One Thousand Two Hundred and Eighteen: Year 10

After the preseason, people's expectations for the new season have reached their peak.

The Grizzlies' road to four consecutive championships, coupled with the two gimmicks of Link's final performance, simply left fans wanting more.

Although various experts have analyzed that after Link retires, it will bring a very serious blow to the entire NBA and the city of Memphis.

But before the blow comes, both the NBA and Memphis will experience a wave of revenue booms.

Before the start of the NBA regular season, the number of tourists visiting Memphis increased by 40% compared with the same period in previous years!

Tickets for the opening game between the Grizzlies and the Nets were hard to come by. Some fans even said: "This game should be played in a large stadium, not just a stadium that can only accommodate more than 20,000 people!"

Such a large number of visitors, even if they can't all flock to the arena, will stimulate Memphis' economic revenue.

There is no doubt that the NBA's ratings will reach a new high this season.

Can you tell a joke without him licking Link?

They are all pointing at Link to make money.

You know, the Grizzlies are not the team that spends the most in the free agent market this summer.

The two teams in Los Angeles are undoubtedly the focus of this summer.

However, the Los Angeles Derby between the Lakers and Clippers in the opening game was far from the impact of the Grizzlies game.

Of course, the Los Angeles Derby is also very popular. People want to see whether the father of a street in Los Angeles is James, Davis or Leonard.

Or Louis Williams.

But the excitement of this game is more about the self-pleasure of the Los Angeles fans.

The game that truly deserves global attention is the one between the Nets and the Grizzlies!

As Link's sworn enemy, Durant turned to another place and dragged Irving to continue fighting with Link.

Plus Dinwiddie returns to FedEx Arena for the first time since his transfer.

These gimmicks destined the Nets to be a perfect opponent in the opening game.

Link remembered that in the original history,

Durant seemed to have suffered a devastating injury like a torn Achilles tendon last season.

But in this history, Durant's injury last season was not that serious, so he has fully recovered in the summer.

I don’t know what kind of achievements Durant can achieve in the Nets.

Not only are the fans looking forward to this game, but Link himself is also looking forward to this game.

As long as there is a game with Durant, he is looking forward to it.

The start of the game is approaching day by day, and the Grizzlies' training is getting deeper and deeper.

Four days before the start of the regular season, the Grizzlies determined their starting lineup for next season.

To be precise, the candidate for the starting No. 2 position has been determined, because Conley, Link, Gasol and Jokic will not change for the time being.

Because Carter is old, he is really not suitable for starting. Therefore, Dillon Brooks will start at the second position next season.

That afternoon, the Grizzlies players also took their final makeup photos for the new season.

This brand new Grizzly Bear that is still full of combat effectiveness has become more and more anticipated.

Finally, the time came to October 21st.

The day before the start of the 19-20 NBA regular season, the Grizzlies ushered in a media opening period in training for the first time.

Although reporters are interested in everyone in this new Grizzly Bear, the most popular among them is still Link.

“Link, will you change your mind and play a few more seasons?

"Are you willing to leave like this? Don't you want to win a few more championships?"

"What new field did you want to try after retirement? Enter the business world? Or get involved in other sports?"

Link looked at the chattering reporters in front of him. Facing these issues related to retirement, he really couldn't be interested.

They have all said that this is not a retirement tour. The most important thing this season is the fourth consecutive championship. Why do these people still insist on the topic of retirement?

But at this moment, a reporter's question slightly aroused Link's interest.

"Link, in ESPN's latest player strength rankings, Harden, who averaged 36 points per game last season, only ranked sixth. Do you think this ranking is fair?"

Link's eyes lit up. Although he didn't know what Harden's ranking had to do with him, at least this reporter was really focusing on the new season.

"It is meaningless to select the best player. You should select the best team. For example, the Grizzlies in 2013, the Grizzlies in 14, the Grizzlies in 15, the Grizzlies in 17 and the Grizzlies in the next two years. "Bear" Link shrugged and boasted again.

"Really? Then what do you think about the Grizzlies only ranking fourth in the strength rankings in the new season?"

"How do you think about it? Everyone makes mistakes. There is nothing surprising about it. I don't blame them. When the next power rankings come out, I will let them realize and change their mistakes."

Link's meaning is clear - next time, the Grizzlies will top the power rankings!

Even though he is retiring, Link is still as crazy as ever.

Even a militant like Kobe Bryant became a lot gentler in his retirement years.

However, Link is still very strong.

With these words from Link, the opening match of the next day became even more heated.

Because very coincidentally, the Brooklyn Nets' ranking in the strength rankings is also very unsatisfactory, only ranking seventh.

This made Durant feel humiliated and offended, so in an interview, he said something similar to Link.

This is exciting. Two teams want to climb to the top of the power rankings. Who can win?

After Durant changes teams, can he threaten Link and interrupt his plan to win four consecutive championships?

The most anticipated opening game in NBA history will soon reveal the answers to these questions.

※※※

On October 22, the NBA only scheduled two opening games, in Los Angeles and Memphis.

Although the number of openers is not as good as before, the quality is definitely good enough.

As soon as it came up, the league brought this most high-profile matchup to the fans.

When Link arrived in the locker room, Howard and Dillon Brooks had already tidied up the locker room.

Link was used to this.

Brooks was deceived by Randolph and still has the habit of cleaning up the locker room, while Howard has always had such a humble attitude this season.

After Link, more and more people arrived, and the originally quiet locker room became noisy.

Everyone is communicating with each other, some are talking about the game, and some are talking about life.

But Link remained silent. After changing his clothes, he sat silently and looked around.

It wasn't until this moment that he truly experienced the passage of time.

The joking Randolph was no longer by his side, and he could no longer hear the fat man's complaints.

Tony Allen no longer coaches young players seriously, and no one tells them how to restrict Durant and Irving on the basketball court.

Harrell no longer appears in fancy clothes, and Dinwiddie no longer asks about Joger's tactical arrangements.

Richardson and Harris also stopped encouraging each other.

The Grizzlies' three consecutive championships have obviously just passed, less than half a year has passed.

But the traces of the three consecutive championships are already so thin.

"Link, we are ready."

At this time, Conley walked up to Link and shouted, and Link came back to his senses.

"Yeah." Link nodded and stood up.

He knew that everyone was waiting for him to speak.

Although the lineup during the three consecutive championships has been disbanded, looking at the group of guys in front of him, Link felt that they were equally trustworthy.

"I said, there is no point in selecting the best individual, you should select the best team. In my opinion, we have all the potential to become the best team. Come on, start today and prove it! "

After Link finished speaking, he led the team out of the locker room and started his tenth season.

Although it was already the tenth season, when Link rushed into the stadium with a group of people, felt the change in the cheers from small to loud, and looked at the dark crowd cheering for him, he still got goosebumps.

This is probably the reason why he is reluctant to leave here.

"Let us welcome the founders of two dynasties, the league's top villains, the Memphis Grizzlies~~~~"

The DJ at the scene shouted, and the fans cheered.

Link ran to the LOGO in the middle of the court and touched the Grizzlies team logo.

The time has come, it’s time to play!