Biggest Takeaways from the Memphis Grizzlies' 2015 Playoff Debut
With a 100-86 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers in their playoff opener, the Memphis Grizzlies put the Western Conference heavyweights on notice. This hobbling contender has gritted its teeth and rediscovered its edge.
The Grizzlies scurried to a 10-2 start while following their characteristic playoff formula, and they hardly let Portland come close afterward. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph dropped early buckets. On the other end, the Grizzlies forced the Trail Blazers into difficult shots.
As the two injury-plagued teams dug into their benches, the Grizzlies were better able to find a reserve to inject scoring.
Beno Udrih as a decoy off the bench
Udrih likely wasn't one of the first supporting players for whom the Trail Blazers planned. Jeff Green takes more shots than others outside the core, as he launched 10.9 attempts per game in 45 regular-season contests for the Grizzlies. Vince Carter only made 29.7 percent from long range this year, 7.7 percent below his career clip, but he could light it up in the playoffs.
With that, Portland's focus was far from the 6'3", 205-pound backup point guard. Udrih took advantage of that while making his first six shots en route to 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field.
Udrih found numerous open opportunities from mid-range. This triggered CBSSports.com's Zach Harper to question the Trail Blazers' awareness of the Grizzlies' backup point guard:
As Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger rode the 32-year-old's hot hand, he was able to rest Mike Conley half the game, who is still hurting with a sprained right foot after sitting the last four regular-season games.
As SB Nation NBA tweeted, TNT sideline reporter Lewis Johnson displayed a golf ball to demonstrate Conley's swelling, which forced him to wear shoes of different sizes:
The Grizzlies won't enjoy the large leads that afforded Conley this much rest every game, but Udrih has the track record showing he can remain effective enough to keep the starter from overdoing it.
In eight playoff games across two postseasons for Memphis, the Slovenian has made 50.8 percent from the field and scored in double digits four times.
Defensive discipline
The Grizzlies took the restricted area away from the Trail Blazers early and, aside from the first part of the second quarter, stood their ground.
"We focused on trying to keep them out of the paint and make them take jump shots," Randolph told The Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery.
Memphis held Portland to 25 percent shooting in the initial period and 33.7 percent for the game, as Gasol and Randolph defended physically.
Throughout the game, Randolph leveraged his strength against LaMarcus Aldridge, pushing him into tired jump shots. Aldridge managed to score 32 points, but he shot 13-of-34 from the field.
Randolph won't win every battle against his 29-year-old foe, but the Grizzlies' use of Kosta Koufos with Marc Gasol in the second half illuminated a strategy Joerger may deploy to extinguish Aldridge's hot nights.
At the end of the third quarter, Gasol pressured Damian Lillard before the Trail Blazers' point guard dished it to Aldridge, and then dropped back, forming a wall with Koufos, who blocked Aldridge's shot.
Most of Memphis' eight steals resulted from anticipation and Portland's miscommunication, rather than aggression. Late in the second quarter, Conley seized on a delayed handoff from Chris Kaman to Lillard before hitting a fast-break layup.
Gasol spoke proudly in the postgame press conference of the Grizzlies' defensive focus, saying, "Everybody was engaged. Everybody was helping each other defensively."
The Trail Blazers can't entirely fill the scoring void left by Wes Matthews' absence due to a torn left Achilles tendon on March 6, but they can better challenge the "grit 'n' grind" defense when Arron Afflalo returns from a right shoulder strain.
Afflalo, who has missed four games since April 11, told The Oregonian's Mike Richman he hadn't "been able to do much basketball stuff" on Saturday.
Afflalo went through the full pregame routine on Sunday, as Blazers reporter Casey Holdahl noted:
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies will needle Aldridge, Lillard and Nic Batum as they combine for the bulk of Portland's attempts.
The post combination that doesn't go away
In March, I discussed the Grizzlies' need to maximize Gasol and Randolph in this win-now postseason, noting the importance to give them space.
The pre-eminent frontcourt pair loomed large as it started its fifth playoff trip together, combining for 35 field-goal attempts. Gasol took plenty of chances while funnelling the offense, scoring 15 points on 7-of-16 shooting while also collecting seven assists.
This was a reassuring start by the Spaniard, who took 12.3 shots per game in his last 44 contests after attempting 14.4 through the first 37.
Joerger told Tillery before the game he expected to see Gasol become aggressive:
Randolph forced some shots as he hit 6-of-19, but he seemed determined to wear down Aldridge. The Memphis Flyer's Kevin Lipe tweeted in amazement as the 14-year veteran dotted jab steps before popping jump shots:
Gasol and Randolph controlled the boards, grabbing 11 rebounds each.
With both keyed in, the Grizzlies are tough to stop. Memphis is 14-4 since the 2011 playoffs when they post at least 15 points apiece.
Carter's playoff game slow to surface
As previously mentioned, Carter isn't finding his stroke easily this season. The No. 8 active scorer had his first single-digit scoring average in 2014-15, and he isn't getting a spark quickly in the playoffs yet either.
He deposited two points on 1-of-5 shooting and missed all three downtown attempts. Carter missed a dunk in the fourth quarter, a deflating moment for the man once known for highlight-reel slams.
The Commercial Appeal's Peter Edmiston tweeted warily as the 38-year-old struggled early:
But the Grizzlies shouldn't despair about Carter's playoff outlook. He hit 48.4 percent from three-point range for the Mavericks in last year's first-round series loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Carter will have moments, even if those only occur in one or two games against Portland.
Conclusion
One would hesitate to call the series dead after the Grizzlies led by more than 20 points for much of the second half. Memphis punished the Trail Blazers defensively. Gasol and Randolph flexed their primacy on offense. Udrih was a surprise scoring leader for the team.
Memphis had only a couple of sore spots, including Carter. That won't always be the case, since Aldridge and Lillard should adjust to their matchups.
If Aldridge becomes more accurate, Gasol and Randolph must prepare for a tighter post battle and a closer series.
Statistics are current through April 19 games. Unless otherwise noted, advanced metrics come from Basketball-Reference.com.
Tom Firme is a Memphis Grizzlies Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @TFirme.
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