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Memphis Grizzlies’ Adjustments for Round 2, Game 3

By Christian Dudley

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May 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Tony Allen (9, right) shoots a layup against Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) during the fourth quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Warriors 97-90. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies were able to tie their playoff series against the Golden State Warriors by earning a Game 2 victory on the road, but what needs to change for Game 3?

The Memphis Grizzlies tied the Western Conference Semifinals at 1-1 versus the Golden State Warriors after an impressive victory where the grit-‘n’-grind defense took control. Although the Grizzlies made an incredible turnaround, largely in part of Mike Conley‘s return to action, there are still some areas our Grizzlies could perfect upon in order to take the lead in this series matchup.

Beale Street Bears examines five points of emphasis below.

1. Golden State will be coming for Conley.

May 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (11) looks on during the fourth quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Warriors 97-90. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

If the Warriors did not know exactly how much Mike Conley means to the Memphis Grizzlies on both ends of the floor, they absolutely know now. In MC’s Game 2 return, he tallied 22 points on 8/12 shooting and three assists to go with just one turnover and being a +9 overall on the night. Three of his eight made shots were from beyond the arc. No wonder the Grizzlies struggled so much without Conley in Game 1 versus Golden State–his fingerprints are all over Memphis’ game plans.

It is expected for Golden State to adjust. They will likely amp up the defense on Conley and they will become more and more physical with Conley and the Grizzlies as this series goes forward. So what should Memphis do? The exact same. Go at them. Memphis has had the best defender in this series–Tony Allen–and he will need to keep his defensive play consistent through every minute that he is on the floor.

2. Memphis needs to avoid complacency.

Game 2 was obviously huge for the Memphis Grizzlies. After appearing to be a sunken ship following their Game 1 loss, they are now on track. Conley’s return might have been the entire issue. Memphis’ floor general was down and out and the situation was weighing on the players’ minds. He is back now and producing as well as ever and what happened? The Grizzlies showed what they are about in Game 2 while demonstrating reasons for being labeled as a true title-contending squad.

May 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies head coach David Joerger (left) instructs guard Courtney Lee (5) during the third quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Warriors 97-90. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

What is next for them? They need to avoid becoming complacent after their series-tying victory. They stole homecourt advantage away from the Golden State Warriors and now is the time to seize a major opportunity. Memphis needs to protect their home floor in the Grindhouse and wrap up victories in Saturday’s Game 3 and Monday’s Game 4. The same level of energy and effort needs to be present for the Grizzlies in order to keep the upper hand against a strong Warriors club.

3. Memphis must control the battle on the boards.

Through the first two games of the Semifinals, Memphis has been outrebounded by the Warriors in both contests. This is a reoccurring trend from the Grizzlies’ first round matchup versus Portland. While M-Town owns perhaps the NBA’s top frontcourt, they are still coming up short on the boards. This is major. While rebounds might not have been the biggest factor in their Game 1 loss, this could come back to bite the Grizzlies later in this series or in future rounds of the 2015 NBA Playoffs. They must clean the glass and disallow any second chance attempts for the Golden State Warriors to get hot from the field.

For the Grizzlies’ starting frontcourt, Zach Randolph is averaging eight boards and Marc Gasol has been managing 7.5 boards per game in the Western Conference Semifinals. This is somewhat lower than their respective regular season averages of 10.5 and 7.8 rebounds per game. Expect their current numbers to spike to where they should be when the Memphis Grizzlies return to the home floor. If this happens, Memphis will be well on their way to take over the series.

4. Receiving a boost from the Grizzly bench.

May 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) and Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) fight for a rebound during the third quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Warriors 97-90. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

What is another downward trend for the Grizz? Their bench production. In both semifinal games thus far, the Grizz bench has been outscored. That is perhaps what they need to do most–score the basketball–even though defense is an obvious priority. Golden State’s reserves are currently outscoring Memphis’ bench by an average of nine points per game. That is definitely substantial. Now that Mike Conley is back, perhaps rotations can find their groove once again. It would be a major uplifting if Vince Carter (2/11 shooting through two games) and Jeff Green (8/19 through two) could find their offensive flows as this series heads to the Bluff City.

5. Increasing the momentum and pushing forward.

If the Memphis Grizzlies can work to improve upon the four aforementioned areas above, they will have a great chance of gaining control of the series. They have stolen home advantage. They were victorious in Game 2 and knocked away the wind from the forceful Warriors. The ball is in Memphis’ court–literally–as this series heads to the 901. Mike Conley is back. This team is nearly at full strength and the Grizzlies are ready to roar. In Saturday’s impending Game 3, the Grizz desperately need to come away with the W so they can increase their momentum and give the Warriors reasons to begin planning their offseason activities.

The Grizzlies certainly looked like a contender in Game 2, but will that hold? There are a lot of days and games remaining until a team is crowned with the championship and a lot of uncertainty is in the air. However, one thing is for sure.

Nobody wants to play the Memphis Grizzlies.

Stay tuned to Beale Street Bears for all of the latest news and info regarding your Memphis Grizzlies as Game 3 draws near.

Go Grizz!

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