Marc Gasol had 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Memphis Grizzlies won their third straight game on Tuesday night, picking up an impressive 109-99 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. With the victory and the Dallas Mavericks' 108-85 loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Grizzlies are now percentage points ahead of the Mavericks for the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.
NBA standings 2014: Grizzlies, Mavericks, Suns battling for final playoff spots in West
The Grizzlies are on a roll, but the Mavericks and Suns aren’t far behind as the three teams engage in a fierce battle for the final playoff spots in the Western Conference.
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It has been quite the turnaround for Memphis, who was left for dead earlier in the year when Gasol missed nearly two months with a sprained left MCL. The Grizzlies were 7-5 when Gasol went down with the knee injury on Nov. 22, and they proceeded to go 3-10 over their next 13 games. Things did start to improve as Gasol neared his return to the court, and when he finally did on Jan. 14, Memphis held a record of 17-19.
In Gasol's first game back, the Grizzlies showed off their trademark stifling defense, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 90-87. The strong play has continued to the present day, with Memphis sporting a 20-7 since Gasol returned to the lineup.
Per usual, the Grizzlies are doing it on the defensive end. In the last 27 games, Memphis is giving up just 98.6 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com’s stats page. That’s compared to a whopping 106.7 points per 100 possessions when Gasol was out, per NBA.com’s stats page.
With the Grizzlies finding their groove, it’s tough to imagine them stumbling and missing the playoffs unless the injury bug bites again. However, 12 of their last 19 games are on the road, with trips to Toronto, Miami, Golden State, Portland, San Antonio and Phoenix still on the docket. There are a handful of tough home games left as well, including a matchup against the Mavs on the last day of the season. In fact, Memphis closes the year against Phoenix and Dallas, so those games could have a huge impact on the playoff race.
But if the Grizzlies continue at their current pace, that leaves the Mavs and Suns duking it out for the final playoff spot. Dallas currently has a one-game lead over Phoenix, but both teams currently have 27 losses, so it's essentially neck-and-neck.
Both teams would bring their own unique brand of entertainment into the playoffs. The Mavs have Dirk Nowitzki, of course, and watching him do his thing in the postseason is always a treat. Monta Ellis is also a great source of entertainment, because seriously, he has it all.
Meanwhile, the Suns might be the story of the year in the NBA under first-year coach Jeff Hornacek. Going into the season as one of the top tank candidates, Phoenix has blown away expectations with an exciting run-and-gun offense. Goran Dragic has been playing like an MVP candidate, while Markieff Morris is a legit Sixth Man of the Year candidate and Gerald Green has resurrected his career.
Not to mention the Suns have stayed afloat despite stud guard Eric Bledsoe missing over two months with a torn meniscus in his right knee. Bledsoe is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday, and perhaps he can give a much-needed boost to Phoenix, who has gone just 4-6 in the last 10 games.
Looking at the schedules, the Suns could make some hay the rest of March before a tough April to close out the year. Phoenix faces nine Eastern Conference teams in March and then six Western Conference playoff teams in April. Dallas still has to play both the Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers twice to go along with several other tough contests.
It’s really a shame one of these three teams likely won’t make the playoffs, especially considering all three teams are clearly better than a good portion of the Eastern Conference playoff squads. A season like this could be a good basis for the argument to change the playoff system, but that’s a discussion for another time.
Here are the full Western Conference standings:
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