The Memphis Grizzlies are officially in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
The match was like a 12-round boxing match, with the Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors trading punches all night long. The game had the intensity of a game seven in the NBA Finals. After going to overtime, things got even more intense, but the Grizzlies came out on top thanks to clutch play from the entire team.
In every way, this was a perfect example of why the play-in tournament is a positive for the NBA. That said, the best basketball league in the world will be upset to see the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry knocked out of contention.
The Memphis Grizzlies played their most complete game of the season
If you’re a Grizzlies fan, you had a feeling throughout the entire second half of the game. How are they going to screw this up? Free throws could doom them again. Maybe a lack of offense late in the game. Maybe somebody will foul out.
None of that happened.
In fact, the Memphis Grizzlies did basically everything right. With the exception of Jonas Valanciunas fouling out, this team played their first flawless game of the season.
For starters, they shut down Stephen Curry. This sounds ridiculous, especially considering he had an incredible game, scoring 39 points in the process. That said, the Grizzlies couldn’t have played him better. The Warriors were depending on Curry for all of their offensive production and Memphis made it extremely difficult to do so.
In fact, despite a high scoring total, the greatest shooter of all time struggled to do the things he did best. Curry finished the game having shot 6-15 from the 3-point line, a disappointing tally for the MVP candidate.
Grizzlies fans can thank Dillon Brooks for locking him up in 1-on-1 perimeter defense for a majority of the game. Even when Brooks wasn’t on the floor, Taylor Jenkins drew up the perfect game plan to contain him, doubling up defenders and leaving Golden State’s role players to pick up the slack.
But that wasn’t even the best part.
The best part of the game was the performance of the Memphis Grizzlies’ star, Ja Morant. The 21-year old struck back every single time Stephen Curry hit a shot, making this feel like a rivalry game that has been going on for years.
Morant finished the game with 35 points, cementing himself as a force to be reckoned with in postseason play. The 21-year old shot the ball better than he had all season long, knocking down five 3-pointers.
He also showed up when it mattered. At the end of overtime, Morant hit a pair of clutch floaters to send the Grizzlies closer to victory. Grizz fans have to be thrilled with what they saw out of their young star in a very telling moment. He took the game into his own hands.
The Grizzlies will continue their season against arguably the best team in the NBA in the Utah Jazz on Sunday night.