MEMPHIS – Zoning in on the final hours of preparation for the Grizzlies’ biggest game of the season, Ja Morant’s answer to the question was every bit as precise as the spot-on dimes he delivers in transition on a fastbreak.
What’s the biggest difference, Morant was asked?
What’s the biggest factor that separates his approach from last year’s loss to Portland in the postseason play-in game in the Orlando bubble from his mindset entering Wednesday’s play-in matchup with the Spurs at FedExForum?
Morant chewed on the question for a moment, then fired off the one and only word required to explain his grown as a leader from his rookie to his sophomore NBA season.
“Experience,” the Grizzlies second-year catalyst surmised.
Here, the Grizzlies sit again – on the cusp of trying to make a postseason breakthrough, only this time needing to win two games in the NBA’s newly-expanded Play-In Tournament to secure a spot among the eight-team Western Conference playoff field.
Only this time, the Grizzlies have the luxury of homecourt advantage as the No. 9 seed going against the 10th-seeded Spurs in a single-game elimination format to keep their season alive. The Grizzlies-Spurs winner advances Friday to face the loser of the No. 8-vs-No. 9 matchup between the Lakers and Warriors for the right to claim the No. 8 and final playoff seed to meet the No. 1-seeded Jazz in the first round. The Lakers-Warriors winner locks in the No. 7 seed and will match up in the first round with the No. 2-seed Suns.
The intrigue is not lost on these Grizzlies (38-34), who are eager to learn and grow from last year’s experience in a similar do-or-die scenario when they stumbled against the Blazers.
“Last year’s game is still in the back of our minds,” Morant continued after Tuesday’s practice. “We know what happened. We know how close we were to making the playoffs. I’m pretty sure all of our guys are motivated. This is just the next hurdle. Win or lose, we’ve had a great season and a lot to be proud of. But our mindset is to go, win these two games and make the playoffs.”
For the second time in as many seasons, the Grizzlies enter the field as the youngest team left. But they believe they’ve endured enough growing pains already to take the next step in their development, having posted the franchise’s first regular season winning record in four years.
Memphis won two of the three matchups with the Spurs this season, with the road team prevailing in all three meetings. But the Grizzlies are hoping to reverse that trend on Wednesday after closing the season by sweeping a four-game homestand before falling to the Warriors on the road in Sunday’s regular season finale.
After initially struggling at home, including a handful of losses in the final seconds to playoff contenders, coach Taylor Jenkins believes the Grizzlies have regained a solid rhythm at FedExForum they hope to carry into Wednesday’s game.
We’re increasing capacity, and we’re so excited about having more of our loyal, dedicated fans in the building. It’s only going to raise the energy. Our players have talked about it. That extra energy definitely helped us that last week of the season and it’s going to help us (Wednesday). This is a home advantage, and we’ve got to take advantage of it as well.
An added boost of confidence and support should provide a lift, with FedExForum capacity increased this week to 40 percent – allowing for more than 7,000 fans to attend the game. Facing their biggest game of the year, the Grizzlies expect their largest crowd of the season.
“Ending the regular season on a high note at home was big,” Jenkins said of rallying to finish 18-18 at FedExForum. “We’re increasing capacity, and we’re so excited about having more of our loyal, dedicated fans in the building. It’s only going to raise the energy. Our players have talked about it. That extra energy definitely helped us that last week of the season and it’s going to help us (Wednesday). This is a home advantage, and we’ve got to take advantage of it as well.”
The Grizzlies and Spurs (33-39) were headed in opposite directions as they closed out the season, with Memphis winning six of its final eight and San Antonio dropping eight of its last 10. The Grizzlies are as healthy as they’ve been all season from a rotation standpoint. But power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. will be playing only his 12th game since returning in late April from surgery to repair a knee injury he sustained in the Orlando bubble last season.
The postseason stakes add a level of urgency to what has otherwise been a methodical approach the Grizzlies have taken to getting all of their core players in sync this season. Jackson insisted that being available for his team at this moment was a driving force in his injury rehab.
“This is the reason I did come back – the playoffs is our goal,” Jackson said of taking the first step on Wednesday. “I know it’s going to be intense and everybody is going to be locked in. It’s going to be exciting. Every possession matters, especially the early possessions. You can’t wait until the last minutes of the game.”
Or, it could turn out to be the last game of the season.
The Grizzlies are certainly aware of the opportunity they have to keep their season alive. The survive-and-advance nature of this round of NBA competition reminds many Grizzlies players of the NCAA Tournament format they competed in just a few seasons ago.
I know it’s going to be intense and everybody is going to be locked in. It’s going to be exciting. Every possession matters, especially the early possessions. You can’t wait until the last minutes of the game.
“It’s win or go home,” swingman Dillon Brooks said. “That’s what makes this game so unique. It’s fitting for us that we have to take the hard way. But we’ve got dogs on our team, and we’ve just got to go rock. You’ve got to leave it all out there.”
There’s a difficult-but-achievable path to the playoffs for these developing Grizzlies.
The first step requires getting past an old nemesis in the play-in.
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