, the Wizards have a record of 16 wins and 18 losses, temporarily ranking seventh in the Eastern Conference!

While this isn't a terrific record, it's a leap forward compared to previous seasons.

There is no doubt that Wall will be named to the All-Star team for the first time with his performance this year. Without a doubt, he is already one of the best point guards in the league.

Such players are quite big names in the slam dunk contest!

For Wall, he's now on the upswing of his career. Therefore, we must strike while the iron is hot and frantically accumulate popularity.

And there's nothing like participating in a slam dunk contest with Link to raise your profile. If Wall can defeat Link in the slam dunk contest, it will definitely increase Wall's popularity by a lot!

But then again. Wall was the No. 1 pick in 2010, and Link was not even drafted in 2010!

It may be the first time in history that the No. 1 pick will turn down the popularity of the draft.

So far, three of the four slam dunk contest contestants have been announced, and these three players are all 2010 rookies! After four seasons of hard work, they are already the backbone of the league.

Compared to the previous slam dunk contest contestant, Nate Robinson, he is far from a superstar. Terrence Ross, except for the slam dunk contest, is almost non-existent. Jeremy Evans, one of the most absent dunk kings in NBA history...

Compared with these guys, the lineup of this year's dunk contest is undoubtedly very, very luxurious.

It's been a long, long time since fans have seen so many stars come together in a slam dunk contest.

However, in fact, the league did not dare to invite George and Wall at all. According to the experience of the past few years, the league can invite several well-known rookies, thank God.

After Klink announced that he was going to participate in the dunk contest, George and Wall took the initiative to contact the league and expressed their desire to participate.

Newell is right, only Link can save the slam dunk contest in this league.

In the face of two powerful opponents, Link was not afraid, but very excited.

What's the point if his opponents are just some unknown rookie? George and Wall can make the slam dunk contest more fun.

In the excitement of the fans, the Grizzlies' progress has not stopped.

On January 12, the Grizzlies defeated the Eagles, who are currently 20-17 and ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference.

So far, the Grizzlies have won another 10-game winning streak in less than a month after starting 20 consecutive victories.

In the next two games, the Grizzlies will play back-to-back road trips in Oklahoma and Milwaukee. For the Grizzlies, this will undoubtedly be a serious test after a ten-game winning streak.

Link regards the Thunder and Durant as the number one dangerous target, but in Milwaukee, the "Greek Monster" is also ready to fight the Grizzlies...