Trail Blazers Preview: Memphis Grizzlies

The Portland Trail Blazers are in the playoffs! Yes with two straight wins the Blazers are now in playoff contention for the 2015-16 NBA season. But the bad news for us is we still have 77 games to play. Hopefully the Blazers can hold onto the momentum they have gained as they have a tough schedule ahead of them.

Their next opponent, the Memphis Grizzlies, were the last team they saw before last season ended. The Grizzlies are virtually the same team as last year except with the addition of Matt Barnes. As you know, the Blazers are not at all the same team that faced the Grizzlies in April.

Nov 3, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Courtney Lee (5) celebrates with forward Zach Randolph (50) after scoring a basket against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Sacramento Kings 103-89. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

The Grizzlies only two losses this year came to the two teams that faced in the Finals last year: the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. The sad thing about those losses were that they were not pretty ones; a 50 point loss to the Warriors and a 30 point loss to the Cavaliers. The teams they have beaten (Nets, Pacers, Kings) were games they are supposed to win, just like they are against Portland as a 3.5 point favorite.

The Grizzlies are a very interesting team to watch in the NBA because of how different a style they play as to other teams. They are good because they run their sets every time they get down the court. They do not get out into transition after they get the rebound like the Suns or have only a few plays they run like the Jazz. They are a very methodical team that can lull you to sleep with their offensive system and hit you with a basket when you are not paying attention.

The whole offense runs through Mike Conley. Without him, Memphis would be an absolute mess. He knows when to push in transition during a game (rarely) and which player needs a bucket to boost their confidence. He’s a coaches dream at point guard because he rarely makes mistakes or turns the ball over.

The dominating factor the Grizz have leaned on throughout the years is the lethal combo of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. There are not many teams that can play their physicality of basketball. They both can hit midrange jump shots and bang down in the post. It really is just pick your poison on who you want to focus on stopping.

Now the Grizzlies have multiple sets they like to run, but only a couple have a three point option. With only Conley and Courtney Lee being the only three point threats they tend to go away from the outside game. However, they try to get Lee going early in case they need to fall back on the thee pointer.

In the first play of the game, Lee comes off a stagger screen from Gasol and Randolph. The defense does a “fake” help where they only jab at Lee hoping that he will pick up his dribble or pass the ball. Lee goes through the help defenders to find an open lane to the basket and a fruitful scoring opportunity.

In the next play the screener is the scorer. Lee sets a backdoor screen for Tony Allen, who is the first option on the play. After Lee sets the back screen he comes up for a down screen set by Randolph. This creates space for Lee to get the ball and then get an opening to score. His man is late coming off the screen set by Randolph and flares off the screen to the short corner to hit a jump shot.

The next play that Lee gets involved in isn’t really meant for him but because of the threat of Gasol in the post free him on the perimeter. The play is a Gasol iso on the low post. Gasol comes off a screen set by Allen and is open on the block. The Kings point guard Rajon Rondo creeps towards Gasol in help. Gasol recognizes the double team and hits the leaking Lee at the three point line. Lee does not hit the shot but is a threat because of the way he can expand the floor for Memphis.

What the Grizzlies do a lot of is their pick and roll action. They are not as stagnant as the Jazz, they create movement off the ball before there is a screen that creates confusion with the defense. The bigs Gasol and Randolph usually set picks for Conley and Lee, but mostly Conley.

The Grizzlies like to do pick and rolls mostly after plays break down and there is no other option. The original play here is supposed to be a stagger screen for a Lee three. The defense defends the screen well and Gasol has to look elsewhere to pass the ball. He finds his point guard in the corner and does a handoff. After the handoff Gasol rolls to the basket and brings his defender away from the driving Conley. The screen of Gasol creates separation for Conley and gives him a driving lane to score.

They run the same exact stagger screen on the next play, except this time it is designed for Conley and it is on the strong side instead of the weak side. Again the stagger was defended well by the Kings and Gasol doesn’t force the pass. However instead of giving it to the guard next to him, he throws a skip pass across the court to Lee who then gets a screen from Randolph. The defenders hedge the screen hard and leave Randolph with a wide open shot by the free throw line. He misses the shot but it is a shot the Grizzlies are more than happy to take.

The next play is a designed pick and roll that gives both Conley and the screener, Randolph, room to work. The first look on this play however is the Gasol screen on Allen for a nice backdoor option. Bad separation makes this not a viable option and Lee has to get the ball to Gasol at the three point line, a place where he is not comfortable scoring from. Gasol swings it to Conley and goes back to the block that gives Conley space to work with. It takes a little while before Randolph sets the screen. Now everyone other than Randolph and Conley are flat, underneath both blocks. This is now a two man game with Conley and Randolph and if anyone decides to help their man will be open. Randolph’s man does a poor job of hedging, leading Conley to another score on a pick play.

The last pick and roll combo that I have seen the Grizzlies run was odd. First what happens in this play, Lee comes off a double screen set by Gasol and Randolph at the elbows. This could be a set up for him to get a three pointer but it does not happen in this particular play. After Conley passes the ball to Lee he goes like he is getting a backdoor screen from Randolph but then doesn’t use the screen. Randolph clears out to the short corner and Conley use Gasol as a screen now. Gasol’s screen is very effective and Gasol is automatically open as he rolls. Rondo does a bad job at recovering after the screen and Conley pushes forward. He suddenly finds that there is no more room to work with, but lucky for him Gasol is there to finish the play.

The next play has no screen and roll action but is very deceptive and clever on how the Grizzlies take what is given to them.The ball is passed to Matt Barnes after a down screen by Jeff Green. After Green sets the screen for Barnes, he gets a backdoor screen from Randolph. After Randolph sets the screen he does a little duck in on two defenders, leaving himself and Green open to score. Barnes hits Green under the basket on a bad pass that lets the defense recover. Green knows he cannot score in the position he is in now and kicks it to who hits the midrange jumper.

The next play is one of the few times the down screen works for the Grizzlies and is a reason why teams must always defend it. Gasol just simply swings the pass to Conley then sets a down screen for Green. Green uses the screen perfectly and cuts right off of Gasol’s outside shoulder.

The last play that I am going to cover can be effective for the Grizzlies if the Blazers bigs get lazy and do not decide to push the Memphis bigs out from where they are comfortable on the block. There is a lot of movement and it begins with some movement from Conley and Randolph. The defenders are paying attention to the movement by those two that they do not realize that Lee is setting a cross screen for Gasol to get open on the block. Gasol gets the ball right on the block but decides to take a turn around floater instead of using his strength and trying to get his opponent in foul trouble.

The concern for the Blazers in this game is the physicality. I don’t want to say that we are a soft team, but we are not the most physical one either. If Mason Plumlee can stay out of foul trouble and bang with Gasol or Randolph it will put Portland in a position to win. Another thing is that Meyers Leonard is doubtful to play in this game. If that does happen it will be Noah Vonleh’s first start as a Blazer and it doesn’t get more difficult than this.

The Blazers were more of an underdog last night than they are tonight. Any game can be won when you have an offensive playmaker like Damian Lillard in your lineup everyday. Fatigue may be a factor in this game for Lillard as he played all but 8 minutes for Portland last night. It may take a 40 point performance from him or CJ McCollum for the Blazers to win this one.