Four Hundred and Seventy-Nine: High-Quality Rookies

John Wall did not expect that, after scoring 7 points and 5 assists in the first quarter, he did not score in double figures for the third consecutive game...

7 minutes and 44 seconds without a point, the Wizards' sudden collapse in the second quarter made them completely lose their self-confidence. So much so that throughout the second half, they did not recover.

Wall seemed to have disappeared after the dark 7 minutes and 44 seconds, and he was never seen again. The 10-year No. 1 pick, eager to defeat Link, felt more like a powerless undrafted pick.

Watching Link lead the team to play an offensive wave, watching Link lead the team to play a tough defense, and watching Link torture Ariza and Webster's nerves again and again, Wall was extremely lonely.

When did the gap between them become so big?

The most successful of all the rookies in the 10th class was actually undrafted... Wall shook his head helplessly, which is ironic.

Finally, it was the electronic buzzer that interrupted Wall's thoughts. Wall suddenly looked up at the big screen at the scene, 76 to 95, the Memphis Grizzlies at home, and let a team score no more than 80!

You know, the Wizards scored 30 points in the first quarter, but only 46 points were added in the last three quarters. A deep sense of powerlessness spread from the soles of Wall's feet to the top of his head. At this moment, he said in his heart, "Don't use your limit to challenge others' randomness."

The Wizards did their best, and could only lead the Grizzlies by 7 points in one quarter. But once the Grizzlies do their best, this is the result.

"At the end of the game, I have to say that it was a high-stakes game. At the end of the first quarter, everyone thought the game would be very intense. However, in the end, the Wizards could not escape their one-sided fate. Wall had only 9 points and 9 assists in the whole game. Although he almost got a double-double, I don't think anyone would say that Wall was good today."

After Hubie Brown spoke, Wall could no longer be seen on the court. No way, any loser will not stay in the sea of ​​victory for a long time.

After Wall left, the reporters only aimed at Link, who scored 24 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. If Link hadn't "clocked out" after only three quarters today, his stats would have exploded even more.

"How do you feel about defeating the Washington Wizards and Wall?" A young reporter walked up to Link and held out the microphone.

After hearing this question, Link looked at the camera in surprise, "How do you feel? Shouldn't we win the Wizards? I don't have any special feelings.

"

Wall, who was sitting in the locker room watching live TV, suffered a 10,000-point crit.

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How did the Wizards get here in the first place, and how did they get back in the end.

No upsets, no wins. There aren't many reporters, and there isn't much coverage. The team with the No. 1 pick left Memphis in such a dismal manner.

No one cares whether Wall is uncomfortable, and no one cares whether the Wizards can create a miracle and reach the playoffs. The only thing people were talking about was the Grizzlies avoiding a losing streak and Link's performances from time to time.

The game between Wall and the Wizards in Memphis undoubtedly told other teams in the league, "If you don't have enough strength, don't be delusional in the FedEx Arena. Because now, it's not just a random team. With any effort, the Grizzlies can be picked off the horse."

The Grizzlies, the league's No. 1 player, have a very high gold content, and their strength is enough to crush those teams that can't even enter the playoffs.

This was on full display in the days leading up to the All-Star Game.

On February 5, the Grizzlies beat the Clippers 96-90 at home. Even "Polish Hammer" Gortat broke out today, scoring 20 points with an 80% shooting rate. Even with Suns backup guard Kendall Marshall feeling hot today, he came off the bench and made 4 of 5 three-pointers.

But at the critical moment, the Grizzlies still relied on solid defense and calm offense to defeat the Suns' desire to win.

On February 6, the Grizzlies faced the Eagles in back-to-back games. Jeff Teague made 7 of 10 shots and 2 of 3 three-pointers, scoring a gorgeous double-double with 22 points and 13 assists. Even Josh Smith, the "beautiful mid-range shooter", is really "beautiful" in his mid-range shots today.

However, the Grizzlies still won 103 to 98 on the road, with a near miss.

At a critical moment, Josh's dunk was blocked by Link. Josh was shocked at the time. Link's athletic ability could actually compete with himself?

In the last round, Link made a three-pointer after a shake from beyond the three-point line, completely killing the game. Relying on this attack and defense at a critical moment, the Grizzlies finally stabilized the situation with a difference of 5 points. The Eagles tried their best, but still couldn't take down the league's No. 1 pick.

In the next three games, the Grizzlies beat the Warriors, who scored 58 points together with Curry and David Lee, and the Timberwolves who scored 58 points with Rubio and Ridnour, and scored 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 times in a single game. Steals, and finally remembered Cousins ​​who wanted to play well.

In the three games, the performance of the opponent players was not bad. However, the Grizzlies can crush them with a single blow.

Charles Barkley bluntly said after watching the Grizzlies and Kings game, "I haven't seen such a dominant team in a long time."

At this point, the Grizzlies' games before the start of the All-Star Game are all over. After losing the first game to the Thunder in February, the Grizzlies immediately got out of the haze with a 6-game winning streak.

This time around, the Grizzlies liked the league's schedule.

All-Star Weekend doesn't start until Feb. 15, but the Grizzlies won't play after the Kings on the 12th. Equivalent to, you can start enjoying the short vacation of the All-Star Weekend 2 days ahead of others.

Most of the Grizzlies players who did not have an All-Star Game mission chose to rest at home. It was rare to have a few days off, but no one wanted to take the initiative to run around.

Randolph and Link must arrive in Houston before the 15th. Both of them only have an All-Star game to play this year, but this does not mean that they only have to play one game these days.

The All-Star Game is a feast for fans and a business show. Participating in a variety of business events during the All-Star Game is essential.

Link, in particular, started as a member of the Western All-Star team, and as a hot new star in the league today, Link's time for this year's All-Star weekend has been fully arranged.

"How do I feel, this is more tiring than playing the regular season." When Link got the All-Star weekend schedule passed to him by Jeff Austin, Link shouted inexorably.

"Alright, don't you have a lot of free time at night?" Randolph glanced at Link's schedule, and found that he didn't have any free time at all.

"Evening? I have plans for the evening, Zach." Link laughed, and he and Rachel could finally have a good weekend.

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On the morning of February 15th, the entire league had ceased fighting. At 10 am on the 15th, the activities of the All-Star Weekend have already started.

The first is the pre-match open training for the rookie game, but since Link is already in the third grade, he finally got out of the pit of the rookie game.

Link also sighed that time flies so fast, it has been two years since he and Cousins ​​partnered to do things in the rookie game.

Although there is no Link and others in this year's Rookie Challenge, it is still full of stars.

Lillard, Irving, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker, Anthony Davis, Leonard, Vucevic... In some ways, Link even feels this This rookie game is more luxurious than their two-year lineup.

As you rookies know, it's not easy to stand out in the rookie game this year. After all, there are indeed too many strong players. Everyone selected for the rookie game this year is not just doing well on a rookie scale, but on a league-wide basis.

Lillard, who is averaging 19.2 points and 6.2 assists, people say he should go straight to the All-Star Game.

Kemba Walker, averaging 17.7 points and 5.2 assists per game, is already a well-deserved core of the Bobcats.

Klay Thompson, averaging 16.6 points, 40.1 percent from three-point range. In his second year, he is already the perfect 3D player that every team dreams of.

For comparison, in Link's rookie game, Landry Fields, who averaged less than 10 points per game, could start. DeJuan Blair, who has now disappeared, can all compete for the best rookie award.

Everyone knows that this year's rookie game is worth seeing, and everyone is eager to see who is the most powerful among this group of high-quality rookies.

Cavaliers guard Kelly Irving is no exception. In an interview in public training today, he said, "The All-Star Weekend can give you the opportunity to win the respect of others, and also the opportunity to let people see themselves differently, so that Fans will be able to see what I do and let the rest of the league remember me."

As the only player to make both the rookie game and the All-Star Game this year, Irving is ambitious.

And his ambitions are not just in the rookie game...