The day before the playoffs, Link and the Grizzlies arrived in Oklahoma City, where Link's professional career began.

Speaking of which, he really has a relationship with Oklahoma City. He first became a true professional here, and now he is about to make his first playoff journey here.

Link's affection for the city is very special, and his short time here has given him a solid foundation to become an NBA player.

"I love the city, Zach." Sitting on the team bus, looking out the window at the familiar street scene, Link and Randolph chatted.

"It won't be long before you like it." Randolph's eyes were closed, visibly resting, but his mouth replied to Link.

Randolph's serious appearance in the past two days really made Link a little unaccustomed.

"Why?"

"Because this is the home of the Thunder, Link. In the playoffs, home fans are 100% behind their team. There is nothing here but bloody rain. So, you won't like it. Randolph opened his eyes, looking like an old player imparting experience to a new recruit.

But in fact, Randolph has played in the playoffs once. In the 01-02 playoffs, Randolph only played 1 minute in garbage time, did not get any stats, and was negligible.

He officially played in the playoffs in the 02-03 season, when Randolph appeared in seven playoff games with the Trail Blazers, averaging 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. However, 8 years have passed since that experience.

"Come on, where you went at that time and didn't get booed, it had nothing to do with whether you were away or not. For you, where is not the bloody storm? Link waved his hand, the young Randolph didn't say it was away, it is estimated that there are fans booing him at home, after all, that guy is really bad!

It's not that the performance on the pitch is bad, it's that the professional attitude and off-field reputation are too bad.

Randolph glared at Link, then continued to close his eyes. Talking to that kid will most of the time be rounded into the pit.

Link smiled, teasing as ridicule, but if the Grizzlies have the toughest game in the playoffs this year, it has to be Randolph.

Tony. Although Aaron has won the championship, he really can't score. Battier has played all three of the Grizzlies' playoff trips and three playoff games with the Rockets. But after all, he's old, and you can't expect Battier to kill the game.

As for the rest of Conley, Gasol, Mayo and the like, they are all playoff debuts like Link.

Randolph's playoff experience and resume, as well as his strength, are indeed very important to the Grizzlies.

But Link still doesn't agree with what Randolph just said, and he believes that not all fans in Oklahoma City, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, support the Thunder.

This city is not only bloody......

※※※

In the afternoon, after practice at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, the Grizzlies players entered free time.

It was said to be free activities, but in fact, most of the players chose to go straight back to the hotel. Oklahoma City is a place that Grizzlies players are unfamiliar with and can't find a place to play. And this place, which is ridiculed as the "Russian Village", like Memphis, has very few places to entertain. Unless it's a nightclub prince like Harden, you can't find anything interesting at all.

Add to that the fact that we have a playoff debut tomorrow and the players definitely want to keep it up. Therefore, going back to the hotel to rest seems to be the only option for the Grizzlies players.

"Link, what would you like to eat tonight? Poached chicken breast or poached beef. By the way, I brought my XBOX360 console, play games with me tonight, I'll ......" Randolph was talking while getting dressed in the locker room, but he looked up and swallowed half of his words.

Because he found that Link didn't seem to be in the locker room at all! I talked a lot, but I was talking to the air!

"Where's Link?" Randolph asked his teammates with a confused expression, and the others just spread their hands and shook their heads.

"It's like, as soon as the training is over, I'll leave. I don't know where he went, though. "Tony. Aaron shrugged, it seemed that only he and Randolph would be able to attend tonight's game.

※※※

Moore Cemetery in Oklahoma City, located in the town of Moore, a southern suburb of Oklahoma City.

In April 2010, a terrible Moore tornado struck the area. At that time, a 3-kilometer-wide tornado swept through the area with a force of more than 300 kilometers, leveling everything it passed, destroying countless houses, reducing two schools and a hospital to rubble, and crushing cars into scrap metal like toys.

The Moore Cemetery was also devastated, but thanks to the joint efforts of local residents, it has returned to its usual calm.

Since it has only been a year since the tornado hit, there are many people who come to the cemetery every day. After all, those who died in the tornado are laid to rest here.

Link holds a bouquet of flowers and stands in front of a simple cross tombstone. Unlike most, the people he came to visit were not killed in that terrible tornado, but in a basketball game.

"Zike, long time no see." Link didn't want to make the atmosphere so sad, so he smiled at the tombstone and bent down to place the flowers next to the grave.

"It's a nice place, it's lively, you shouldn't get bored. By the way, see what this is? That's right, tickets to the NBA playoffs! Man, we're going to the playoffs, the NBA playoffs! Can you imagine, O God? It's crazy. ”

"As I said, I'm going to carry our dreams all the way. I made it to the NBA, I went to the All-Star Tournament, I made the playoffs. This playoffs are playing in Oklahoma again, so you have to watch it, Zike. Zack. The Randolph guy said there was no way there would be fans in Oklahoma City to support me, but I knew you would support me. Hahahaha, do you know Zach? It's the villain whose career is almost over. His name is very similar to yours, and he is just as good to me. If you can, I wish you could get to know each other, you'd definitely like him, if you could......"

"Okay, no more with you kid. Look, I'll be in Oklahoma City, continuing our dreams. This is where our dreams begin, not where they end. ”

With that, Link stood up and faced Upshaw's mother, Martha.

"Kid, Zike must be happy to be here. Truth be told, if you're busy, you don't have to run that far. ”

"I wish he was happy, Martha. It's okay, it doesn't delay me from training and competing. By the way, how are her grades? Link's "she" is naturally referring to Upshaw's sister.

"Very good, the final test score card is basically A. I think she's going to go to college, Link, thanks to you. I don't know what to do if he were a girl in that shabby neighborhood for the rest of his life......"

"I didn't do anything, Martha. The reason why their two siblings are so good is because of you, an excellent mother. Of course...... I also have to thank you for taking good care of me when I was in Oklahoma City. You have treated me like your own son. ”

Link remembered the time when he went to Upshaw's house to eat, drink and even sleep on the sofa, and seriously, if it weren't for the warmth brought by Upshaw's house, Link might have given up his dream of professional basketball in the brutal environment of the Development League.

"Now, these are five playoff tickets, I asked someone to buy them for me, and I gave them to you. Go live and watch the game, with Zike. It's not every year that I get the chance to play in the playoffs in Oklahoma City. I hope when I'm playing in Oklahoma City...... I can have you on the sidelines. In this way, I will have a lot of peace of mind. Link said, shoving the five tickets into Martha's hand.

These are five front-row tickets behind the bench, and the lowest price per ticket is $5,000 based on the current official pricing. 5 sheets, that's 25,000 dollars. In terms of the family conditions of the Upshaw family, they must not be able to afford it.

"I can't take your ticket, Link, it's too expensive!"

"If you don't take them, I'll just throw them all away. Go and watch the game, just think it's me cheering. Link slipped the ticket into Martha's hand.

Martha didn't shirk it any longer, and her eyes flushed with a smile, "You're going to be blessed by God, kid." ”

"I do not ask for God's favor, for with you I am sufficient." Link looked up at the sky, and on this April day, which was close to summer, the sky was cloudless and blue, like the beginning of his career.

This time, Randolph was really wrong. Oklahoma City is not only bloody, but also genuinely tender.