NBA Playoffs 2012: Losing to the Clippers Would Be a Huge Disappointment

Last season, they knocked off the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs. In the second round, they went toe-to-toe with the supremely talented Oklahoma City Thunder and nearly won.

The Memphis Grizzlies were expected to be a major contender this season based on their performance in last year’s postseason and the overall talent on their roster.

The most remarkable part of their playoff run last season was the fact that they were missing their best offensive player and late-game closer.

This year, the Memphis Grizzlies had a good regular season, but not a great one. They finished with the fourth best record in the Western Conference and set themselves up for a first-round matchup against the resurgent Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers, led by the newly acquired Chris Paul, had a renaissance. They went from being a perennial doormat to a talented playoff team.

However, unlike the Grizzlies, the Clippers have no playoff experience as a unit. Since acquiring Paul, the Clippers only have played one lockout-shortened season and are still learning to play together as a team.  

Despite their lack of experience, the Clippers stormed off to a 3-1 series lead that was ignited by their historic 27-point second-half comeback.

The Grizzlies have responded by winning Game 5 and Game 6 to force a deciding seventh contest.

However, winning Game 7 wouldn’t make for a great comeback by the Grizzlies, losing it would make for a major disappointment.

The Grizzlies are a team with the talent to win both the Western Conference and the NBA title. Take a look at their starting five. What team has a five-man unit that can match up from point guard to center?

Take their series with the Clippers. There is no way that this should have gone to seven games.

The only advantage the Clippers have over the Grizzlies is at point guard. Chris Paul is obviously a better player than Mike Conley, and is the best player on either team. That’s not to say Conley isn’t a good player, which he most certainly is, he’s just nowhere near Paul, which quite frankly few are.

Let’s look at the rest of their starting fives.

At shooting guard, the Clippers have Randy Foye and the Grizzlies have Tony Allen. Foye is a streaky shooter and an average defender who averaged about 11 points per game this season while shooting 40 percent from the field.

Allen is arguably the NBA’s best perimeter defender who can guard anyone from Chris Paul to Kevin Durant. He’s not a very good offensive player, but his athleticism sometimes makes up for his lack of great fundamentals.  I’d take an elite perimeter defender over a streaky shooter.

At small forward the Clippers have an injured Caron Butler and the Grizzlies have Rudy Gay. Even if Butler were not banged up, Gay would still be the superior player. Gay is taller, longer, more athletic, a better scorer, defender, and rebounder. He is also the Grizzlies go to scorer late in games and is not afraid to take big shots. Advantage Grizzlies.

Power forward is the closest position. Blake Griffin is far more athletic than the Grizzlies Zach Randolph, but Randolph is much more polished offensively. He can step away from the basket and knock down mid-range jumpers, or he can drive his defender into the paint and post up. Randolph was unbelievable in last year’s playoffs and showed that he has the ability to carry a team on his shoulders. Personally, I’d give it to Randolph, but let’s just call it a wash.

In my opinion, the center position is the biggest mismatch. Marc Gasol is the NBA’s third best pure center, extremely skilled offensively, and a factor on the defensive end. Los Angeles center, DeAndre Jordan, is a freak athletically and already an accomplished shot blocker. However, he is an offensive liability with no real post up game or jump shot, and his free-throw shooting is atrocious. Big edge to the Grizzlies on this one.

The Clippers have a better bench, but the bench gets shortened in the playoffs, and the Grizzlies O.J. Mayo is the most talented reserve on either team.

A jump to the Western Conference Finals was expected by Grizzlies fans this season. Based on their talent and their playoff run last year, this belief was not a far stretch.

Memphis is a very talented team that should have won this series in five games. Let’s not act like them coming from a 3-1 deficit would be a major upset. If they were to lose Game 7, it would be a huge disappointment.