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Grizzlies hold off desperate Blazers, win Game 5 to finish series
With or without their star point guard, the Memphis Grizzlies appeared to have enough to get past the undermanned Portland Trail Blazers in their first-round NBA playoff series. Despite a valiant effort from Portland, Memphis confirmed as much in a 99-93 Game 5 win that had a great deal in common with their three series-opening victories.
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Playing without the injured Mike Conley for the second straight game, the Grizzlies bounced back from an outlying Game 4 loss by exerting their stylistic dominance for the fourth straight contest, frustrating opposing stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard yet again, and getting enough offense from several sources to make up for the loss of their floor general. While this was not an especially competitive series, the Grizzlies will go into a daunting conference semifinals matchup with the NBA-best Golden State Warriors with a great deal of confidence no matter Conley's status.
Like the first four games in the series, Game 5 was defined by the Blazers' lack of rotation players and the Grizzlies' ability to shut down nearly all of the remaining options. Heading into the series without wings Wesley Matthews, Arron Afflalo (who played Games 3 through 5 under obvious limitations) and Dorell Wright, the Blazers knew that they would need elite play from Aldridge and Lillard and quality supporting performances from guys like C.J. McCollum, Nicolas Batum, and others.
While the latter group was a mixed bag throughout, it's safe to say that Memphis kept Portland's typically dynamic duo from breaking out in any meaningful way. Aldridge, a pending unrestricted free agent, endured a hellish series in which he went 33 percent from the field never shot better than 40 percent in any one game. Tuesday provided more of the same — he hit only 5-of-18 attempts and went to the line just five times for 14 points in 40 minutes.
It was a near-total disappointment partially salvaged by the fact that the player guarding Aldridge, Zach Randolph, also struggled to shoot in what most figured would be the key matchup of the series. It's possible that the strain of guarding another bullish low-block scorer pushed Aldridge to his limit, but the Blazers never had a chance if this series if he was going to play Z-Bo to a draw. If these were Aldridge's last games in a Portland uniform, then it's fair to say that he didn't leave town under the greatest of circumstances.
Lillard at least ventured toward respectable showings after two horrific games to open the series, but he was more passable than electric in Game 5, scoring 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting (including 1-of-8 from beyond the arc). With Batum struggling throughout, Portland managed to stay in the game as long as they did in large part because of the contributions of McCollum, who put up a game-high 33 on efficient shooting (12-of-20 FG, 7-of-11 3FG).
However, a team down 3-1 in a road elimination game is not likely to get by solely because of the overachievement of a role player. Although the Grizzlies offense looked lacking without Conley at its controls, shooting guard Courtney Lee finished off a tremendous series with 20 points on 8-of-12 from the field. The Grizzlies took advantage of the Blazers' sieve-like perimeter defense all series, but Lee's play was a game-changer on Tuesday with Beno Udrih and Nick Calathes having off nights. Add in Marc Gasol's best game of the series (26 points and 14 rebounds), and Memphis did just enough to make up for 1-of-14 shooting on 3-pointers.
Given the circumstances, the Blazers deserve credit for making a second-half run with their season facing its end. Down 52-39 after less than two minutes of the third quarter, the Blazers went on a 22-6 run (over nearly seven minutes) that featured seven points from Aldridge and four McCollum triples. At the same time, the Grizzlies lacked offensive direction and appeared in the midst of a dispiriting stretch that would give the Blazers newfound confidence.
It ended pretty much immediately. Memphis came out of a timeout with renewed focus and grabbed a 68-66 by the end of the quarter, providing a strong base from which to take control in the fourth. Portland managed to tie it up at 72-72 with 9:00 on the clock, but they could not solve or stop the hosts and were left to hope for the best on desperate shots late.
The Grizzlies now have their first series victory since 2013, when they dispatched the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder before getting swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals. It is safe to say that the Blazers did not play to the level of any of those three opponents. The No. 4 vs. No. 5 series is typically one of the most competitive of the first round, but this series was anything but.
For one thing, the Blazers were a No. 4 seed with the sixth-best record in the conference, elevated up the standings (without homecourt advantage!) due to their Northwest Division title. They were also considerably worse than their overall record without Matthews, a healthy Afflalo, or any of the other notable players who missed time. The Grizzlies caught their own bad luck in losing Conley, but the Blazers did not provide a serious test, no matter how long head coach Dave Joerger and his staff spent planning around his absence.
For all those reasons, it's hard to know if the Grizzlies actually proved much in a series they unquestionably dominated. The Warriors will be a much, much tougher opponent in every area, from depth to offense to defense to tempo control. A team can only take care of the tasks they are given, and the Grizzlies deserve credit for dispatching an overmatched squad. But the really hard part starts now.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
