The young, gritty, and resilient Memphis Grizzlies squad defied all odds and expectations to secure a spot in the NBA playoffs after knocking off the San Antonio Spurs and stunning the Golden State Warriors in the NBA’s play-in tournament.
Memphis will have a first-round matchup against a hot Utah Jazz, who had the league’s best record in the regular season. How do you prepare for a team most viewers didn’t give a chance of winning against the Warriors in San Francisco?
The Grizzlies will be the underdogs in the series, but the Jazz should in no way underestimate them. Memphis players are not just going to have a “we are just happy to be here vibe.”
Both teams have something to prove. Last season, Utah was bounced out of the first round after having the Denver Nuggets up 3-1 in the series. Memphis barely missed the playoffs after a heartbreaking loss to the Portland Trailblazers in the play-in tournament.
To preview this series, our Sharon Brown and Aimee Stiegemeyer answer questions that may determine if Memphis will advance to the second round.
Will Dillon Brooks be able to contain Donovan Mitchell?
Sharon Brown: Mitchell is recovering from an ankle injury that caused him to miss the last 16 regular-season games. Mitchell averaged 35 points in the two games against Memphis in the regular season.
Everything is really depending upon which version of Mitchell will be present during this series. The strategy in defending Mitchell should be the same as how Brooks defended Stephen Curry in the last two games against the Warriors. If Brooks can limit Mitchell and defend without fouling, Memphis will have a great chance of pulling off the impossible and at least take one game in Utah.
Aimee Steigemeyer: That is the hope. One of the necessary factors for success for the Grizzlies in this series will be his ability to lock up his defensive assignments. I might not always agree with his shot selection, but I absolutely believe in his defensive abilities.
Can Ja Morant have a repeat performance from the play-in elimination game against the Warriors to advance to the second round?
Sharon: Absolutely, he must continue to play out his mind and with poise. In the regular-season matchups against Utah, Morant put up 36, 32, and 12. So he is more than capable of finding his shots among the trees. The Murray State alum needs to continue to have confidence in his three-point shot as he did in Wednesday’s game.
He knows the team is counting on him in order for them to advance to the next round, and I believe he will be ready for the task before him.
Aimee: Simply put — yes. Ja Morant is ready for the moment.
Which matchup are you looking forward to seeing — Jonas Valanciunas against Rudy Gobert or Mike Conley against Morant?
Sharon: Both matchups should be great. To see Valanciunas and Gobert battle in the paint will be awesome, but to see Conley and Morant go at it will be edge-of-your-seat entertainment. It will be good to see the old guard Grizzlies player in Conley go up against the new Grizzlies cornerstone in Morant. Either way, it will be good for Memphis to see how the two players match up in games of this caliber.
Aimee: Do I really have to choose? I am looking forward to both for different reasons. The past point guard vs. present point guard narrative is compelling for sure. Regardless of the outcome of this series, there is a very “passing the torch” feel to it. I’m rocking with Morant all the way, but Conley will always be my Captain.
Having said that, Jonas Valanciunas has just been a pure, unbridled basketball joy to watch all season, and I will take as much of that as I can get.
Which bench player do you think will be the most impactful?
Sharon: If Grayson Allen can continuously hit 4 of 5 from the three-point line like he did Friday night against the Warriors, then it would be him, without question. Also, I am interested to see how well Xavier Tillman Sr. will match up against Derrick Favors in the second unit.
In order for Memphis to win this series, bench production will be key. The second unit is the reason the Grizzlies won plenty of games in the regular season and that shouldn’t change in this playoff series.
Aimee: It will be a toss-up between De’Anthony Melton and Xavier Tillman Sr. Really, it needs to be all of them stepping up, as this Grizzlies lineup is very much one that wins as a team.
