After the Grizzlies won seven in a row, Link regained the first spot in the MVP rankings.

Link remembers the first time he was at the top of the MVP rankings in his career, and the world was questioning him and saying he didn't deserve it.

But this time, almost no one jumped out and said that Link was unworthy.

If Link doesn't deserve it, there's no one in the league who deserves it.

This time, ESPN's reason for ranking Link first is also very simple.

"Winning is the goal of basketball, triple-doubles are not."

Obviously, Westbrook's average triple-double per game fell short in a series of high-value games led by Link.

Moreover, Westbrook has played Link twice, proving that his triple-double doesn't necessarily lead to victory for the team.

The Thunder's current 25-19 record is indeed difficult to be satisfactory with.

Westbrook's deliberate triple-double has become more and more apparent.

So, there is no doubt that Link is back at the top of the MVP spot!

Although this is only a ranking prepared by ESPN, it does not represent the final result of the MVP selection.

But being able to stay ahead of this list undoubtedly proves that Link is now the closest person to MVP.

Link's return to the top of the MVP rankings is highly anticipated. Even Warriors fans can't fault Link.

If you want a record, you have a record, and you want data to have data. Even when it comes to Link's individual performance against other superstars, he still has the advantage.

Westbrook is very unwilling, and so far in his career, he has not won the regular season MVP once.

If you can't win the regular season MVP, how can you prove that you are better than Durant?

Unfortunately, Westbrook's opponent is just too strong. Even a statistic like a triple-double per game can't shake Link's position.

While fans around the world were cheering for Link to return to the top of the MVP rankings, Link didn't have time to rejoice.

On the night of the 20th battle with the Cavaliers, the Grizzlies flew non-stop to Toronto.

On the 21st, they will play a round of back-to-back games against the Raptors in Toronto.

Since it's winter, the temperature in Toronto is frighteningly low.

In the middle of the night, from the airport to the hotel, you have to go through several transitions from air-conditioned to non-air-conditioned.

The frequent alternation of hot and cold is really torturous.

So, early the next morning. At the same time that Link returned to the top of the MVP rankings, Chief Team Doctor Moon also informed the team: "Link has a high fever and may miss tonight's game." ”

"It's a damn schedule, and it's good that everyone else is okay." After learning the news, Joggle couldn't help but shake his head.

From Memphis to Toronto, a 2-and-a-half-hour trip, 1280 km.

He really couldn't figure out why the league had a long-distance back-to-back race like this. Moreover, there are two places with a huge temperature difference.

In fact, back-to-back games don't really make any sense from a basketball perspective alone.

But the NBA has always been a business league, and back-to-back games have become commonplace in order to enrich the schedule and harvest more dollars.

To put it bluntly, back-to-back games are not for basketball, but for commercial value. As a result, the players will definitely feel uncomfortable with back-to-back games.

"In fact...... We've had a couple of players catch a cold as well, but they haven't had a fever. So strictly speaking, other people have something to do. I think you've got a cold, Dave. ”

Moon pursed his lips, although it was just a common cold, it was still quite distressing that so many people were suddenly hit.

Qiao Ge touched his red nose and smiled embarrassedly, "No way, Toronto is really cold." ”

As for Link, he also agreed to a truce tonight.

With a high fever and weakness, Link felt that this was worse than the cracked collarbone back then.

Although the bone crack hurts, at least you can still exert yourself, and the patience will pass.

But now Link is too troublesome to get a glass of water, and his whole body is weak!

Besides, it's just a regular season game, and the Toronto Raptors and Grizzlies aren't bitter enemies. Therefore, it doesn't hurt to miss one.

Link came out with an injury after a broken bone because he was in the playoffs and couldn't do anything about it.

But in fact, Link still takes the regular season very seriously this season.

He would love to challenge his record of 74 wins again.

This year, the Grizzlies are in good shape and have a perfect lineup, so they have the best chance to challenge that record.

It has to be said that this is a very difficult record to break.

A 74-win win means the Grizzlies have lost just eight games in a season.

So far this season, the Grizzlies have lost 4 games.

With less than four defeats in the next three months, it has to be said that this is really a fantasy.

But...... What's the need to break the easy things?

How easy is it to surpass a guy like Jordan to become the No. 1 basketball superstar in history?

Jordan's promotion to the entire league and the dissemination of basketball are unmatched by modern players in any way.

Therefore, if you really want to surpass Jordan, you have to play better than him and use your results to make up for the lack of historical status.

Jordan only had one 72-win run, so well, I'll take two, three times!

Previously, Link had already won 70 and 74 once, but that wasn't enough.

If he can lead the Grizzlies to an unprecedented 33 70+ wins, then he believes that the distance between himself and Jordan should be even closer.

Of course, it all has to be based on keeping your teammates and yourself healthy.

If everyone is exhausted, Link also asks everyone to force up and cause injuries in order to break the record, which will definitely not be worth the loss.

Link isn't going to lose a championship for the sake of a regular season record.

So in today's game, Link can only wait and see.

It's best if teammates can get the Raptors right, but if someone else can't......

Link had to decide whether to play or not.

So, despite agreeing to a truce tonight, Link still asked Jogger not to put himself on the injury list.

Every win from now on is very important for Link.

※※※

DeRozan and Lowry sat in the locker room, and the two didn't say a word.

The Toronto Raptors have recently lost four in a row, and their record has also changed to 28-17, officially overtaken by the Boston Celtics, falling to second place in the East.

This is an outcome that the Raptors don't want to see.

Regular season divisional top? That's not the Raptors' real goal.

The reason why they want to finish first in the East is that they just don't want to meet the Cavaliers early in the playoffs.

James' dominance in the East has left all teams desperate. Every promising Eastern Conference team wants to avoid the Cavaliers in the playoffs as much as possible.

If the knight is killed early, it will undoubtedly be a happy thing for all.

And if the Cavaliers finally make it to the division finals, then there is a chance to compete with the Cavaliers for a ticket to the finals.

And the only way to avoid the Cavaliers is to get the first place in the Eastern Conference!

Whether it's second or third, it's inevitable to meet the knights in the second round.

James may not be very keen to win in the regular season, but he is 100 percent sure that the team will finish in the top three.

Therefore, only by winning the first place in the East can we guarantee that we will not meet the Cavaliers before the division finals.

Of course, the fourth and fifth divisions will also avoid meeting the Cavaliers in the second round. But who wants to lose on purpose, except for a bad team?

And if you don't grasp the degree of loss, it will be a complete overturn.

The situation is very serious for the Raptors, who want to go as far as possible in the playoffs this season, and the first place in the East is the basic condition.

And the past four consecutive defeats have undoubtedly given them a blow to the head.

So as the two leading stars of the Raptors, Lowry and DeRozan are under a lot of pressure right now.

If they lose to the Grizzlies today, they will lose five in a row!

At this moment, Lowry suddenly raised his head and looked at DeRozan, his expression a little excited, "There's a chance, DeMar!" The news says that Link may miss this game due to fever! ”

Hearing Lowry say this, DeRozan raised his head slightly and clenched his fists.