Ready for a hot take? This Grizzlies team is really freaking good.
For the sixth time this season, and the second time in the playoffs, Memphis just strangled the life from Portland’s offense. Demolished it. The Blazers are trying to enjoy some smooth jazz and a glass of red wine while the Grizzlies are their teenage neighbors throwing a dubstep-filled rager. The two teams are just operating on different planes.
After a demoralizing game one loss, the Blazers attempted to right the ship last night. For a brief, shining moment, it seemed like whatever offensive adjustments they made were working. LaMarcus Aldridge and Allen Crabbe both sunk early threes, and Portland raced out to a quick eight-point lead.
But then the buzzsaw came. The defensive clamps of the grit and grind Grizzlies tightened and Portland’s offense absolutely cratered. In an instant, behind a quick 11-0 run, the Grizzlies had built a double digit lead. Against their stifling defense, ten points may as well be a hundred.
The Grizzlies are executing their game plan to perfection: guard Aldridge one-on-one, do everything possible to shut down Damian Lillard, and dare the Portland role players to beat them. Wesley Matthews isn’t walking through that door. The ghost of Brandon Roy isn’t walking through that door. When it’s up to Allen Crabbe, Meyers Leonard, and CJ McCollum to make the Memphis defense honest? Eh, things probably aren’t going to work out too well.
Squint hard enough and there is still hope. Courtney Lee and Beno Udrih can’t continue to shoot like Steph Curry sitting on top of Kyle Korver’s shoulders. Damian Lillard won’t be a pumpkin forever. Minus a terrible second quarter, Portland played Memphis to a draw for 36 minutes last night. It’s a long series. A raucous home crowd, a few made outside shots, and the Blazers could still have some legs.
So save those “OMG LaMarcus is leaving next year” articles for another time. The sky hasn’t fallen yet. Even though the Grizzlies have owned this matchup as of late, and the Blazers appear to be stuck in mud, there’s still a lot of basketball left to be played. Anything is possible.
Yeah, it ain’t happening.