On Sunday night, the Portland Trail Blazers got manhandled by the Memphis Grizzlies. There are no excuses and there is no hiding that fact – it’s simply the truth. Yes, the rash of injuries has certainly hurt the Trail Blazers, but they are still a better team than they showed.
The injuries and matchup (the Trail Blazers got swept by the Grizzlies during the regular season) already made the team’s margin for error razor thin, but having dropped Game 1, the Trail Blazers must now take four out of six. This is certainly doable, but they have their work cut out for them. Here are some areas that they must improve in order to make that sort of comeback a reality:
Offensive Fluidity
As anyone who watched the game on Sunday could tell you, the Trail Blazers shot horrendously from the field. The numbers get worse the more you look at them – as a team they shot 33.7%. Starters, sans LaMarcus Aldridge, shot just north of 25%. If Aldridge’s 13-34 performance is enough to drag the rest of the starters up, that’s saying something.
First, credit must be given where it is due. The Grizzlies are an elite defensive team. They are disciplined, work as a unit, and are capable of strangling even the best offenses. With that being said, the Trail Blazers should have been able to turn in a better performance. They are better than they played on Sunday, particularly on offense, and their stagnation on the offensive end really held them back.
Far too frequently, it appeared as if the Trail Blazers’ movement just halted, especially off the ball. This makes it even easier to play defense, not that the Grizzlies need help. Throughout the season, there were plenty of instances when the offense slowed down to a crawl as Aldridge had the ball on the block and started going to work. While not my favorite play, clearing out and letting Aldridge do his thing is not the worst option.
However; when it is non-Aldridge players with the ball, the other four Trail Blazers cannot stand around. The key to beating an elite defense is movement, both in terms of players off the ball and via passing. The ball was too often in one spot for too long, and without player movement, there were precious few passing openings.
Effort/Hustle
By and large, NBA players try hard. They want to win. You don’t become a professional athlete without a megalomaniac competitive edge. I usually find suggestions that a team “try harder” to be pointless, but this is one of the few cases where I think it is applicable. Quite simply, the Grizzlies out-hustled the Trail Blazers. Zach Randolph beating two Trail Blazers to a loose offensive rebound is a prime example.
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This isn’t even to say that the Trail Blazers were lacking in the hustle department, per se. It’s just that the Grizzlies wanted it more. They are a team that has come close (Conference Finals in 2013) and a team that has been submarined by injuries (2014 first-round playoff loss). They know what is at stake for their franchise, and they were willing to put it all on the line.
The Trail Blazers need to be able to match that intensity. There is no easy fix – it really comes down to taking the game one possession at a time and focusing completely during each and every one. Fifty-fifty balls can add up, especially in a grindy playoff game, and while they wouldn’t have made a difference Sunday, they can be the difference between a win and a loss in a closer contest.
Locking Down the Role Players
Apr 19, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Beno Udrih (19) goes to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez (42) during the game in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Marc Gasol and Randolph are going to get theirs. You can make life difficult for them, but they are good enough that they’ll be able to do some damage no matter what. They are the heart of the team, and rightfully so. Thus, when Beno Udrih leads the Grizzlies with 20 points on 9-14 shooting in addition to what Gasol (16) and Randolph (15) did, you’re in for a rough night.
Consider that the Trail Blazers’ entire bench had 21 points compared to Udrih’s 20 off the bench. It was Udrih’s lights out shooting that blew the game open in second quarter, and Portland never recovered after. Every NBA player is talented, and many role players are more than able to explode like that. The Trail Blazers can’t allow it though.
It’s similar to the Detroit Pistons strategy against the Shaq and Kobe Lakers – let the stars get theirs, and lock down everyone else. It may not be Udrih next game, but the TrailBlazers need to be able to keep the Grizzlies’ role players in check (and in fairness, aside from Udrih, they mostly did).