Nine Hundred and Thirty-Four: Good March, Bad March

As time enters March, the temperature begins to gradually rise.

In addition to the temperature, the regular season situation is also heating up.

And, Bill Simmons’ social media.

The day after Link said on the T.N.T show that he would give a hat to Simmons, Simmons posted the "gift" Link gave him on his social media, along with a concise and easy-to-understand but full of words. Emotional speech.

"You damn bastard!"

For a time, countless fans retweeted Simmons' news. The number of comments and likes on this post has also skyrocketed.

But most fans' reaction to this incident was not to sympathize with Simmons, but to think that Link did a great job!

Empty hat, this is a perfect gift!

"This is definitely the most thoughtful gift Link has ever given."

"This kind of treatment makes even Rachel envious."

"I have to say, Link is really a bastard, but he is a bastard that we all like."

The incident between Link and Simmons has been talked about by fans and has become one of the biggest highlights in the league.

No matter which team the Grizzlies face in the first round of the playoffs at the end of April, the ratings for that game will definitely explode.

This is not just because of the game itself, but also because Simmons will be shaving his head live in the commentary box.

No one is immune to such a scene, and everyone is looking forward to it.

Whether this scene will happen or not depends on Link's performance in the last month and a half of the regular season.

At the beginning of March, the Grizzlies played as smoothly as ever. Starting with the victory over the Utah Jazz on March 3, it ended with a 21-point victory over the Knicks on March 23.

The Grizzlies have been undefeated in March and have won 13 consecutive games. Counting the last three wins in February, the Grizzlies have won 16 consecutive games.

With 16 consecutive wins, the Grizzlies finally tied the record for the longest winning streak in a single season set by the Warriors this season.

Moreover, the Grizzlies also made history by winning three ten-game winning streaks in a single season for the second consecutive season.

On the surface, things look great for the Memphis Grizzlies. But only true Grizzlies fans and Grizzlies players themselves know how difficult it was for them in March.

In March, the Grizzlies' injury curse has not faded. On the contrary, the power of the curse has become stronger.

Conley had only played two games since his return when the ankle injury recurred. To ensure Conley's safety, he is now thrown directly into the daily watch list.

To put it bluntly, the return date has not yet been determined.

Randolph, who has only been healthy for two months, has been on and off since March. Although he was not absent continuously, he was also unable to maintain perfect attendance.

Old Carter has been unable to come back for a long time, which has put the long-range shooting ability of the Grizzlies' bench to a great test.

At its worst, Joger only had 8 players available for a game. Although the Grizzlies bench is still full of people, if you take a closer look, you can see that they are all wearing suits!

It was under such circumstances that the Grizzlies suddenly won a 16-game winning streak.

It depends on Link's continuous super performance.

Playing against the Rockets on March 4, Gasol sent a throw-in and directly assisted Link for the alley-oop winner.

Against the Nuggets on March 16, Link scored 32 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds. He recorded a triple-double for the 14th time this season, surpassing Kidd and Grant Hill's 13 times in a single season and ranking sixth in the league's history.

Against the Trail Blazers on March 21, Link once again defended Lillard and his shooting percentage was only 40%.

Let the grizzly bear pass smoothly.

It has not been easy for the Grizzlies along the way, and they were just a hair away from losing several times.

Although they have won 16 consecutive games, the Grizzlies are going crookedly, as if they may fall off the cliff at any time.

After 16 consecutive victories, Stephen A. Smith started his exaggerated expression performance on a program again, "If it were someone else to lead this Grizzlies, they would definitely have fallen into the top three! Look at LeBron The Cavaliers, look at Carmelo Anthony's Knicks. These two teams also encountered varying degrees of injuries during the season, but they are not as strong as the Grizzlies!"

Stephen A. Smith once again hyped Link and the Grizzlies, but fans knew that the Grizzlies were actually not safe.

It was a miracle that they were able to win 16 consecutive games in March despite being full of injured players, but the miracle cannot be maintained forever.

Everyone believed that it was only a matter of time before the Warriors regained first place in the Western Conference, and after the game reached the end of March, the Warriors' opportunity seemed to come.

After the Grizzlies defeated the Knicks on March 23 and won 16 consecutive games, the Grizzlies hit rock bottom.

In an instant, the entire Memphis entered its darkest hour.

The complete lack of transition between highs and lows is hard for any Memphis fan to swallow.

On March 25, the Cavaliers, who had a well-organized lineup, faced the Grizzlies, who were missing Randolph, Carter and Conley, and won 111 to 107.

The Cavaliers' Big Three scored 66 points together, and won the final victory with key goals from James and Irving at the last minute.

This game was actually very tense between the two sides, but at the critical moment, Link's shooting percentage didn't seem to be that high.

This is not because Link's abilities have deteriorated, but because he is really too tired!

Originally, after the game entered March, the players' bodies were very tired. What's more, Link has almost single-handedly supported the team this month.

Therefore, by the end of March, Link was very tired.

He spends a lot of time receiving massages from Judy Seto every day, and he has reduced the intensity of his training.

Otherwise, Link would probably be on the injured list now.

Under such circumstances, Link felt that it was difficult to hold on until the end of every game.

But against other teams, the Grizzlies probably won't drag the game until the last minute. But facing the Cavaliers, James, Irving and Love definitely have this ability.

The victory in this game undoubtedly made the Cleveland fans cheer. After a poor regular season record, the Cavaliers finally defeated the Grizzlies.

This greatly enhances the confidence of Cavaliers fans.

Facts have proved that the Cavaliers can fight the Grizzlies. This year's championship has yet to be decided.

However, no one thought that losing to the Cavaliers was just the beginning. In the following two days, the Grizzlies, who were full of injured and exhausted soldiers, lost to the Spurs and Warriors respectively. After 16 consecutive victories, he experienced a wave of 3 consecutive losses without any warning!

The Warriors and Spurs are both in great shape, and they both know that this is one of the few good opportunities to defeat the Grizzlies.

Therefore, both teams gathered their strength and showed their best state, adding insult to injury to beat the Grizzlies to death.

After this three-game losing streak, the whole world was shocked.

The outside media and fans were originally expecting the Grizzlies to lose, but when the Grizzlies really lost consecutive games, they found that they were not used to it.

Three consecutive losses may be just the norm for other teams. But in a grizzly bear, this is an incredibly big deal!

After all, the last time the Grizzlies lost three consecutive games dates back to the shortened season of 11-12! For the next two seasons, the Grizzlies almost never lost a game.

Now, the Grizzlies' defeat came as soon as it was announced, ravaging the entire league like a flood and catching the whole world off guard.

Fortunately, in the last game of March, facing the Kings without Cousins, the Grizzlies successfully won and stopped their losing streak in time.

Throughout March, the Grizzlies' record of 15 wins in 18 games was actually still very good. After the end of March, the Grizzlies' record also became 62 wins and 11 losses, still ranked first in the Western Conference.

But with 61 wins and 13 losses, the Warriors are no longer far away from first place in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies' dominance seems to be swaying in the wind.

There are only half a month left in the regular season, and injuries are tormenting the Grizzlies. In addition, the Warriors, who are in excellent form, are still watching behind them.

It seems that the Golden State Warriors have half a foot on the top spot in the Western Conference.

After entering April, Link continued to win the Western Conference Player of the Month with his explosive personal data.

This is the fifth time Link has won the Best of the Month this season. He has become the player with the most Best of the Month wins in a single season in NBA history.

Although a terrible record was broken, the atmosphere at the press conference was very heavy.

There is no doubt that this has something to do with the Grizzlies' best losing streak.

At the Best of the Month award press conference, a reporter asked Link a question, "At the beginning of the season, you said you not only wanted to defeat the Warriors, but also win first place in the Western Conference. But now, the situation seems to be changing for the Grays. The Bears are at a disadvantage, but do you still think the Grizzlies can retain the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference before the end of the regular season?"

After hearing this question, Link's eyes changed. His face suddenly turned from sunny to gloomy, and he was very serious.

"The Memphis Grizzlies still won't fall, and my words still count. I know our injury list is so long it could be a phone book. But as long as I don't fall, the Warriors can't climb up."

Qiaogel turned his head and glanced at Link beside him. The murderous look in that guy's eyes made people dare not look directly at him.

In the last half month, the battle for first place in the Western Conference will be more intense than ever.