Post by Miege22 on Feb 12, 2024 10:12:42 GMT -5
EAST: Memphis vs. Washington
How They Got Here
Memphis enters as the 4th seed. They were 10-6 and finished 3rd in the Southeast Division.
Washington finished as the 5th seed. They also finished 10-6 and were second in the North Division.
Postseason History
This is the Grizzlies’ 5th trip to the postseason, and their first since switching to the Eastern Conference prior to the 2021-2022 season. The last time the Grizzlies were in the playoffs, they made it to the NBA Finals before losing the Brooklyn Nets.
All-Time Playoff Record: 3-4
Finals Record: 0-1
Titles: 0
The Wizards are making back-to-back trips to the playoffs for the first since the 2017 and 2018 postseasons. Last year they were the fifth seed and lost the play-in game to the Miami Heat.
All-Time Playoff Record: 3-5
Finals Record: 0-1
Titles: 0
Regular Season Meeting(s)
The Grizzlies and Wizards played in week 14 (Jan. 22-28). Memphis won, 5-4.
Statistical Rankings Among Playoff Teams
Memphis
FG %: 9th (17th)
FT %: 2nd (2nd)
3PTM: 4th (6th)
REBS: 8th (11th)
ASTS: 8th (13th)
STLS: 2nd (3rd)
BLKS: 6th (7th)
TOS: 4th (12th)
PTS: 9th (11th)
Washington
FG %: 1st (1st)
FT %: 10th (20th)
3PTM: 3rd (4th)
REBS: 3rd (4th)
ASTS: 6th (6th)
STLS: 4th (4th)
BLKS: 5th (6th)
TOS: 7th (16th)
PTS: 1st (2nd)
KEY INJURIES
Memphis – Xavier Tillman (knee - out)
Washington – Desmond Bane (ankle – out); Nic Batum (hamstring - out); Michael Porter Jr. (knee - DTD); Jaden McDaniels (finger - DTD)
Series Notes
-After a walkover 2022 East play-in, last year’s battle between the Heat and Wizards lived up to the hype. The Heat ultimately advanced by just 3 steals and a few free throws after the Wizards were unable to complete the final day comeback.
-Memphis’ all-time franchise record is 108-129-1 (regular season)
-Washington’s all-time franchise record is 120-118 (regular season)
-Just by the nature of Memphis’ history in the league, this will be the first playoff meeting between these two teams. However, the Grizz have played multiple EC teams in the playoffs (despite this being their first trip since the move). Obviously, they played Brooklyn in the Finals in 2019, but they have also played Miami (in 2018 when they were in Portland), as well as Tampa Bay… in 2010 when the Grizz were back in the original Eastern Conference.
Talk about a long hibernation…
Forgive us for the pun, but we couldn’t help ourselves. There was a time not too long ago that the Memphis Grizzlies were the premier franchise in the league. They ripped off an incredible 3-year run from 2017-2019 with a regular season record of 46-2. Unfortunately, it resulted in just one Finals appearance and no titles. Then the injuries started to hit. After struggling to a 7-9 record in 2020, the Grizz swapped conferences, but things got no better. The nadir happened in 2022, when they fell to 2-14, but that summer also set the stage for their resurgence. Armed with the 2nd and 6th picks in the 2022 draft, the Grizzlies landed Paolo Banchero and Benedict Mathurin. Both rookies took off, and, combined with Scottie Barnes and the return of Kawhi Leonard, the Grizz just barely missed the postseason in 2023. After the season, the Grizz flipped Paolo for Donovan Mitchell, traded for Mikal Bridges, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Well, that’s a nice way to kick off your GM career
After over a decade at the helm of the Wizards, Zephyr called it quits, and a new front office took over. They wasted no time building on the success of last season, as golicbread has this team back in the postseason again and in firm position to make a run. Most of this roster turned over, but the foundation returned. Giannis is back. Brunson is back. Bane is… back, but he’ll likely be out for this match-up due to an ankle sprain. The depth issues of last year’s team have been resolved, and that’s evident in their rankings (top-8 in 7 of the 9 categories). The new FO has done a great job setting this team up for sustained success, and luck could be on their side too. This is the third time in four years that a brand new owner has made the playoffs in their first year, and the previous two advanced to the ECF (Chicago won it all in 2021). Can the Wizards make that three?
Memphis’ highlight of the season... week 14 vs. Washington
Honestly, it’s mostly a coincidence that we're pinpointing their win over Washington as the highlight of the season. It wasn’t so much the win over Washington, as much as what they accomplished by winning that game. This was the win that clinched their spot in the playoffs, their first since losing in the Finals in 2019. As we detailed above, it took a lot of years and some frustrating results to get here, so they should savor it.
Washington’s highlight of the season... week 7 vs. New York
The Wizards didn’t have the smoothest start out of the gate. They lost a nailbiter to Brooklyn to open the season, before bouncing back to beat Orlando and Toronto. When they lost to the Bulls and Jazz, it looked like the season just wouldn’t get off the ground. Then, after getting back to .500 by beating Miami, they went into New York… and took down the defending champs. It was the surest sign there was that this team was for real, and they proceeded to win four of their next five to solidify their playoff position.
Who to keep an eye on for Memphis… DeAndre Ayton
It probably feels like Ayton has an underwhelming season, and one can see why. While he’s rebounded just fine, his scoring has dipped dramatically in a situation that seemed ripe for some decent scoring days. Instead, he’s mostly retreated into the background offensively, and he has missed a ton of games due to injury (and one due to Day After Tomorrow conditions at his house). He does appear to be healthy now, though, and he’s coming off a stretch in which he’s scored 18 or more points in 6 of his last 7 games. Given the lack of bigs on this roster, the Grizz really need him to produce.
Who to keep an eye on for Washington... Bradley Beal
The Wizards, perhaps sensing their team was for real, made a major move prior to the deadline, trading for Bradley Beal despite his injury issues to start the year. It looked like it might bust immediately when Beal went down mere minutes after coming back, but he’s managed to stay healthy for the last month and a half, and he’s been fantastic. He might not be scoring as much as he did in his younger days, but he’s providing solid all-around numbers and shooting it well from the floor. It’s a big reason the Wizards have dominated FG % this season.
Do the Grizzlies, as the fourth seed, actually have the most top-end talent?
Prior to the deadline, we probably would have said yes. Mitchell, Kawhi, Barnes, and Bridges is one heck of a foursome, and they’re certainly capable of championship level basketball for 8 weeks. Post-deadline, teams like Tampa Bay and Brooklyn probably have a real argument. Still, the ability of all four guys to produce in every category across the board is something very few teams can match.
Is a championship a realistic goal for the Wizards?
It absolutely is. Frankly, we think that’s a realistic goal for all of the teams in the East left standing. Between Giannis, Brunson, Beal, and CJ McCollum, this team has more than enough firepower at the top of the rotation to compete with anyone. They have solid depth pieces (shout out to Grayson Allen playing the best ball of his career). If they can make it out of the play-in, they’ll likely have Desmond Bane back. It’s all there for this team.
POSTSEASON ROSTERS
Memphis
Aldama, Santi
Ayton, DeAndre
Barnes, Scottie
Bridges, Mikal
Davis, Johnny
Finney-Smith, Dorian
Holiday, Jrue
Leonard, Kawhi
Mathurin, Bennedict
Milton, Shake
Mitchell, Donovan
Murphy III, Trey
Prosper, Oliever-Maxence
Tillman, Xavier - IR
Wright, Delon
Washington
Allen, Grayson
Antetokounmpo, Giannis
Bane, Desmond - IR
Brunson, Jalen
Batum, Nic
Beal, Bradley
Collins, Zach
Dort, Lu
Gafford, Daniel
Horford, Al
McCollum, CJ
McDaniels, Jaden
Pritchard, Payton
Porter Jr., Michael
Wallace, Cason