The Memphis Grizzlies have a realistic shot to go up 2-0 on the Jazz

Saying that the Memphis Grizzlies have a shot to go up 2-0 on the Utah Jazz almost seems like a forbidden statement. I mean, it’s the Grizzlies, right? How is the second-youngest team in the NBA and one of the least experienced franchises in the league supposed to pull off a feat like that?

To boost your confidence in the Grizz on Wednesday night, it’s important to remember that Memphis is one of the very few franchises that have defeated a top-seeded team as an 8th seed when they defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs.

This was a classic Grizzlies team that was led by Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and, most importantly, Zach Randolph. Even though the team was star-studded, this Memphis squad was not quite on the map yet.

This would quickly change.

The Grizzlies took down the San Antonio Spurs in the first round in the least flukey way possible. By saying that, I mean that Memphis was the better team in that series, no excuse. They would continue to the next round and put up a fight in a seven-game series against an Oklahoma City Thunder team with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden.

The present-day Memphis Grizzlies have followed in the footsteps of their predecessors

Fortunately for the Grizzlies, their current roster is as close as you’ll find to the same young Memphis team that took down a first-seeded team a decade ago.

Instead of a young Mike Conley, the Grizz have Ja Morant, who has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the NBA Playoffs thus far. In place of Marc Gasol, you’ll find Jaren Jackson Jr., who is coming off of an injury. And in place of Z-Bo, you have Jonas Valanciunas, who has actually broken multiple Grizzly records set by Randolph.

But the similarities to a past Grizzlies team isn’t the only reason that the Grizzlies could pull an upset.

Donovan Mitchell’s return could prove to be an advantage for the Memphis Grizzlies

The sentence above looks like it was written by somebody who is either completely misinformed or just flat-out delusional. But allow me to make some sense of it.

Donovan Mitchell is the best player on the Utah Jazz. Even though they have held their own without him, they will undeniably see an improvement of play with him back on the court. That said, his immediate return could cause some team chemistry issues for a team that has learned to play without their top guy.

It’s the same thing that we saw from the Grizzlies when Jaren Jackson Jr. returned. The team gelled without him, and now that he’s back, they still haven’t reached full chemistry a month later. If Utah can’t get back to their same level of team chemistry in game 2, Memphis could head home with a 2-0 series lead.

The Grizzlies will be hoping for this type of situation, as they were the lowest-seeded regular team that is still in the NBA Playoffs.