What We Learned from Memphis Grizzlies' Game 1 Win over Portland Trail Blazers
If you’re looking for a perfect metaphor for the Memphis Grizzlies’ Game 1 blowout of the Portland Trail Blazers, look no further than some WWE-style in-game mascot shenanigans.
During a timeout in the action, Grizz, the Grizzlies’ mascot, climbed to the top of a ladder as a helpless (impostor) Blazers mascot lay sprawled on a table several feet below. Seconds later, Grizz, after flying through the air like Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, had broken both the table and the fake Blazer mascot in half.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, Portland had been similarly broken.
Grizz's insane feat turned out to be an exceptionally accurate depiction of how the game, a 100-86 Grizzlies win, unfolded.
That 14-point margin of victory is even a bit deceiving, considering how dominant the Grizzlies were. Memphis led by as much as 29, with only a meaningless 24-14 fourth-quarter finish by Portland turning the final score into something somewhat respectable.
Memphis thrived in its archetypal role as the playground bully, taking advantage of a Portland team already low on firepower (and bodies) thanks to a slew of injuries. As Grizz had shown, there was simply no mercy to be had in Memphis on this night.
So, with Game 1 in the books, here’s what we learned from the Grizzlies' dominance and what it means for this series moving forward.
Portland Can't Match Memphis' Physicality
For Portland to have any chance of winning this series, LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez are going to have to play Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to a near stalemate. That wasn't even close to happening in Game 1.
Lopez was essentially a non-factor in this one, even on the defensive end, the facet of his game that means the most to Portland. In just over 19 minutes of court time, Lopez was a minus-16, his net rating a disastrous minus-43.4.
Aldridge's performance on the stat sheet was aesthetically pleasing, though it lacked substance. Portland's big man with the silky jumper led all players with 32 points, but he did so on just 13-of-34 shooting.
Aldridge was stuck between clashing with that crafty brute Z-Bo down low or trying to outsmart the defensively omnipresent Gasol: two unfortunate prospects, no easy decisions. Even open looks—Aldridge shot 4-of-14 on uncontested field-goal attempts—weren't falling.
"[Gasol and Randolph] took the initiative to say we're going to be the Bruise Brothers, and they were the Bruise Brothers today," Tony Allen said to reporters following the game.
Often, the defensive intensity led to big plays on offense, especially from Gasol, who had a superb all-around game with 15 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks. His roaring and-1 finish right before the half, which put Memphis up by 19, was an especially painful punctuation on a rough first half for Portland.
Even though he had 17 more points than Gasol, Aldridge didn't have any moments quite like that.
Things got even worse for Aldridge when he had to create his own offense, which was all part of the plan, as Memphis head coach David Joerger alluded to in the postgame press conference.
“We just try to load it up and jam it up a little bit," he said. "You try to make it so they don’t have a clean catch in their sweet spot and the further that they catch it out that is definitely a team deal. Once they put it on the floor you just attack to that."
According to SportVU's tracking data, Aldridge shot 61.5 percent (13 FGA) when not taking a dribble, compared to just 20 percent (20 FGA) when putting the ball on the floor. Credit Memphis' swarming defense for pushing Aldridge off his spots and making him work for the shots he's typically most adept at.
Whether his off night was the result of exhausting battles with the Grizzlies' physical defense or simply due to an uncharacteristically poor shooting night, Portland's most important post presence was inefficient and clearly bothered by the bullying Memphis D.
For his part, Aldridge acknowledged his struggles, especially against Randolph early on.
“It’s going to be physical, it’s going to be a struggle individually and that’s just how he plays," Aldridge said to reporters following the game. "I thought I had a bunch of shots that I should have made, and I felt like I was too eager early and it kind of put me in a bad rhythm early.”
Despite the early adversity, Portland head coach Terry Stotts doesn't plan to move away from his All-Star forward.
"Firstly, I like relying on LaMarcus," Stotts said in the postgame press conference. "He’s been pretty good for us. He’s a good guy to rely on. ... It was a rough night all around. Offense is very much about confidence and it seemed like we lost it a little bit early. But, relying on LaMarcus is what we do.”
Memphis Will Stagnate the Portland Offense
Portland's offense lacked fluidity for most of the night. The Blazers made just 257 total passes in the game, 31 less than they averaged during the regular season.
There was a lot of hero ball in this one without any heroics to justify such play.
Even when Memphis gave up relatively open looks, Portland couldn't take advantage. The Blazers shot a putrid 14-of-47 on uncontested field goals, almost 12 percentage points worse than they did when covered.
All that static play and ball-watching made the Grizzlies offense look like the San Antonio Spurs' by comparison.
Memphis' offense isn't exactly exalted like the Golden State Warriors' and San Antonio's, but with it using Gasol as the centerpiece, everything opened up a little more. And when the Grizz got their open looks, they generally knocked them down (54.5 percent on uncontested FGA).
With two premiere offensive talents in Damian Lillard and Aldridge who can get their shot off at any time, the rest of the Blazers—especially with Wesley Matthews gone—can become deferring ball-watchers. That's not going to fly against a defense this talented.
Memphis Can Frustrate Portland's Guards, Expose Porous Backcourt Defense
With Wesley Matthews and, to a lesser extent, Arron Afflalo, Stotts could hide Lillard on defense—he tends to struggle mightily on that side of the ball. With Afflalo out, Portland had to lean heavily on C.J. McCollum, who played the fourth most minutes on the Blazers roster and was featured in Stotts' four most used lineups.
The results were disastrous.
McCollum and Lillard were equally inept on both sides of the ball. The two Portland guards were unable to stop any of Memphis' backcourt lineups, while offensively the two combined to shoot a woeful 6-of-29 from the field.
The Grizzlies' defensive plan proved frustrating for Lillard, who typically responds to poor offensive outings with lackluster defensive efforts.
"I thought we did a good job of trying to get back in front of [Lillard] that way he didn't get as many easy attacks in the paint," Joerger said in the postgame press conference. "We are just trying to get back in front of him any way, shape or form."
Lillard doesn't believe it will come easy, but Portland employing more effective screens and upping its pick-and-roll efficiency will prove pivotal in the coming games.
"At this point, they know our offense well...that's playoff basketball," Lillard admitted to reporters. "I just have to make shots. I have to use screens better and go watch film to try to figure out what I can do to help myself."
"Portland had a really tough defense this year before the injuries. But they’re out-muscled if they get into a wrestling match (mascots or no
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) April 20, 2015"
It's hard to say which side of the ball the Portland backcourt was worse on Sunday night, but the early returns on defense have to be a major point of concern for Stotts moving forward.
The Grizzlies' top four guards—Mike Conley, Courtney Lee, Beno Udrih and Tony Allen—combined for 49 points on 19-of-33 shooting with a 12-4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Truthfully, this battle wasn't even close.
Udrih in particular shredded the Portland D, knocking down mid-range jumpers and employing a variety of sneaky, quick movements to burst through the lane.
According to CSNNW.com's Jabari Young, Afflalo expects to be back for Game 2, but if the Blazers' midseason acquisition is still feeling the ill effects of a shoulder strain, this could be a troubling trend that continues throughout this first-round series.
Memphis Doesn't Necessarily Need Conley at 100 Percent
Beno. Udrih.
Conley actually had a fantastic game for Memphis, pouring in 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting in just 23 minutes. But his foot is still a huge source of frustration, meaning the lift Udrih provided off the bench will need to be more than just a one-time event.
According to The Commercial Appeal, Conley still feels like he's "constantly walking on a golf ball." Though he didn't play like it on Sunday, camera shots of him on the bench with his foot heavily wrapped had to be disconcerting for Grizzlies fans.
If Udrih (20 PTS, 7 AST) can provide that same type of stellar offensive play while Tony Allen and Courtney Lee handle defensive-stopper duties, Memphis can limit Conley to about 25 minutes a game while he continues healing that problematic foot.
Memphis will need Conley healthy or near enough in order to make a deep run to the NBA Finals, but the early indication in this series is that the Grizzlies can lean on their three veteran guards against a young, ailing Portland backcourt.
All statistics acquired from NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
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