Memphis Grizzlies Clinch Final Playoff Berth in West with Win over Suns

Ladies and gentlemen, the field for the 2014 NBA Playoffs has been determined.

While some of the seeding still has to be worked out in the final days of the regular season, the Memphis Grizzlies became the 16th and final team to clinch a postseason berth with an impressive 97-91 road victory over the Phoenix Suns. The loss officially eliminated the Suns from the playoffs.

Zach Randolph finished with 32 points and nine rebounds on 15-of-25 shooting, while Mike Miller added 21 timely points off the bench. Ultimately, the key to the game was Memphis’ stifling defense holding Phoenix’s talented backcourt of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe to 12-of-30 shooting from the field and 1-of-9 shooting from behind the three-point line. 

SB Nation captured the reactions of the Suns players the moment they realized that their postseason dreams were gone:

Kosta Koufos was on the opposite side of the emotional spectrum after the game and made sure to give a shout-out to Memphis fans as they prepare for the playoffs:

Memphis will finish the regular season with a showdown against the Dallas Mavericks. The loser of that game will get the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

What that basically means is the two teams will be fighting for the right to avoid a first-round matchup with the San Antonio Spurs. In theory that is certainly an incentive, although a matchup with Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder as the No. 7 seed isn't exactly a walk in the park.

Mark J. Terrill

Memphis’ best chance to pull an upset in the first-round of the postseason is with its tremendous defense. The Grizzlies rank third in the league in points allowed per game, and if any team would be equipped to at least contain a Durant or Tony Parker in the playoffs, it would be the Grizzlies.

Marc Gasol talked about the importance of the defense for Memphis after a recent victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, according to The Associated Press, via ESPN.com:

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I don't know how many stops in a row we had at the end of the third, but we came out and guarded. We were pressuring the ball, we got on our defensive lines, and we rebounded. That most times takes care of a lot of things.

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That defense got the Grizzlies to the playoffs. Let’s see how far it can carry them now that they are there.

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