2019 Conference Finals Previews
Feb 25, 2019 11:35:51 GMT -5
Tampa Bay Bull Sharks and MemphisGM like this
Post by Miege22 on Feb 25, 2019 11:35:51 GMT -5
I haven't done Conference Final previews in the past for two main reasons:
1. There hasn't really been any new information to glean that hadn't already been mentioned in the first round previews, and
2. There just hasn't been any demand for them
However, I have gotten some requests for doing them this year, so here's a quick snapshot of the match-ups, what happened in the last round, and what's at stake.
WEST: Memphis vs. Kansas City
How They Got Here
Memphis is the #1 seed in the Western Conference, finishing 15-1. They were first in the Midwest Division. They come in having won 15 straight, and they defeated the 4th-seeded Utah Jazz in the last round, 7-1-1.
Kansas City comes in as the #3 seed in the Western Conference, finishing at 11-5. They were third in the Midwest and come in on an 8-game winning streak. The Kings upset the Houston Rockets, 5-4, in the conference semis.
Regular Season Meeting(s)
These two played in week 4 (Nov. 5-11). The Grizzlies won, 6-3.
KEY INJURIES
Memphis - Markelle Fultz (shoulder - out); Victor Oladipo (quad - out); Otto Porter (leg - DTD)
Kansas City - George Hill (groin - out); Iman Shumpert (knee - DTD)
HOW DID THESE TWO GET HERE?
The Grizzlies had a relatively easy time in the first round against the Utah Jazz. As healthy as they are going to get at this point in the season, Memphis jumped out to big leads across the board and didn't look back. Utah was crushed by injuries and the trade deadline, but it doesn't seem likely that a fully healthy Jazz team would have pulled out a win. Memphis would have beaten every other playoff team in the last round.
The Kings, on the other hand, had to sweat out their match-up to the very last minute. After jumping out to giant leads in multiple categories thanks to an extremely front-loaded schedule, the Kings had to watch as the Rockets slowly but surely made up ground. Going into the final day, it looked like Houston would end up overtaking the Kings, ending their upset bid. And had Kawhi Leonard not missed a third game in this match-up, that just may have happened. Instead, the Kings held on to win by .2%, or 4 made field goals.
WHAT DID THE X-FACTORS/PLAYERS TO WATCH DO?
In the last round, we labeled Al Horford, Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague as the players to watch for Memphis, and while the match-up wasn't close, what we did say is if those three came to play it would be a blowout. And, well, that's exactly what happened. Teague got back on the floor and averaged 14-8 on 52% shooting over 5 games. Rose was only in the lineup for one game, but he made it count with 20 points and 3 steals. Horford was the all-around beast he usually is, averaging 15-9-5, knocking down 11 threes and picking up 10 steals and 9 blocks. PJ Tucker didn't do much as the X-Factor, but he didn't have to.
The Kings we kept an eye on were Shump, Barton and Satoransky. Shump got off to a nice start, dropping 13-6-6 in his first game, but he was impacted by the deadline and injuries. Barton played every game, but on the whole was disappointing, given he shot 32%. Satoransky missed multiple games due to the birth of his child, but he did average 11-5-7 in the games he did play. Wiggins was the X-Factor, and he was ok, averaging 19-8-5, but he shot poorly (39/61%).
IS THERE HISTORY HERE?
Short answer: no. Long answer: the most successful periods in each franchise's history have come at two totally different times. The Kings, as mentioned in the first round preview, were in back-to-back WCFs in 2013 and 2014. The Grizzlies really didn't take off until 2016, as the Kings were mired in a rough stretch of their own. This is only the second time both teams have been in the playoffs in the same season, with the last time occurring in the league's inaugural year. Back then, the Kings were in Denver, and the Grizzlies were in the Eastern Conference. Suffice it to say, a lot has changed since then.
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Well, we're going to have a first time Finals participant coming out of the West for the fourth time in five years. This is as far as either team has gotten in their respective histories, so this is going to be a fun one to watch. For Memphis, it would be a vindication of sorts given that they've had the best record in the conference three years running. The Kings were basically in purgatory until trading for KD and committing to him and Kemba as their core. They also made a shrewd trade this past off-season, moving down in the draft to pick up Marvin Bagley and Miles Bridges in exchange for the pick that ended up being DeAndre Ayton, and they did a fine job in free agency filling out this team. Given their respective roster situations, it appears the Grizzlies are better suited to make it back here next season, but both teams are going to have some hard decisions to make. Do the Kings want to commit to Andrew Wiggins or find a different player to use their last re-sign on? The Grizzlies are going to be right up against the cap next year with four open spots unless they can find some money or move off some contracts. With Seattle and OKC looming, and teams like Portland, Utah and Houston looking to reload, there is a world in which this is the last hurrah for both of these teams. The next two weeks are going to be fascinating to watch.
1. There hasn't really been any new information to glean that hadn't already been mentioned in the first round previews, and
2. There just hasn't been any demand for them
However, I have gotten some requests for doing them this year, so here's a quick snapshot of the match-ups, what happened in the last round, and what's at stake.
WEST: Memphis vs. Kansas City
How They Got Here
Memphis is the #1 seed in the Western Conference, finishing 15-1. They were first in the Midwest Division. They come in having won 15 straight, and they defeated the 4th-seeded Utah Jazz in the last round, 7-1-1.
Kansas City comes in as the #3 seed in the Western Conference, finishing at 11-5. They were third in the Midwest and come in on an 8-game winning streak. The Kings upset the Houston Rockets, 5-4, in the conference semis.
Regular Season Meeting(s)
These two played in week 4 (Nov. 5-11). The Grizzlies won, 6-3.
KEY INJURIES
Memphis - Markelle Fultz (shoulder - out); Victor Oladipo (quad - out); Otto Porter (leg - DTD)
Kansas City - George Hill (groin - out); Iman Shumpert (knee - DTD)
HOW DID THESE TWO GET HERE?
The Grizzlies had a relatively easy time in the first round against the Utah Jazz. As healthy as they are going to get at this point in the season, Memphis jumped out to big leads across the board and didn't look back. Utah was crushed by injuries and the trade deadline, but it doesn't seem likely that a fully healthy Jazz team would have pulled out a win. Memphis would have beaten every other playoff team in the last round.
The Kings, on the other hand, had to sweat out their match-up to the very last minute. After jumping out to giant leads in multiple categories thanks to an extremely front-loaded schedule, the Kings had to watch as the Rockets slowly but surely made up ground. Going into the final day, it looked like Houston would end up overtaking the Kings, ending their upset bid. And had Kawhi Leonard not missed a third game in this match-up, that just may have happened. Instead, the Kings held on to win by .2%, or 4 made field goals.
WHAT DID THE X-FACTORS/PLAYERS TO WATCH DO?
In the last round, we labeled Al Horford, Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague as the players to watch for Memphis, and while the match-up wasn't close, what we did say is if those three came to play it would be a blowout. And, well, that's exactly what happened. Teague got back on the floor and averaged 14-8 on 52% shooting over 5 games. Rose was only in the lineup for one game, but he made it count with 20 points and 3 steals. Horford was the all-around beast he usually is, averaging 15-9-5, knocking down 11 threes and picking up 10 steals and 9 blocks. PJ Tucker didn't do much as the X-Factor, but he didn't have to.
The Kings we kept an eye on were Shump, Barton and Satoransky. Shump got off to a nice start, dropping 13-6-6 in his first game, but he was impacted by the deadline and injuries. Barton played every game, but on the whole was disappointing, given he shot 32%. Satoransky missed multiple games due to the birth of his child, but he did average 11-5-7 in the games he did play. Wiggins was the X-Factor, and he was ok, averaging 19-8-5, but he shot poorly (39/61%).
IS THERE HISTORY HERE?
Short answer: no. Long answer: the most successful periods in each franchise's history have come at two totally different times. The Kings, as mentioned in the first round preview, were in back-to-back WCFs in 2013 and 2014. The Grizzlies really didn't take off until 2016, as the Kings were mired in a rough stretch of their own. This is only the second time both teams have been in the playoffs in the same season, with the last time occurring in the league's inaugural year. Back then, the Kings were in Denver, and the Grizzlies were in the Eastern Conference. Suffice it to say, a lot has changed since then.
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Well, we're going to have a first time Finals participant coming out of the West for the fourth time in five years. This is as far as either team has gotten in their respective histories, so this is going to be a fun one to watch. For Memphis, it would be a vindication of sorts given that they've had the best record in the conference three years running. The Kings were basically in purgatory until trading for KD and committing to him and Kemba as their core. They also made a shrewd trade this past off-season, moving down in the draft to pick up Marvin Bagley and Miles Bridges in exchange for the pick that ended up being DeAndre Ayton, and they did a fine job in free agency filling out this team. Given their respective roster situations, it appears the Grizzlies are better suited to make it back here next season, but both teams are going to have some hard decisions to make. Do the Kings want to commit to Andrew Wiggins or find a different player to use their last re-sign on? The Grizzlies are going to be right up against the cap next year with four open spots unless they can find some money or move off some contracts. With Seattle and OKC looming, and teams like Portland, Utah and Houston looking to reload, there is a world in which this is the last hurrah for both of these teams. The next two weeks are going to be fascinating to watch.