MEMPHIS – All season long, the Grizzlies refused to allow outside noise, injury concerns and other distractions to knock them off their goals to get back to the NBA playoffs.
Now that they’re here, don’t expect an identity crisis from these Grizzlies.
“We’re locked in from top to bottom,” superstar point guard Ja Morant insists. “Last year, we were pretty much excited just to make the playoffs. Now, we know what it takes. Now, we know we’re supposed to be here. We know we’re one of the top teams in this league, and we have to go prove that. I feel we have the right group to go win a championship.”
The first step in that championship quest for the No. 2-seeded Grizzlies begins Saturday at FedExForum in Game 1 of a first-round playoff series against the No. 7-seeded Timberwolves. It’s a matchup of two of the most improved teams from last season, with the Grizzlies posting the NBA’s second-best record (56-26) with the league’s second-youngest roster.
Last year, we were pretty much excited just to make the playoffs. Now, we know what it takes. Now, we know we’re supposed to be here. We know we’re one of the top teams in this league, and we have to go prove that. I feel we have the right group to go win a championship.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves doubled their victory total from last season to notch 46 wins to make the playoffs for only the second time since 2004. The Grizzlies and Timberwolves split their four-game, regular-season series with each team winning two games at home.
Memphis has consistently played with a swagger, edge and efficiency that allowed the team to rank in the top five of the NBA in both offensive and defensive rating. And the Grizzlies have maintained peak performance over the final months of the season with a level of mental toughness they believe will be essential in this showdown with the feisty Timberwolves.
One of the major storylines entering the series focuses on how the Grizzlies, and Morant in particular, will handle the potential trash-talk and aggressive defensive antics of veteran Timberwolves point guard Patrick Beverley. But Morant vowed that his team wouldn’t back down from physicality, yet also assured that maintaining poise will be a priority in the series.
“We’ve had our conversations in the locker room . . . and we’re not paying any attention to any outside noise,” Morant said as the Grizzlies wrapped up their weeklong playoff preparations with Friday’s workout. “We’re about handling business. Whoever’s in our way, that’s who we’ve got to go through. That’s our mindset. Obviously, we have a gameplan for the Timberwolves. They’re a tremendous team that plays hard. They play hard and, just like us, they don’t back down from anybody. But we have to stay locked in and focus on us.”
The Grizzlies certainly won’t lack firepower heading into a clash of two of the top-five scoring teams in the league. Led by Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell, the Timberwolves boast eight players who are averaging between 8.3 and 24.6 points per game. The Grizzlies counter that with Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane leading a group of five scorers averaging double figures and a total of eight contributing between 8.1 and 27.4 points a game.
Memphis will be relying on two key contributors who bring additional motivation to the series. Due to separate lengthy absences to recover from hand and ankle injuries, Brooks missed all four regular-season games against the Timberwolves. So, in essence, Game 1 on Saturday marks the first time the Grizzlies will have their top perimeter defender available to match up with Minnesota’s best wing scorers in Edwards and Russell.
Brooks said his mindset doesn’t change entering a new postseason challenge.
“We’ve got to stay cool, calm and collected,” Brooks said. “Act like we’ve been here before and do what we’ve done all year. When teams adjust, how are we going to adjust? How are we going to figure it out? It’s the same thing we’ve done all year. Now we just have to keep that same energy and mentality going in the playoffs. Be us and raise our roles to a new height.”
After juggling lineups because of various injuries throughout the season, the Grizzlies enter the playoffs with all 10 of their primary rotation players healthy and available. There’s also a different confidence level fueling Jackson ahead of this year’s playoffs. This time a year ago, Jackson was limited to 11 regular-season games coming back from knee surgery before pushing through a five-game series loss to the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs.
Act like we’ve been here before and do what we’ve done all year. When teams adjust, how are we going to adjust? How are we going to figure it out? It’s the same thing we’ve done all year. Now we just have to keep that same energy and mentality going in the playoffs. Be us and raise our roles to a new height.
Now, Jackson heads into the postseason as a league Defensive Player of the Year candidate after anchoring the Grizzlies on that end of the court all season. Much like Morant insisted from the beginning, Jackson knows exactly what he’s capable of bringing to the mix this postseason.
“It’s very different,” Jackson said of the impact he expects to have in these playoffs. “Last year, I played (a dozen) games and this year I played 78 to get to this point. So, I thank God for that. I just have more of a rhythm going in. I’m not going in without training camp or without majority of the year under me. So, this works out for me.”
What else will work in the Grizzlies’ favor this series? Tuning out the noise and maintaining their poise.