Memphis Grizzlies: What They Must Do To Come Back From a 2-0 Deficit

Ask San Antonio Spurs fans about the 2011 NBA playoffs and they’ll start shaking their heads and muttering something to the effect of: “Damn Memphis Grizzlies … stupid Zach Randolph … what a choke.”

While the rest of the basketball-watching world was clapping its hands in delight, San Antonio’s fan base was understandably sick to its stomach watching their beloved Spurs become just the fourth No. 1 seed in NBA history to be upset by the No. 8 seed in the first round.

The two-headed interior beast that was Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph was too much for San Antonio’s noticeably slow defense, with Gasol showing off his passing and Z-Bo burying the Spurs with hard-nosed play in the paint and a bevy of impressive perimeter jumpers in the clutch. In the deciding Game 6, NOBODY could stop Randolph. Antonio McDyess did everything short of shackling him to the Spurs’ bench to try and stop him from scoring. Coach Gregg Popovich tried everything to defend him: He threw the physical MyDyess at him, he switched Tim Duncan to him, he even double-teamed him. And still, none of it prevented Z-Bo from having a career night that sunk San Antonio.

Flash forward two years, when the city of San Antonio realized the same usurper Memphis Grizzlies would be its opponent in the Western Conference Finals. You’re not going to tell me the word “revenge” isn’t on everyone’s minds. So far in this series, the Spurs have made the most of their opportunity for vengeance. They dominated Memphis in Game 1 with a flair that said, “We remember. We haven’t forgotten.” Then they outlasted Memphis’ surprising late-game surge that forced overtime in Game 2. And through it all, Zach Randolph has been silent as the grave. As the series heads to FedEx Forum, where the Grizzlies are 5-0 during these playoffs, is there any reasonable hope for these perennial underdogs?

Based solely on the way these first two games have gone, I would normally be inclined to say no. Tony Parker has been unstoppable getting in the lane and finding open looks for the Spurs’ many 3-point weapons, which explains why they’ve knocked down 23 3s in the series so far. San Antonio’s bench has chipped in balanced scoring and although Tim Duncan hasn’t really made his presence felt on the offensive end, he’s absolutely shut Randolph down to atone for that 2011 upset. Then again, it’s not fair or wise to count the Memphis Grizzlies out just yet.

Keep in mind that this is the same Grizzlies team that fell behind two games to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round or that they lost Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder before taking the series. In both of those series, the Grizzlies rattled off four consecutive wins to advance a previously confident opponent. And although he’s only tallied 17 points on 7-for-26 shooting through two games, you can never count Z-Bo out. His “old man’s game” that prevents him from getting more than a foot or two off the ground has looked particularly ancient against Duncan’s superior D, but consider this: In Game 1 of the first three series, Randolph averaged just 11 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting 41 percent from the floor. In the rest of the games he’s played, he’s put up 20.1 points and 10.6 rebounds while shooting 49 percent.

To summarize, the Western Conference Finals seem like they hinge on whether or not Zach Randolph can recapture that 2011 magic (or just wake up, at the very least). But the reality is, everyone on the Memphis Grizzlies roster need to step up in some way. Marc Gasol’s rebounding has picked up from 7.9 rebounds per game in the first two rounds to 10.5 boards per game against San Antonio, but his scoring has slipped from 18.3 points per game to 13.5. Mike Conley‘s numbers have similarly dropped to 16 points and six assists per game after posting 17.6 points and 7.6 assists in the first two rounds. Tayshaun Prince has put up just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting through two games. Simply put, the Grizzlies aren’t scoring enough, which is entirely obvious when one considers they’re averaging 86 points per game and haven’t even cracked 90 points yet.

Rudy Gay fans, don’t misinterpret what I’m saying here; I fully believe that the Rudy Gay trade made Memphis a better team from a chemistry standpoint by turning things over to Z-Bo and Gasol while also saving them a ton of money. But everyone (Prince in particular) absolutely needs to find their shot soon or this series will be over.

If some of these shots would start going in, the Grizzlies would be in good shape (Photo Credit: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule, Flickr.com)

The Grizzlies are getting solid bench scoring out of Quincy Pondexter and Jerryd Bayless, which needs to continue at home for Memphis to grind its way back into this series. But through the first two games, the San Antonio Spurs have dictated the way the game has been played. Parker is getting into the lane and causing all kinds of problems against a defense with Mike Conley and Tony Allen, two of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. Duncan and Splitter have stopped the Gasol-Randolph one-two punch surprisingly well. So if these comeback kids are going to shock the San Antonio Spurs (and the world) again, they need to get back to playing their brand of basketball: imposing defense, Conley’s improving perimeter shot and a potent post game from Z-Bo and Gasol. The Memphis Grizzlies must once again rediscover their identity through their best two players. And there’s no better place to do so than at home.