The Phoenix Suns have locked up the regular season title early, and the second place in the West is not the Golden State Warriors in the first half, but the Memphis Grizzlies, whose paper lineup is relatively civilian. Against defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Grizzlies took the initiative from start to finish, increasing their lead step by step, and they eventually won 127-102 over the Bucks. Now that the Grizzlies have locked up playoff spots in advance, the team's goal is to seek a breakthrough or even break out of the West.
In the past three games, the Memphis Grizzlies have been in really hot form. They first beat the Brooklyn Nets 132-120, knowing that Durant and Kyrie Irving were both out. Then the Grizzlies beat the Indiana Pacers 133-103, although the other side swooped down, but it also showed that the Grizzlies were really strong. Coupled with the wild sweep of the Bucks, in other words, in the past three games, the Grizzlies have won as many as 67 points against the other side. As the team's home star, Ja Morant has continued to improve this season, averaging 27.6 points and 6.7 assists per game, and is likely to be selected for the league at the end of the season. But statistics show that During Morant's absence this season, the Grizzlies have only lost two games, and the winning percentage is even higher than that of the Chicago Bulls in the 95-96 season and the Golden State Warriors in the 15-16 season. This fully shows that the Grizzlies are all soldiers, and Morant is absent, and the Grizzlies' defense has gone to a higher level.
Morant wasn't on the floor, and the Grizzlies' ability to take over the game at critical moments was a bit worse, but the impact wasn't as big as others thought. That's because the Grizzlies have more scoring points, and even if Morant is out, other players can make up for the losses. Desmond Bain is only a second-year student, but this season he has improved rapidly, against the Bucks, Desmond Bain scored 20 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, and in many teams he can even be the core.
In addition, Morant is absent, and the original backup point guard Tyres Jones naturally needs to start from the top. In terms of personal ability and on-court viewing, Tyres Jones is far from Morant, but in terms of organization and control of the overall situation, Tyres Jones may not be worse than many first-line point guards. In this game, Terres Jones got another double-double of 13 points and 10 assists, distributed the ball well, and prioritized opportunities for teammates, but if he was in an empty position, Tyres Jones could also respond.
A good team not only needs someone to attack the city, but also to defend the gates, and Dillon Brooks is the number one sapper on the Grizzlies' outside line. Perhaps because he had just recovered from injury and was overly depleted defensively, Dillon Brooks was not stable offensively this season. But he was really good on the defensive end, and the Grizzlies always arranged for Dillon Brooks to consume the opponent's main scorer, and many stars, including Harden, Doncic and Middleton, suffered in front of him.
There's Dillon Brooks on the outside, and the Grizzlies also have powerful twin towers under the basket. Against the Bucks, Grizzlies starting center Steven Adams only scored four points, but he grabbed 11 rebounds, not counting the data-poor blocking cover and effective interference on the defensive end. Last summer, the Grizzlies bought Adams from the Pelicans, compared with the past center Valanciunas, Adams's offensive ability is very limited, but the Grizzlies are not short of scorers after all, just need Adams such an interior blue collar, the two sides are a match made in heaven.
Adams is tough, but he also has shortcomings, such as as a traditional big center, Adams has poor footsteps and mobility, and it is inevitable that there will be some losses in assisting defense and changing defenses. At this time, Jarren Jackson Jr., as Adams' inner partner, can come in handy. Due to Desmond Bain's sudden rise, Jaren Jackson Jr. is now more like the Grizzlies' third-scoring point, but his role on the defensive end is difficult for others to replace. In contrast to Adams, Jaren Jackson Jr. may have average rim-guarding ability and often even have more foul problems. However, he was quite flexible, and he was responsible for assisting in the defense sweep at Adams' side, and the two seemed to be quite complementary.
The Grizzlies' start was sharp enough, and the bench players were not far behind. D'Antoni Melton scored 24 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists against the Bucks, and this season he has improved a lot and has the potential to become a reliable 3D double guard. In addition, the likes of Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clark and Tillman are also quite strong, and the Grizzlies can easily discharge a high-quality 10-man rotation. The star of hope, Morant, top defensive efficiency and excellent team atmosphere and chemistry, this Grizzlies are very similar to the Chicago Bulls 10 years ago, they want to prove that their outstanding record today is not a flash in the pan, even in the playoffs, the Grizzlies may become a dark horse to be reckoned with.