The Grizzlies will conclude the 2010-11 season with a two-day, two-game road
trip out West, and when all is said and done, they’ll prepare for an 83rd
game for the first time in five years.
While postseason basketball is guaranteed, there are no assurances as to which
of the Western Conference’s top teams the Grizzlies will meet in a best-of-seven
series. The Grizzlies can still finish anywhere from sixth to eighth in the
conference, and could still meet any of the four teams (San Antonio Spurs, Dallas
Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder) that they went a combined
10-6 against in the regular season.
Tonight’s matchup with Portland will be crucial in playoff seeding, as
the Trail Blazers can clinch the sixth seed with a win over the Grizz. If Memphis
wins, however, another win tomorrow night over the L.A. Clippers would lock
the Grizz in the sixth spot.
With so much yet to be decided in the next two games, tonight’s matchup
with the Blazers could swing things for the Grizz one way or the other. Here
are some keys to tonight’s game.
Benchmarks
With the playoffs fast approaching, the Grizzlies would relish an opportunity
to let the starters take an extra breather or two at some point tonight. The
grind of an 82-game season, especially for guys like Mike Conley who have played
in all 80 games thus far, can take a toll. The Grizzlies want to win the next
two games, but they’d also like to cut back on the minutes for their starting
five. Fortunately, they are able to do so with little drop-off. The bench has
been refreshingly fantastic all year long for Memphis, and that was the case
again in a win over the Hornets Sunday night. The Grizz reserves tallied a season-high
61 points en route to the 22-point win, playing every minute of the fourth quarter.
O.J. Mayo (game-high 18 points) and Greivis Vasquez (career-high 13) led the
way Sunday, but playoff veterans Shane Battier and Leon Powe, as well as Darrell
Arthur, Hamed Haddadi and Ish Smith, are all capable of playing significant
postseason minutes. It was a best-of-both-worlds scenario for the Grizzlies
Sunday, who were able to rest the first five while coasting to a victory.
Z-Bo knows Portland
Having played for the Trail Blazers for six seasons (including his last playoff
appearance in 2003), it’s no surprise that Zach Randolph is familiar with
the Trail Blazers. In nine career games playing against his former team, the
All-NBA candidate has averaged 22.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.33 steals, his
best marks against any single opponent in the NBA. Randolph has the opportunity
to close out his third consecutive season with averages of at least 20 points
and 10 rebounds, currently registering 20.1 points and a franchise record and
career-high 12.2 rebounds this year.
Who’s Hotter?
The Blazers and Grizzlies have both surged to the playoffs with strong second
half performances and have remained hot down the stretch. Portland has won 10
of its last 14, while Memphis has won nine of 11 to fend off the Houston Rockets
and clinch the final spot in the Western Conference Playoffs. In the last nine
games, Portland has defeated each of the West’s top four teams, including
San Antonio twice. Tonight’s game features two teams that the best in
the West would rather have nothing to do with, so it will be interesting to
see which of the two clubs enters the postseason with the most mome