Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
The Western conference is perfectly situated for the Memphis Grizzlies to make it all the way to the NBA finals.
The Los Angeles Clippers looked like they would benefit from Russell Westbrook’s knee injury. However, then fate took another turn and the Clippers power forward, Blake Griffin suffered a moderate ankle sprain and is a game time decision for Game 6 in Memphis Friday night.
Now, the Clippers face elimination if Chris Paul can’t somehow turn the team he helped build this summer into a team that looks like they belong in the second round. The Clippers’ only shot on Friday if Griffin can’t play the full game is if Jamal Crawford and DeAndre Jordan both have career games. Jordan is the only player in the Clippers lineup with enough size to deal with the Grizzlies’ grit. Regardless of what happens, the Grizzlies have two chances to beat the Clippers.
The Grizzlies will get the Houston Rockets or the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. Neither of these teams can work the ball inside like the Grizzlies can. The Rockets don’t have the front court to handle Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.
Serge Ibaka looked like the Defensive Player of the Year in the regular season, but Gasol is quickly proving why he won the award. Gasol’s size, matched with his skill, will be incomparable in the West until he meets Tim Duncan, a matchup that’s looking pretty inevitable right now. Tiago Splitter is out indefinitely, and if he doesn’t return soon, the San Antonio Spurs will have a harder time in the second series than they would otherwise need to. The Spurs are seasoned,but if the core group has to play significant minutes, things start to go downhill. Limited minutes are the Spurs’ biggest asset. If the Spurs starts have to play the entire game, they become a little more human.
The Grizzlies’ only real challenge will be the Spurs. In regular season, each team won on their home courts. Mike Conley has definitely filled out his game a little and gotten more confident since the two teams last met in the beginning of April. Z-Bo is aggressive and runs the post. While the Grizzlies don’t have anyone to match Tony Parker, defensively the Grizzlies have a slight edge over the Spurs. Z-Bo and Gasol are the best passers and rebounders in the league, and their team seems to be getting better every game.
The Grizzlies and the Spurs Western Conference finals is the most likely way for the West to align. The Grizzlies aren’t the overwhelming favorites, but they aren’t the underdog either.
