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Memphis Grizzlies: Disappointing End To The 2014-15 Season

By D. Goodman

May 15, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Warriors defeated the Grizzlies 108-95. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
May 15, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Warriors defeated the Grizzlies 108-95. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Memphis Grizzlies gave NBA MVP Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors all they could handle, trying desperately to force a decisive Game 7 in Oakland to decide who would play in the Western Conference Finals. In the end though, it just wasn’t enough as Golden State easily got the win, a 108-95 victory that was never really all that close.

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Curry finished the night with 32 points, 10 assists and six rebounds on his way to his first double-double of the playoffs. He was one of five Warriors who scored in double figures as Klay Thompson had 20 while Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes finished with 16 and 13 respectively.

Despite the Grizzlies putting up a good fight, with Marc Gasol scoring a team-leading 21 followed by Zach Randolph‘s 15 and Vince Carter coming off the bench for another 16, Memphis simply had no answer for the Warriors at the three-point line. Curry was 8-of-13 from beyond the arc and Golden State as a team had a playoff-best 15 threes.

To give you some idea how bad it was, you only need look at two things. First, Curry finished the series having sunk 25 three-pointers, which is one more than what the Grizzlies as an entire team shot. Then, there is this:

You’re not going to win many games against the league MVP if you let shots like that happen.

In the third quarter it seemed the Grizzlies had a chance to make it a game, closing the gap to 65-64 until Golden State finished the period on an 11-4 run which was capped off with Curry’s amazing shot from the Grizzlies three-point line. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called it the play of the game and from there it was all downhill for the Grizzlies.

But what may have really put an end to the Grizzlies hopes of taking the Western Conference semifinals to a Game 7 was the loss of Tony Allen. It was announced Friday morning that Allen would play despite the injured left hamstring that was still causing him problems.

Unfortunately, instead of sparking the team to a victory as Mike Conley‘s return did in Game 2, Allen lasted five whole minutes before sitting on the bench not to return. Without Allen, the heart and soul of the Grizzlies defense, on the court Memphis simply couldn’t slow Curry and the Warriors down.

Grizzlies head coach David Joerger said this about losing Allen at his post-game press conference:

"“He (Allen) plays with his heart every single night, and the juice that he brings to a game, especially when we’re struggling, we had it to 8, we had it to 10 most of the game. A guy like that goes and gets a loose ball, dives on the floor, gets a deflection, gets a steal, gets a putback. Those kind of things really kind of help your team go, yeah, you know what? We can get this done. So we really missed that from Tony tonight, let alone what he does as a defender, which I could go on and on for that.”"

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Ex-Grizzlies guard opens up on desired landing spots for 2023-24 season
Ex-Grizzlies guard opens up on desired landing spots for 2023-24 season /

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    • Now the Grizzlies head into an offseason filled with a number of pressing questions, the biggest of which is the future of Gasol, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. In addition, the Grizzlies need to address their serious lack of shooting and a bench that needs to be much deeper if they plan to return to the Western Conference Finals anytime soon.

    Overall, most would call the Grizzlies 2014-15 season a success. The franchise had its third 50-plus win season in a row and finished with a .671 win percentage, which is good enough for fifth in the NBA. Attendance at home games was up for the entire season as well as average per game.

    Now the Grizzlies begin their long offseason where hopefully they can fix what went wrong and and improve on what went right. Have faith Grizz Nation, the new NBA season will be here before you know it.

    Next: Stephen Curry: Top 10 Moments From His MVP Season

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