Six. Just six more days before the Memphis Grizzlies open training camp at the University of California at San Diego.
Thirty-five. That’s the number days before Memphis opens up the regular season against Minnesota.
More from Memphis Grizzlies
- NBA Trades: Memphis bolsters their roster in this deal with Toronto
- 3 ways acquiring Marcus Smart will improve the Memphis Grizzlies
- Ranking the 10 championship-less NBA teams by closeness to title
- 4 Memphis Grizzlies who must step up in Ja Morant’s absence
- NBA Rumors: Is a season-long suspension for Ja Morant on the table?
Translation? We’re. So. Close.
As a final push towards the regular season we’re going to be putting a microscope to the Western Conference playoff teams from 2013-14 and how the Grizzlies match up with each one.
First up — last year’s No. 4 seed, Houston Rockets.
2013-14 Head-to-Head
Nov. 25: Houston 93, Memphis 86
The Grizzlies, playing their first game without Marc Gasol, had a 14-point lead in the third quarter but couldn’t close out the Rockets at home. Chandler Parsons led the way for Houston with 17, while Tayshaun Prince paced the Grizzlies with 16.
Dec. 26: Houston 100, Memphis 92
Again, the Grizzlies, without Marc Gasol, took a lead into the fourth quarter in Houston the day after Christmas. James Harden scored 11 of his game-high 27 in the fourth quarter to close out a hard-fought win. Zach Randolph scored 23 points and added 17 rebounds in the losing effort.
Jan. 24: Memphis 88, Houston 87
Chandler Parsons’ 34 points weren’t enough to spoil Marc Gasol’s first game against Houston last year. In Gasol’s return the Rockets failed to get to 90 points, and something tells me the two might be related.
Jan. 25; Memphis 99, Houston 81
For the second straight night the Grizzlies suffocated the Rockets offense, holding them to just 81 points on 37 percent shooting. Mike Conley led the way with 17 points and four assists.
2014-15 Starting Matchups
C – Dwight Howard vs Marc Gasol
PF – Terrence Jones vs Zach Randolph
SF – Trevor Ariza vs Tayshaun Prince
SG – James Harden vs Courtney Lee
PG – Patrick Beverley vs Mike Conley
Scouting Report
Offensively, Houston poses a real threat in the pick and roll. For Memphis, slowing down James Harden’s dribble penetration is priority one. Harden is one of the best players in the league at getting in the lane, finishing around the rim and getting fouled. Pressuring the ball and taking away is driving angles by showing multiple bodies in the paint is crucial, and it’s how the Grizzlies were able to hold Harden to a combined 8-for-24 for 26 points in the their two wins.
Cutting off the head of the snake is huge for Memphis defensively, and this is a matchup where Tony Allen will be relied on heavily. Allen is one of the few players in the league that can, at the very least, slow James Harden down. Harden is one of the top five offensive players in basketball and success against the Rockets means taking Harden out of his rhythm and keeping him off of the foul line — who else would you rather assign to him than Tony Allen?
The other really intriguing matchup is at the center position. Dwight Howard in Houston’s four games against Memphis last year averaged 9.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. These are numbers you can live with if you’re Dave Joerger.
Chandler Parsons was the leading scorer in two of the four games versus the Grizzlies, including a 34-point gem where he torched Memphis from beyond the arc hitting 10 (!!!) out of 14 3-pointers. This year, the Grizzlies won’t be looking to slow down Chandler Parsons when they play Houston — that will now come when they play Dallas — instead Trevor Ariza will try to duplicate Parsons’ success.
Recap
Overall I think this is a very favorable matchup for the Grizzlies if Gasol is healthy. The Rockets two most potent positions, and the basis of their offense are the Center and Shooting Guard positions which happens to be the positions of the Grizzlies’ two best defenders.
Could Harden and Howard win their respective matchups and take over games? Absolutely. But the facts remain — without Marc Gasol in the lineup the Rockets were 2-0, with him, 0-2.
Prediction
If these two teams meet in a playoff series I would give the edge to a healthy Memphis Grizzlies team.
Memphis is built for playoff basketball — where the game slows down and getting defensive stops become paramount.
Memphis wins 4-2.