Portland Trail Blazers: Win, Mike Conley Injury Provide Hope

You’ve heard it 1,000 times before. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series in the NBA. Only three teams have forced the series to a Game 7. Across other sports, the most infamous example of this achievement was the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

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The template is there, but do the Portland Trail Blazers actually have any hope of pulling this off after a 99-92 Game 4 victory at home?

If we’re being honest here, the only reason to believe that the Blazers have any chance of extending the series beyond a gentleman’s sweep in Memphis Wednesday night is the Mike Conley facial fracture.

This seems to be the year of the facial fracture in the NBA. Russell Westbrook did it, returned as a cyborg and continued to destroy the league. Rajon Rondo had this injury and missed around two weeks. But saying all facial fractures are equal is like saying all shot attempts are equal.

From the sounds of the reports (h/t The Oregonian) surrounding Mike Conley’s injury, it’s hard to believe he’ll make a return at any point in this series. When TNT’s sideline reporter, Lewis Johnson, went into detail about the surgery, I shuddered. You don’t wish that type of injury on your worst enemy.

On the basketball floor, the Memphis Grizzlies without Mike Conley is like pizza without cheese. Still good, but something is missing. It’s no coincidence that in the first full game the Grizzlies played without Conley, Damian Lillard exploded for 32 points and seven assists.

Lillard was able to get in the lane early in the series at times, but the Grizzlies were able to make things difficult for him in the paint. Conley, knowing that he had that support on the back line, was able to be aggressive on the perimeter with Lillard. Conley made him uncomfortable, forced Lillard to take tough long range shots off the dribble.

Without Conley, the Grizzlies will be forced to scramble their defense. They may have to use Tony Allen and/or Courtney Lee on Lillard. It could open things up a bit for C.J. McCollum. In Games 1 and 2 of this series, McCollum had eight total points on 4-of-21 shooting. In Games 3 and 4, he scored 44 points on 16-of-26 from the field.

Maybe that’s McCollum being more comfortable playing in Portland. Or maybe that’s because he’s getting more comfortable with the speed and intensity of the playoffs (McCollum had played in only 24 playoff minutes before this series). But it’s also possible that the loss of Mike Conley has ripple effects throughout the Grizzlies defense.

Beno Udrih and Nick Calathes have played well in the series, don’t get me wrong. Beno has been a particularly tough cover for the Blazers due to his mid-range prowess. Calathes was aggressive early in Game 4 knocking down outside shots.

But neither player is going to run the offense the way Mike Conley does. Neither player is going to get the ball to Zach Randolph in his spot at a time when he needs a touch to stay engaged. Neither player is going to get Marc Gasol going early and late. And neither player is going to maximize Tony Allen’s cutting abilities on the offense end.

Mike Conley’s injury can give the Blazers hope. In the first two games in Memphis, the Grizzlies’ guards versus the Blazers’ guards was an enormous mismatch. But without Conley, and asking Beno and Calathes to share more responsibility, that may not be the case in Game 5 in Memphis.

Just pull out Game 5, and they return back to Oregon where they should feel comfortable for Game 6. Take care of business at home in Game 6, well … anything can happen in a Game 7.

The Blazers and their fans should as themselves, just as the 2004 Boston Red Sox did, “Why not us?”

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A Game 4 Win And Mike Conley Injury Give Portland Trail Blazers Hope

By Chris St. Jean | Apr 29, 2015

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