The Memphis Grizzlies had no business playing a close series with the San Antonio Spurs, yet they were minutes from forcing a decisive Game 7 in a 103-96 loss on Thursday night.
The Grizzlies put up an unbelievable fight against the Spurs
This series was more fun than anyone had anticipated.
Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images
Mike Conley scored 26 points with five assists and Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph added 18 and 13 respectively, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Spurs.
Still it was inconceivable that this series, which appeared to be a five-game matchup at the most, would turn into one of the most exciting — and memeable — of the first round.
Here’s what made the difference.
David Fizdale’s press conference was the life of the opening round
TAKE THAT FOR DATA!
The rallying cry of the Grizzlies 2017 postseason had fans of all teams roaring. David Fizdale had yet to leave his mark in the NBA as a rookie head coach, but will hear about this for the rest of his career.
The players bought into Fizdale’s speech both physically and monetarily by paying his $30,000 fine and then winning consecutive games.
Mike Conley was everything when his team needed it most
Conley averaged 25 points and seven assists for the entire series and hit clutch shot after shot to keep his team in almost every game. He scored 20 or more in five consecutive games, and that set a Grizzlies postseason record.
He pulled up off the dribble, found his way to the rim and brought the best out of his secondary scorer, Marc Gasol.
Conley proved he was worth every cent of his NBA-record $153 million contract, and showed he can be the best player on a playoff team.
This was all without Tony Allen and Chandler Parsons
Tony Allen missed the entire postseason with a strained calf, and Chandler Parsons, who was never healthy all season, joined him.
They were two missing pieces in what were glaring holes for Memphis: three-point shooting and lockdown defenders.
Allen would’ve bothered Kawhi Leonard defensively, and possibly would have held him back from scoring a Spurs’ playoff high in points — twice.
The Grizzlies can play the what-if game with Parsons for the duration of the entire season, but his absence was especially frustrating as the team was forced to roll out JaMychal Green, Troy Daniels and Wayne Selden an undesirable amount minutes.
If this team returns healthy and adds shooting, it could rise into a serious contender next season.
See More:
