The Reality of the Grizzlies’ Seeding Games

The NBA Getting the Team They Want In

The NBA is also doing everything in its power to get Zion into the playoffs. They are sweeping their schemes under a rug they call, “we’re just trying to do the right thing and give every team a fair shot at getting in”.

If they truly wanted to reflect the reality of the situation they would have put the Grizzlies directly into the playoffs. A 3.5 game lead with eight games left has historically been insurmountable. It just doesn’t happen. And yet, here the NBA had developed a plan to give the Pelicans a better shot at getting into the tournament with their idea of a mini play-in series. If the team in the ninth spot finds itself within four games of the team in the eight spot, which we will here assume is the Grizzlies, those two teams play a series in which the eight team must win only one game and the ninth team must win two in a row.

The Scariest Team Behind the Grizzlies

The team that should frighten Grizzlies’ fans the most is not the Pelicans, but rather the Trail Blazers. They have everything a team needs to make a deep playoff run. Damian Lillard is not  only the latest addition to the storied history of the Bay Area rap scene (having grown up in Oakland), but some might also say that he is good at basketball, an MVP candidate even. CJ McCollum is right there with him in terms of ability to create your own shot which becomes indispensable in playoff basketball.

The Trail Blazers have gotten their size back with Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins both returning from injury which makes them all the more frightening. Their point differential last year with Lillard and Nurkic on the court was Milwaukee level good. What’s more is that they start their seeding games against Memphis and a win should give them the momentum they dearly need to get close enough to the Grizzlies to force a play-in series. At that point, without any home court advantage, it would be hard to bet against Lillard and McCollum who have been there countless time before. 

The Flashiest Team Begind the Grizzlies

The Pelicans are also 3.5 games behind the Grizzlies. With Zion back in the bubble they are confident in their ability to make some noise and the Memphis should also fear them. These teams played each other twice before the season was suspended and the results were both blowouts in favour of New Orleans, the first coming without Zion on the court. In the second game he dropped a 24 points, 6 rebound and 3 assists stat line in an impressive rout. Ja was held to 16 points and 3 assists.

The Pelicans also have a much easier schedule than the Grizzlies for the eight remaining games and we shouldn’t be surprised to see them within 4 games in the end. 

The Most Surprising Team Behind the Grizzlies

Perhaps the most surprising team to find themselves in their position, other than Memphis, is an overachieving King’s squad. They are led by a young point guard in De’Aaron Fox who is a good a bet as any to guard Ja with his elite speed and lateral quickness. The Kings won three of the four regular season tilts and Fox outplayed Morant in all four games. They are simply a really bad matchup for the Grizzlies. Their schedule is quite difficult, but if they get into the play-in series they’ll give the Grizzlies headaches. 

Once They Are In

The bottom line is that with a 3.5 game lead on the competition, barring injuries or a historic collapse, the Grizzlies should find themselves in a play-in series against either the Pelicans, the Trail Blazers or the Kings. All three of these teams are rather well equipped to counter the Grizzlies run-you-into-the-ground style of play, but what Ja has shown Memphis fans all through his rookie campaign is that he is willing to shoulder the burden of responsibility at every occasion. More often than not he has risen to the occasion and proven himself a rare breed of leader. No matter the opponent in the play-in series, Grizzlies in 2.