Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. weren’t happy with the team’s uncharacteristic play in their series opening loss.
MEMPHIS – Not just stingy, but historic. Not just stifling, but unique.
That’s how good the Memphis Grizzlies’ defense was this season.
It might have flown under many NBA fans’ radar, in fact, that the 2021-22 Grizzlies were the first team to lead the league in total rebounds, steals and blocked shots in a season. And while it doesn’t quite qualify as “ever” (blocks and steals only became official statistical categories in 1973-74), 48 years covers a lot of defensive powerhouses that never checked all the boxes Memphis did.
The Chicago Bulls of “Doberman” defenders Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen never did it. Neither did the New York Knicks of the 1990s or the San Antonio Spurs of the 2000s. As dominant as the Boston Celtics were in 2007-08 or the Golden State Warriors were in their run of five straight Finals trips, they didn’t do it either.
Oh, and Memphis didn’t just top the other 29 teams in those stats. The Grizzlies blew them out. Their 4,032 rebounds were 202 more than Milwaukee at No. 2, a margin of nearly 5.3%. They had 62 more steals than Toronto, 800-738, an 8.4% edge. With 533 blocked shots to Boston’s 478, they amassed 11.5% more than the runner-up Celtics.
It was as if Memphis played an extra five or six games.
Shredded by both of Minnesota's young stars, Memphis must find its trademark defense.
The special status is in the books now. But as far as providing any warm, cozy confidence to carry them through the playoffs, that lasted all of six days. It went “poof!” in the Grizzlies’ disappointing performance in losing Game 1 Saturday of their first-round Western Conference playoff series against Minnesota.
The Timberwolves worked over that vaunted Memphis defense for 130 points. That’s something that happened to the Grizzlies only three times all season — twice in November, then again in the finale when none of the usual starters played. In fact, no team had given up 130 points-plus while dropping its playoff opener at home since Cleveland against New York in April 1978.
The FedEx Forum crowd was not happy.
The Wolves also pounded the Grizzlies on the glass 46-35, which led to a frustrating 19 second-chance points. Six steals were low for them and eight blocked shots — seven by Jaren Jackson Jr. — didn’t matter much based on the outcome and Jackson’s profane one-word assessment Monday of his performance.
“Trashy” is as close as we’re going to get here.
“I was pretty [expletive] overall because we lost. Why I was [expletive]? I don’t really know,” Jackson said after Memphis’ film-and-floor work midday session. “You’ve got to figure it out, man. When you’re like me and you’re gonna get seven blocks and five fouls, you’ve just got to … I’m gonna figure it out somehow.
“Violins, man.”
Self-pity was nowhere in Jackson’s demeanor. He’s a rugged player, a guy who finished fifth in balloting for the 2022 Kia Defensive Player of the Year Award, and the NBA’s season leader in blocked shots. The seven he got in Game 1 were impressive, but his five fouls — including two on the offensive end — turned him into a part-time player.
Chasing History, Episode 5: Wolves stun Grizzlies in Game 1
That’s what bugged the Grizzlies so much: the Wolves hit them where they live, on the defensive end. It would have been different if Minnesota had won by choking off Memphis’ attack or bothering dynamo guard Ja Morant into a bad night. But Morant scored 32, he and his teammates went to the foul line for 43 free throws, they put up 117 and still got spanked.
“When we know we don’t play like that on a normal basis,” coach Taylor Jenkins said, “you’ve got to look in the mirror and say, ‘Whoa, okay, where are we gonna correct things?’ Whether it’s game plan or not, it’s really our habits. Luckily the guys own that. Like I said, they were [ticked] about it.”
Said Jackson: “There’s a bunch of stuff we did that wasn’t like ourselves. Can’t do that, man. It’s going to sting either way if we lose. But if there are things we can control, you just want to make sure you control those.”
Memphis took next to nothing away from the Wolves’ offense – guard D’Angelo Russell scored only 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting, but he also had eight assists and let Anthony Edwards (36 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (29) lead the way.
Edwards, in his first postseason game, won his matchup with Memphis’ Dillon Brooks. Meanwhile Towns had insiders cringing with how obsolete he made the Grizzlies’ Steven Adams look in his struggles to find and cover the moveable Wolves center.
Grizzlies stars Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant are hoping to bounce back in Game 2.
Adams was scoreless in 24 minutes. He didn’t attempt a shot or a free throw, had only three rebounds and got tagged with a minus-13 while on the floor. That means the Grizzlies played the Wolves even in the other 24 minutes.
This has been a trend: With the four regular-season meetings included, the Grizzlies were minus-58 in the 89 minutes Adams played vs. the Wolves, compared to plus-12 in the 151 minutes he was off the floor.
The 6-foot-11 Kiwi screen-setter averaged 6.9 points and 10 rebounds per game this season. But he’s out of his depth matched up with Towns, winner of the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest at this year’s All-Star Weekend.
Jenkins wasn’t about to single out Adams for criticism and predictably was vague on what adjustments he might make in the middle. But if Jackson can’t stay on the court, his coach won’t have much flexibility anyway.
Morant said his teammate shouldered his responsibility completely.
“I know Jaren doesn’t lack confidence,” Morant said. “Right after that game he said to me, ‘I got ya.’ I told him I wasn’t worried at all. I know what he’s capable of.”
Just like everybody knows what the Memphis defense is capable of. In the regular season.
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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