Memphis Grizzlies: 3 storylines to the Spurs game
By Ethan Becker
No. 2: The evolving Western Conference
The biggest story heading into March, back when we all assumed basketball would carry on as normal, was the race for the Western Conference’s eighth seed: the final seed in the playoffs.
At the hiatus, Memphis was 3.5 games ahead of the ninth seed, which then saw a tie between the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers. Since then, things have evolved slightly.
The Pelicans have gotten off to a rough start during the bubble games, as they’ve dropped their first two games against the Utah Jazz and LA Clippers respectively. The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, faced the Grizzlies in their first game, in which Portland got the win. That victory moved Portland up to only 2.5 games behind, and the consecutive loses for the Pelicans have pushed them four games behind.
Then there’s the Spurs. Their win over the Kings, as well as the Pelicans lose, moved the Spurs up to the 10th seed, and put San Antonio back 3 games, opposed to the four they were behind at the hiatus.
With all of this pressure to achieve, a win over the Spurs is exactly what Memphis needs. With Portland facing a tough Celtics team, a win for Memphis could all but promise a trip to the playoffs.