Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
The Memphis Grizzlies will try to close out the Portland Trail Blazers tonight on their home floor after letting one slip away in Game 4. While the Grizzlies will have the comforts of home tonight, they are likely to be without their starting point guard Mike Conley, who is recovering from facial surgery. Assuming Conley is out, the Grizzlies will need to rely heavily on Nick Calathes and Beno Udrih to pick up the slack at point guard. In addition, Tony Allen, Courtney Lee, and Vince Carter will have to step up on the perimeter, especially when it comes to playing defense.
There is no secret that the absence of Conley is huge for the Grizzlies. The entire team revolves around his ability to make plays for others, stretch the floor, and play quality defense. He makes things easier for Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol inside and finds Courtney Lee and Vince Carter for open threes on the perimeter. With him on the floor, everything runs more smoothly.
That being said, Nick Calathes and Beno Udrih have proven themselves capable of running the point and filling in until Conley returns, so there’s definitely no need for Conley to rush back for Game 5 if he isn’t ready to play. In addition, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Jeff Green, and Courtney Lee should all be able to play well in front of the home fans. Especially since this is a potential close-out game.
The biggest thing the Grizzlies need to do in this game is get off to a good start and not get behind early. The Grizzlies trailed 27-22 after the first quarter on Monday and they played catch up the rest of the night. The Grizzlies need to make sure that doesn’t happen tonight and instead send the Trail Blazers a piercing message that they won’t be able to send this series back to Portland.
The first half of tonight’s game will be crucial. If the Grizzlies take a double-digit lead into the half, odds are good they close out the series. If the Grizzlies trail or only lead by a handful of points, we could be in for a close game.
What’s probably on the minds of a lot of people is whether or not this is a must win game for the Grizzlies. I actually don’t think it is. The Grizzlies have a Game 7 at home in their back pocket and I definitely think that should this series go to a Game 7, Mike Conley will play with a mask. Don’t quote me on that, but I personally think that if the season is on the line in this series, Mike Conley will be on the floor.
The Grizzlies shouldn’t at all approach this game with any sense of panic or worry. They just need to come out confident, play their style of basketball, and get off to a good start. If they do that, they should be fine and come away with the win.