170: Five years of waiting
George Carl sat on the bench, and this time he was not angry.
All have lost, what's the use of getting angry again?
On the court, the Nuggets players were still running. But they all knew that the situation was irreversible.
At this time, only 48 seconds left before the end of the game. 6 minutes, the Nuggets were only 5 points behind, and they had the possibility of a reverse victory.
And now, the Nuggets are 15 points behind, three times that of just now. All this starts with Link stepping into the arena again.
Link had scored 15 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds at this time. After only six minutes in the fourth quarter, he efficiently scored 10 points, directly silencing the Nuggets.
Of course, Kenyon Martin also beat him to autism.
Kenyon Martin was sitting on the bench at this time, holding a towel on his head, and no one knew what his expression was now.
The match with the Grizzlies can be said to have ruined Martin's reputation. His remarks before the game were already questioned, and he even made a malicious foul during the game and knocked Link out of the game. Most importantly, even so, he still did not stop Link.
Link's blocked dunk and a dunk across the board will become an indelible memory of Kenyon Martin's career.
"The game was finally lost, and the Nuggets failed to persevere until the end. Link's firepower was too strong for them. The most wrong thing Kenyon Martin has ever done was to anger Link." Mike Bryn looked at Link's data sheet. It was incredible that he could still produce such efficient data with such limited playing time.
Of course, what surprised Mike Bryn the most was the dunk. A floor-flowing player who everyone remembered not only stopped the opponent's dunk today, but also dunked the opponent.
To be honest, Mike Bryn doesn't know where Link's upper limit is. This guy has not only improved his technology, but also his physical fitness has improved a little.
He is an unreasonable player, and this is the only explanation Mike Bryn can give.
Finally, the most highly anticipated game on the last day of the regular season in the 2010-2011 season came to an end.
104 to 90, the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Nuggets by 14 points at home, successfully winning the fifth place in the Western Conference that they had always dreamed of.
The Denver Nuggets fell to sixth. According to the results of today's game, the Nuggets will face the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. Link looked at George Carl with an unhappy look, and could only wish the Nuggets and Mavericks a happy time.
At the moment of the game, in the stands of the FedEx Arena, fans waved the Grizzlies' flags. The entire Arena was shaking, and Link had never seen fans so crazy.
"This is a great victory for the Memphis Grizzlies! Because in the next game, the Grizzlies will fight in the playoffs! This is the first time that the Grizzlies have entered the playoffs in the past five years!" Mike Bryn looked at the excited fans around him, and recalling the Grizzlies' experience in recent years, it is not difficult to understand their excitement.
In the 2006-07 season, Paul Gasol broke his fifth metatarsal bone in the World Championships, causing him to miss the first 22 games of that season. Before the calendar turned over in 2007, the Grizzlies had already lost their playoff qualification.
In the 2007-08 season, the Grizzlies decided to push for reconstruction, and they traded Paul Gasol, creating the "yellow and green battle" of the finals that year. But what about the Grizzlies? They still have no future.
In the 2008-09 season, the Grizzlies replaced three head coaches, and Lionel Hollins was finally confirmed to be the coach. That year, the Grizzlies won 24 and lost 58, and continued to play the role of the Western Conference bottom.
In the 2009-10 season, the Grizzlies welcomed the 96 Golden Generation No. 1 pick Allen Iverson, and Zach Randolph, who averaged 20+10 per game from New York. Everyone thought the Grizzlies were about to soar. As a result, Ai only played three games with the Grizzlies and left. Although the Grizzlies won 16 more games than last season, they still failed to enter the playoffs.
Finally, in this fifth season, the Memphis Grizzlies succeeded. They defended the territory like meat grinders and attacked the opponent's defense with steady attacks. They passed the hurdles and finally wiped out all the afflictions of the past five years.
Gasol's injury and departure, Iverson's struggle and disappointment were all covered by joy at this moment.
But people never expected that the Grizzlies were not Mayo who was highly expected, nor Rudy Guy who had become more mature. Instead, Randolph, who was despised, Mayo who was always regarded as a supporting role, Gasol Jr., who was originally sent to Memphis as a bonus. And the Rockets abandoned players signed by the Grizzlies in the middle of the season, the undraft that subverted everyone's concept.
The Grizzlies' experience this season, coupled with their final record, adds a lot of legend to their path to the playoffs this year.
After persisting for so long, the fans here finally ushered in a new group of heroes.
"We're going to the playoffs, guys!" Hollins looked at his players, and in addition to joy, his eyes were a little rosy. Hollins, who has played for the Grizzlies' coaching staff since the Huby Brown era, has witnessed the ups and downs of the Grizzlies in recent years.
Now, he has finally led the Grizzlies into the playoffs again as head coach, which makes Hollins cry with joy.
The Grizzlies players all hugged Hollins and hugged each other tightly. The group of people worked together for a whole year, and now, they finally got a result.
"You're back too timely, Link." Randolph whispered in Link's ear. Link really rarely saw Randolph appear so serious. Randolph has fulfilled his wish to lead the Grizzlies into the playoffs.
He proved to everyone that I am not fucking finished yet!
"Thank you for disposing of Kenyon, Martin, Zach. I'm very happy to play with you. We have to continue to blow up the enemy's butt in the playoffs!" Link smiled and patted Randolph on the back. From the Development League to the NBA playoffs, Link didn't want his dream journey to end.
Fans, players and coaching staff members were completely immersed in the joy of their perfect season. But today, the Nuggets, as losers, have not been completely forgotten.
Especially Kenyon Martin, after the game, the reporter interviewed Martin surrounded him. Even at his peak, Martin had never been so eye-catching.
"Kenyang, can you tell me how you feel?"
"What were you thinking when you were locked up by Link? Are you scared or angry?"
"Will you apologize to Link? You said you would show him how tough the black players are. Does it mean the malicious elbow strike today?"
Martin looked at the reporters around him at a loss. He used to long for himself to become a star in the crowd. But when this day really came, Martin was extremely distressed.
Looking back on the whole incident, it was simply a history of humiliation that Martin humiliated himself. He knew very well that if he didn't say anything, these reporters would not give up.
In every game and every interview in the future, they will humiliate themselves with what they have done today!
So, Martin finally compromised, "I have to apologize to Link, he is an excellent player, better than I thought. I want to apologize for my words and what I did, and I made a demonstration of my mistakes."
Martin had to bow his head if he wanted to leave Memphis today.
Afterwards, the reporters also interviewed Link about the matter of Martin. What do you think of Martin's malicious foul? How do you think of Martin's final apology?
But after hearing the question, Link just smiled jokingly, "Guys, stop mentioning the Denver Nuggets and Kenyon Martin. Our current opponent is the Oklahoma City Thunder!"
That's right, after the Grizzlies won the 50th win of the season and ranked fifth in the Western Conference, the Western Conference playoffs was completely clear. The Oklahoma City Thunder, the youth team ranked fourth in the Western Conference, will meet the Grizzlies.
Chapter completed!