Second in the regular season last year but released in the second round of the playoffs by the future champions Warriors, the Grizzlies were clearly the team in vogue. A “hype” team, with the wind in its sails and a great love rating at the start of the season.
Since then, the fresh breeze of optimism has turned into stormy gusts that are hard to predict as the young troop from Memphis has gradually alienated the whole League by dint of rowdy declarations (Dillon Brooks) and deviations from repeated driving (Ja Morant). In short, the Grizz still have a maturity problem this year.
A cruel lack of discipline
Like Ja Morant, who made headlines at the end of the campaign but did not respond to the media after the Game 4 defeat, just like Dillon Brooks who dodged his media responsibilities, the Grizzlies are struggling to assume their own speeches.
Worse, for Desmond Bane, there is a clear lack of discipline on the field, like the last action of Game 4 regulation time. Facing the circle, LeBron James was able to dribble on his strong hand, the right, before going to conclude the layup over Jaren Jackson Jr. and Xavier Tillman. All while Bane himself and Dillon Brooks were in the defensive assist position.
“In the end, it all comes down to discipline and sticking to the game plan”explains Bane on ESPN. “LeBron has been on his right since he arrived in the League twenty years ago or I don’t know when. It always goes to the right! And we had two guys who were on this side who were supposed to help, but we didn’t. It’s that simple. Discipline and game plan. We need it for 48 minutes. And we missed each other! »
Defense is the DNA of the franchise
Beaten in overtime after leading a good part of the match (117-111), and now back to the wall despite the advantage of the field and their No. 2 seed, the Grizzlies are just gray mine. No more media outings and saucy get-ups, Memphis must get back to basics, namely defense!
“If someone is on the wing, then yes, it is our game plan to protect the racquet,” confirms Tillman. “If someone had been there, then yes, they were supposed to come and provide support [sur le tir égalisateur de James]. »
But that support never arrived, and the apparent cohesion of the group begins to crumble from within Memphis. If the time of the sacred union has arrived, it still remains for the young players of the Grizzlies to prove on the ground that they can always be welded and united.
A collapsing collective?
“At this stage of the season, it’s either we win or we go home, so we have to remobilize”, ahead Tyus Jones, who only had 9 minutes of play in Game 4. “We cannot feel sorry for ourselves. We can be frustrated but at the same time, we have to find solutions. »
With Game 5 tonight at home, where they have won 35 of their 41 regular season games but lost Game 1 from the start, the Grizzlies are going to have to tighten the game and simply offer one, if not the most serious performance of their year. Their season hangs only on this fragile thread…
“We have two opportunities to come,” concludes Bane. “For us to win, we will have to win on the outside, but like in any series. We have to win at home and when we come back to Los Angeles for Game 6, we will come with the right mentality and the right frame of mind to steal an away game and give ourselves a chance in Game 7.”
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | bp | Int | CT | party | Points |
| Ja Morant | 61 | 31.9 | 46.6 | 30.7 | 74.8 | 1.0 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 8.1 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 26.2 |
| Desmond Bane | 58 | 31.8 | 47.9 | 40.8 | 88.3 | 0.7 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 21.5 |
| Jaren Jackson, Jr. | 63 | 28.4 | 50.6 | 35.5 | 78.8 | 1.7 | 5.0 | 6.8 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 18.6 |
| Dillon Brooks | 73 | 30.3 | 39.6 | 32.6 | 77.9 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 3.3 | 14.3 |
| Luke Kennard | 24 | 24.6 | 52.6 | 54.0 | 94.7 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 11.3 |
| Tyus Jones | 80 | 24.2 | 43.8 | 37.1 | 80.0 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 5.2 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 10.3 |
| Brandon Clarke | 56 | 19.5 | 65.6 | 16.7 | 72.3 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 10.0 |
| Santi Aldama | 77 | 21.8 | 47.0 | 35.3 | 75.0 | 1.1 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 9.0 |
| steven adams | 42 | 27.0 | 59.7 | 0.0 | 36.4 | 5.1 | 6.5 | 11.5 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 8.6 |
| Xavier Tillman, Sr. | 61 | 19.3 | 61.4 | 26.7 | 55.1 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 7.0 |
| David Roddy | 70 | 18.0 | 42.9 | 30.7 | 63.1 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 6.7 |
| Zaire Williams | 37 | 15.2 | 42.9 | 25.8 | 77.3 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 5.7 |
| John Konchar | 72 | 20.7 | 43.1 | 33.9 | 77.8 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 5.1 |
| Kenny Lofton, Jr. | 24 | 7.3 | 52.7 | 35.3 | 59.3 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 5.0 |
| Jake Laravia | 35 | 11.8 | 38.9 | 33.8 | 77.8 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 3.0 |
| Jacob Gilyard | 1 | 40.8 | 33.3 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Danny Green | 3 | 14.5 | 27.3 | 37.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| Kennedy Chandler | 36 | 7.8 | 42.2 | 13.3 | 46.2 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.2 |
| Vincent Williams, Jr. | 15 | 7.0 | 30.0 | 14.3 | 100.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 2.0 |
