The Memphis Grizzlies Are Flexing Their Muscles

After sparking a 7-0 run to bring the Clippers within a point of the Memphis Grizzlies, Chris Paul trudged up the court with the basketball in what would be Los Angeles’ final shot to secure a win.

The game clock was dwindling down to its final seconds, and the anxious Staples Center crowd was on its feet. Exhausted from playing nearly 40 minutes, Paul made his move toward the basket, but he forgot something — the basketball had slipped out of his reach.

Before the fans could even blink, Mike Conley snatched the ball away mercilessly and raced down the other end of the court as the Grizzlies escaped with the victory.

The game ended with a final score of 90-87 in favor of Memphis. Perhaps J.A. Adande of ESPN.com summarized the final play of that Grizzlies-Clippers game best when he sent out this tweet:

Grizzlies win in the most Grizzlies way possible, by forcing a turnover
— J.A. Adande (@jadande) February 24, 2015

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Last week, when the Spurs were in L.A. to take on the Clippers, coach Gregg Popovich employed the “Hack-A-Jordan” strategy. The Spurs had hoped to stifle the Clippers proficient offense by sending DeAndre Jordan repeatedly to the free throw line.

Contrarily, the Grizzlies don’t depend on dubious methods to help win them games; Memphis is not only aware of their greatest strengths, but they also trust in their brutal defense to exasperate their opponents. Doc Rivers had said before the game that no team in the league knows who they are and plays to their identity as consistently as the Grizzlies.

That knowledge has only expanded over the past couple of months.

Since the calendar flipped to 2015, the Grizzlies have had the No. 1 defense among Western Conference teams. They’re now fifth overall in defensive efficiency for the season after floundering in the middle of the pack for the first few months.

Just a couple of nights before holding the Clippers — who boast the leagues best offensive rating of 110.2 — to 87 points on Monday night, the Grizzlies outscored the Portland Trail Blazers 34-15 in the fourth quarter and rallied from a 13-point deficit.

Grizzlies: 3rd win this season in which they've trailed by double digits in 4th quarter (2nd-most such wins behind only Blazers, with 4)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 23, 2015

It’s conducive for a team thats played together for years to become familiar with each other’s tendencies and execute efficiently during the games critical moments.

While a record-breaking 39 players were traded at the NBA trade deadline last week, the Grizzlies stayed pat. Memphis was already 17 games into acclimating Jeff Green, who the Grizzlies traded for in mid-January to bolster their wing rotation, while most teams frantically swapped their players.

Green is starting to find his groove amid the Grizzlies’ trademark grit and grind, who are 15-3 since acquiring the forward in January — which is the league’s best record during that span.

The addition of the versatile and athletic wing has recalibrated Memphis for upward mobility. Conley said one of the main reasons Memphis struggled in a seven-game series loss in the first round to Oklahoma City last year was because Memphis lacked the personnel to adjust when OKC used a small lineup with Kevin Durant at power forward.

Theoretically, Green addresses that issue. Via ESPN:

“We always had trouble with teams that go small in the playoffs,” Conley said. “And with a guy like that, you can throw Jeff in there and put him at [power forward], we can match up with guys and still play through Marc or Z-Bo. We have more flexibility to move stuff around and match up with anyone.”

The record speaks for itself. In the past six weeks, the Grizzlies have gone 41-14 and have climbed two spots in the Western Conference standings. They’re 13-5 against all playoff teams in the West, none of which are eager to face Memphis in the playoffs. This Grit ‘N’ Grind team is beginning to flex its muscles, and they’re sure to power their way to a deep playoff run.

Next: JaMychal Green Needs To Step Up

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