Grizzlies stifle Blazers again, take entirely deserved 2-0 lead
The Portland Trail Blazers were left without any clear answers after a 100-86 loss in Game 1 of their first-round series with the Memphis Grizzlies. Game 2 appeared to offer no clarity in another dominant win for the hosts.
[Follow Dunks Don’t Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball]
For the second consecutive game, the Grizzlies controlled the game at both ends and cruised to a 97-82 victory at FedEx Forum. Memphis has now taken a 2-0 lead in the series that seems more commanding than a mere numerical advantage. The Grizzlies have dictated the terms of both games, taken away what the Blazers do best, and created a scenario in which it is very hard to imagine them losing this series. Portland will have to hope a return home to the Moda Center brings improvement, because as of now they look to be heading for a quick exit from the postseason.
Things started well enough for the Blazers, with several players hitting tough shots to pick up 10 points in the first 2:30 of the night. Unfortunately for them, that’s as good as it got. Portland scored just 29 points over the last 21:30 of the first half to head into the break down 50-39, an uphill climb for a team with a depleted roster. The Blazers went into Wednesday’s game with not just the expected absences of wings Arron Afflalo, Wesley Matthews, and Dorell Wright, but also center Chris Kaman (left ankle injury). With stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard shooting poorly, Portland had few players capable of stepping up.
Yet those absences were most felt on defense, where the Grizzlies guards excelled for the second game in the series despite the team’s reputation as an inside-out offense. Blazers head coach Terry Stotts moved Allen Crabbe into the starting lineup for C.J. McCollum to attempt to give the team some kind of perimeter defensive presence, but that move saw little success. Guards Mike Conley (18 points on 6-of-11 FG), Courtney Lee (18 points on 8-of-11 FG), and Beno Udrih (10 points in 19 minutes) all found space and scored with consistency, giving the Grizzlies dependable options even with Marc Gasol (15 points on 4-of-15 FG) and Zach Randolph (10 points on 5-of-16 FG) shooting poorly.
Given these circumstances, the Blazers only serious hope of winning had to involve big games from Aldridge and Lillard. That most definitely did not come to pass. Aldridge’s counting stats look solid with 24 points and 20 rebounds in 42 minutes, but he took 20 shots and turned it over four times. Yet Lillard was considerably worse with 18 points on 5-of-16 shooting with just a single assist in 40 minutes. After announcing himself as a national star in last year’s first-round series against the Houston Rockets, Lillard has floundered in these first two games for a combined 10-of-37 shooting (or 27 percent) with only four total assists. It has frankly been difficult to watch a player of his talent struggle so fully.
These basic realities of Game 2 created a situation in which no one run really seemed to challenge the final result. The Grizzlies built the lead to as many as 18 in the third quarter before the Blazers cut it to nine in the opening minutes of the fourth, but these were really just slight deviations from a 15-point win that seemed almost preordained. If that sounds fatalistic, then it’s only because the Grizzlies took control of the game so easily.
The good news for Portland is that these teams don’t play again until Saturday, which could be enough time to get several players back. But the Blazers are a thin team even at their healthiest. It sounds basic and suspiciously unlike the majority of hyper-intensive basketball analysis, but they just need guys to play better. The Grizzlies’ greatest strength is their ability to win the battle of styles, and the Blazers have seemed ill-equipped to exert their own dominance or handle a more rough-and-tumble contest. Based on these first two games, it seems as if they need their best players to make tough shots and hope that’s enough to carry them through. It may not be enough, but at least it gives the Blazers a chance. That’s more than they’ve had in Games 1 and 2.
– – – – – – –
Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
