[Western Conference Playoffs - 1st round] (4)Portland vs. (5)Memphis

batum has had a down year because of the shoulder surgery he had in the off-season. he'll bounce back next season.

 

LeBron. And Howard hit full court shots. Not half court

 

Refs should call it a game

 

I miss Courtney Lee

 

Blazer have lost their last 8. This series was over before it even started.

 

b**** CITY

 

#FlopCity

Grizzles vs Warriors is gonna be a great series.

 

lol if portland and mavs get swept.

 

Don't know what their head to head record was this year, but I would think Memphis has enough horses to compete well with GS. In fact, as a defensive team with good defenders on the perimeter, this could be a nightmare match up for them. You add Gasol and Z-Bo who will feast on dirty Bogut, and it could be a must see playoff series.

 

What happened to conley?

 

He got hit in the head. Might have been a concussion but who knows. Hope he's alright.

 

Conley is such an underrated player. Sets up players on offense, scores when it is needed, and a great defender.

I am waiting for the day Morey is able to get or develop a starting caliber pg to pair with Harden, whom I believe will be totally worned down by age 30 if he has to continue carrying the team like the last 3 years.

 

To me, Conley is probably the best complimentary point guard for Harden.

Shoots well, can drive the basketball, makes smart plays and passes, good defender, can control an offense if Harden is off the court, plays the passing lanes effectively and a leftie! That's a match made in basketball heaven.

Just think of a trio of Conley, Harden and Ariza. All three are ball hawks with Ariza and Conley as the two elite/solid perimeter defenders. Add Brewer off the bench too and it will be highway burglary!

 

Exactly. Harden is a generational player, and we will want him to play another 10-12 years for us, just as Duncan, Gino, and Parker have been able to play for so many years for the Spurs. To that end, it is imperative that Morey either trades for an above average pg this offseason. I would sacrifice either D-Mo or Jones, young and promising PFs that some team could use.

 

Damn a sweep in the making, did not expect this..this makes our loss last year even worse!!

 

The grizzlies were the first team to stop Golden State's streak of 17-0 or something.

Also, prior to the this year and the last 2 games which the grizzlies were handled pretty easily by Golden State, the grizzlies were pretty much dominant over the warriors.

That's probably what gets lost the most: the fact that the grizzlies has Golden State's number in the past.

Obviously last year Golden State was coached by Mark Jackson and the team was a year younger than they are now and also Steve Kerr appears to have gotten the most out of their talent, so they are certainly better this year than in the past; however the grizzlies for the most are were better this year as well, minus the last 10 games which the grizzlies could not hit the broadside of a barn with their shot (injuries were a factor here too).

The key for the grizzlies beating Golden State is that the grizzlies have to defend home court and not lose a game in the grindhouse. The grizzlies have had teams with better superstars (okc) and highly talented offensive teams on the ropes in the past only to lose at home.
Last year, as an example, the grizzlies had a close out game at the grindhouse against okc and they let okc take that game. If the grizzlies are to beat golden state this year, they can't let that happen again. Even in 2011 the grizzlies had that triple ot game that would have put them up 3-1 on okc and they lost that one too. The grizzlies have to learn how to close out a series when they have teams down.

The other key is that the grizzlies have to figure out how to limit and take the 3 ball out of the series FAST. The quicker they can figure this out the better. One main way is limiting turnovers, which is crucial, the grizzlies have to protect the basketball at all times. The guards have to create driving lanes to help out the bigs out also and take the game to the warriors. The warriors can drop 10 on you in the blink of an eye, so the grizzlies have to keep the pace manageable from a ball control perspective and limit the run outs.

It's obviously going to be a difficult task: history has show that while the grizzlies can take teams like this to the brink, they usually end up losing in the end.

 

I'm too busy thinking about our potential sweep this year to think about last year too much.

 

Good post. Detailed info that only someone who follows Memphis would know.