3 things the Grizzlies must do to pull off a historic upset in OKC
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - After making quick work of the Mavericks on Friday night, the Grizzlies will be in Oklahoma City for the first round of the NBA playoffs.
14 years ago, the Grizzlies defeated the first-seeded San Antonio Spurs 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs.
That 2011 Memphis team is one of six eight-seeds in NBA history to defeat a one-seed in the playoffs.
This season, it took just two months for the Grizzlies to fall from the 2 seed to the 8 seed.
If they want to tap into the Grit and Grind mentality and repeat history, they will have to do these three things starting in Game 1.
1. Limit the supporting cast of OKC
The likely MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is averaging an absurd 36.3 points per game vs Memphis this season.
Fairly, he has been unstoppable against the entire league as he has scored 20+ points in 75 of the 76 games he played this season.
The cast of Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and Luguentz Dort must be limited.
Should either of those players catch fire in the series, in addition to a likely 30+ points from Shai, Memphis will be in trouble.
Memphis must be able to live with Shai’s scoring and prevent anyone else from doing the same.
2. Play smart without fouling
Fouls have killed the Grizzlies in numerous games this season, namely with their bigs Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey.
The Thunder pose a big threat to Memphis with two 7-footers in Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren.
The duo is averaging 26 points and 18 rebounds on the court together.
Jaren is leading the NBA, averaging nearly 4 fouls a game.
Edey is averaging 3 himself.
Those fouls have led to many opportunities for other teams to capitalize.
The Grizzlies give up an average of 19 free throws a game, which is the second worst in the NBA.
If the Grizzlies were put in a situation where they would have to sit their bigs, like they did vs the Warriors this past week, Memphis will be in trouble.
3. Role players must be consistent
The Grizzlies boast one of the best benches in the NBA, as they rank second in the NBA in bench scoring.
They will need all 44 points they averaged during the season to be consistent in this series.
Players like Santi Aldama, Jon Konchar, and Scotty Pippen Jr. will need to have an impact for Memphis, especially if the stars struggle in the opening minutes.
Players like Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, and Isaiah Joe, who have more playoff experience and will present a challenge for the Memphis bench.
Game 1
Memphis and OKC will tip off for Game 1 at noon on Sunday,
The Grizzlies have not fared well in Game 1’s going 4-14 in the opening game in franchise history.
The winner of Game 1 historically has gone on to win their series 76% of the time in the NBA playoffs.
The Grizzlies were swept by the Thunder in the regular season, losing all four games by an average of 19 points.
Memphis led by Ja Morant will need their best efforts yet to compete at a high level and win this series.
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