Suns 114-122 Grizzlies Booker scored 41 points Brooks 30+7 to end the Suns' 9-game winning streak
Who is the best team in the NBA this season? Nine out of ten people will probably vote for the Sun.
After last year's surprise to reach the Finals, the Suns have steadily improved on this basis this season, becoming one of the most united, tactically disciplined, and most balanced offensive and defensive teams in the league, beating the Nuggets on Friday and locking up the regular season championship 8 games in advance, which is more than enough to show their huge advantage over the other 29 teams in the league.
So who is the team closest to the Suns? The answer may be controversial. Defending champion Bucks, the Celtics, who have been in hot form lately, all seem justified in their nominations, and the Grizzlies, who have finished second in the league, are certainly strong candidates.
Today, the Grizzlies suns ushered in a head-on showdown, a highly anticipated "top battle" that disappointed the Grizzlies for an unexpected rotation of the four main players. Unexpectedly, relying on a set of "residual teams", the Grizzlies actually defeated the league leader who played all the time, and at most, they led by 16 points!
The Grizzlies eliminated the Warriors in the playoffs last year, becoming the dark horses of the playoffs, but they were still not very optimistic before the start of the season. Las Vegas has a record of 41.5 wins for them, and after beating the Suns today, they have already won 55, and with one victory just around the corner, they will tie the best record in team history.
Also, because there are only four games left in the regular season and the Grizzlies currently have a 7.5-win record ahead of the Warriors, they have already decided in advance that they will end the regular season as second in the West, which will also be the best ranking in the history of the team!
As the second smallest team in the league in average age and the fourth lowest in the league in terms of average salary, how can the Grizzlies be the biggest dark horse of the season? As an ordinary fan who usually pays little attention to the game, it is easy to put the credit on the young core of this team, Ja Morant.
This season, Morant averaged 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, shooting 49.3% from the field, and his explosive style of play has led many to compare him to Derrick Rose at his peak. But here's a slight irony: This season the Grizzlies' record without Morant is a staggering 20-2! Far better than Morant's performance on the floor.
Without the best players in the team, the performance is better, why is this? To sum up, it is nothing more than when Morant is away, the Grizzlies play more team, and the level of defense has also improved significantly. This slightly harsh fact also directly excludes Morant from the MVP's discussion.
In fact, Morant should not be weakened by the Grizzlies' strong "team basketball" performance to compete for MVP opportunities, but Taylor Jenkins should definitely be listed as the number one candidate for coach of the year. And today's victory over the sun will surely add another heavyweight weight to him.
Morant hung up his free card after playing the Hawks on the road on March 19 with a knee injury, but since then, the Grizzlies have won all six games, just as Morant did last December when he first suffered a knee injury and took a 12-game break. But today, when Adams, Jackson Jr., Bain, and Jones are also on a group break, it's hard not to wonder if the Grizzlies want to win.
Facts have proved that the Grizzlies, a team, will not lose their fighting spirit and desire to win because of anyone's absence. In today's game, they gave the Suns a downside with a energetic performance at the beginning, with ferocious pressing, positive frontcourt rebounds, playing a 15-3 start, and establishing an early lead.
Throughout the game, the Grizzlies rebounded 16-2 in front of the court, scored 68-56 in the penalty area, forcing the Suns, who averaged only 13 turnovers per game, today had 20 turnovers, and the light fast offensive counterattack took 20 points.
So, while the Grizzlies' team-wide shooting percentage is nearly 10 percentage points lower than their opponents 's (45.1 percent vs. 54.7 percent), they've become the ultimate winners with an extra 16 shots (102-86 shots).
Objectively speaking, the performance of the Suns today is also worthy of respect, although the start was caught off guard, but still in the lead of Booker, Paul, to win the suspense for the game again, they once completed the counterattack in the third quarter, until the game entered the final 10 minutes, and only 87-88 trailed by 1 point.
During this period, Grizzlies coach Jenkins was also expelled for venting his dissatisfaction with the referee, but the Grizzlies still resisted the pressure at the most critical moment, preventing the opponent from a scoring drought that lasted more than 4 minutes, and finally successfully defended the victory. The old,sturdy, calm performance doesn't look like a young team at all.
Jenkins didn't see his team laugh to the end, but he had already left a deep imprint on the team, so he didn't have to worry about the commander-in-chief's absence, and the position was loosened.
Jenkins, born in 1984, not only did he not play in the NBA, but he didn't even have any college basketball experience. In the 2007–08 season, at the age of 23, he joined the Spurs as an intern in basketball operations before getting the chance to coach in the Development League.
Later, Jenkins followed Budenholzer as an assistant coach for six seasons at the Hawks and Bucks, until the summer of 2019, when he was hired by the Grizzlies as head coach. The unexpected decision was described by local media in Memphis as "a decisive moment for boss Robert Pera and the team's management."
In the two and a half seasons of coaching the Grizzlies, Jenkins' performance is obvious to all, whether it is lineup management, on-the-spot adjustments, or the ability to make players obey the command and serve the team.
One of the most important reasons Jenkins has been able to be such a good coach is his humble personality and excellent leadership, and there is no contradiction between the two. In the post-match press conference of almost every game, when talking about the success of the team, you can hear things like "thank you to our players", but the specific wording changes. He likes to give up the spotlight to the players while hiding in the editing room to study and organize the game video.
And what Jenkins does best when it comes to reaching the full potential of his players is his positive attitude, he's always proactive in communicating with every player to make them clear about what they have to do and how important they are to the team. Jenkins doesn't shy away from questions and can be open about the shortcomings of the players, but he's definitely not the old-school coach who yells at your nose.
It's these qualities that earn Jenkins respect, and the Grizzlies players continue to praise how the head coach has helped them build confidence on the court. Desmond Bain, a second-year top scorer who has improved so fast this season, praised Jenkins for "giving us the confidence to take a shot with confidence, whether it's a shot or a loss." ”
Among the Grizzlies' players, there was even a joke slogan, "let that MF fly," and it was Jenkins who was the first to shout it.
Coaches and players mingle, players always praise their coaches on various occasions, good team atmosphere, absolute mutual trust, so that all tactical arrangements, employment rotation can be carried out smoothly.
Today's outstanding second-year center Xavier Tillman, as well as young forward John Conchar, are not usually in the team's regular rotation, but their "outburst" is no accident, Conchar has had six starts this season when the main player has been injured, averaging 6.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1 steal and 1.2 blocks per game, and Tillman has also started 12 times in his rookie season, averaging 10.5 points, 7.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1 block.
Tillman and Conchar are just two of the Grizzlies' many role players, who are perfectly capable of getting more playing time and performance opportunities, but are willing to sit by the water dispenser and cheer for their teammates for the benefit of the team. And when the team needs it, they will also stand up with the fullest state and the most positive attitude, just like today.
Similar examples include Tyres Jones, DeAndre Melton, Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clark, and so on.
Everyone is for me, I am for everyone, it is easy to say, but it is difficult to do, it is because of Jenkins as the leader, the Grizzlies have truly achieved selflessness, and have played team basketball to the extreme.
There must be many reasons behind a team's success, and the Grizzlies are no exception. Management's excellent draft vision and shrewd personnel operations, as well as the outstanding contribution of the coaching staff in developing young players, are essential. But if there's a number one core for this team, it's neither their star Jay Morant nor general manager Zach Kleiman, but the young coach who is less than 40 years old.
The battle for the best coach this season has never been fiercer, with Bixtaugh Jr. leading the Cavaliers to far exceed expectations, Monty Williams' Suns with the best record in the league, and Mike Malone and Tyrone Lue, all playing respectable performances in the face of injuries on their respective teams.
But let me say that while all of the above have reasons to be named Coach of the Year, the discussion of this topic can end after today's Grizzlies' victory over the Suns.