Grizzlies Playoffs Blog Panel by GrizzNation: Part 2

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Game 2

Game 2

We introduced you to our playoffs panel in the first article. Here’s part 2 of the panel discussion:

1) How would you rate the Grizzlies performance in Game 1?

Elizabeth: I know that it’s best to have the ‘Never too high after a win, never too low after a loss’ mentality, but with a game like Sunday’s game, how can we not be excited? The Grizzlies came out from the tip engaged. You could see the determination on their faces from the jump. They were on target most of the night. These Grizzlies are the ones the city of Memphis and the fan base fell in love with. There was grit, there was grind, there was heart. The Grizzlies performance in Game 1 was outstanding and deserves a solid 10 from me.

Kathy: In Game One, the Grizzlies looked like the early-season team the NBA rightly feared. With a dominating wire-to-wire victory, the Grizzlies showed they mean business — and that they have the Trail Blazers’ number. Beno Udrih was phenomenal off the bench, the team kept turnovers under control, and they played Grizzlies-style defense. The Grindhouse was at its awesome best; the atmosphere was electric. On a scale of 1-10, the Grizzlies deserve an 11 for their performance Sunday night.

Jamar: I would give the Grizzlies a B+ rating. They started the game off a little sloppy. But once their nerves calmed down a little bit then the team started playing that gritty ball. Conley and Allen both looked pretty good. You can tell the team was happy to have them back. We jumped out to a huge lead and never looked back…..until the 4th quarter. Our team always has the tendency to let their foot up off an opponent’s throat when they’re up big. Unfortunately it happened again against Portland. True, we still won by 14 points; but, you can tell that we kind of relaxed in the 4th. We started making flashy plays and jacking up shots. We went away from Grizz ball. Nonetheless, I am of course very happy to see the dominant effort. I just wish we would show that killer instinct more often and keep that Grizzly foot on our opponent’s throat. But, I’m very happy to see the team playing with confidence again! This is a very dangerous team when they’re playing with confidence.

Jason: The Grizzlies were about as good as they’ve been all year. They came out and made a statement early on and never let up.

Martin: Great Performance! Great Win! Good job setting the tone for the playoffs.

Constance: I think this was a B+ performance. Everyone did all the little things to make sure that there was a good flow to the game and that we had a successful outcome.

Alec: I would rate it a 8 out of 10. The bench really stepped up especially Beno. I wish I could go into more detail but I took my 3 year old to the game so I spent a plot of times chasing her around.

2) What do you think the Grizzlies need to do in Game 2 to win and maintain the momentum?

Elizabeth: Game 2 is not likely to be a complete repeat of Game 1. The Blazers will look at tape, study what they did wrong and attempt to make adjustments to the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies will look at tape of what they did right and try to imitate it for Game 2. They will also need to look at what they did wrong and clamp down on several things that allowed Portland to attempt to mount a comeback. Lillard is not very likely to go 0-6 from 3 or 5-21 from the field again, so Grizzlies need to continue to put pressure on him and make it difficult for him every minute he’s on the floor. We know that Portland is banged up right now, but we should never underestimate them and what they are capable of. In order to win Game 2, Grizzlies must continue to play our signature brand of basketball…DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE.

Kathy: The Trail Blazers will be fighting for a split of these first two games; they do not want to return home down 2-0 in the series. Arron Afflalo is likely to play and their energy should be quite high. The Grizzlies’ energy must be higher still! If the guys take the court with the same focus, determination, and energy they showed in Game One, the Blazers will fall 2-0 despite their best efforts. Grit and grind will be essential; we must force the Blazers to play Grizzlies’ basketball. From our defense comes our offense; if we can continue to force them to take only the off-balance looks they get when our defense is on fire, we can hold them and allow our offense to do its work.

Jamar: I think the Grizzlies need to do more of the same. Make Lillard work for every shot. In Game 1,  pretty much every shot he took was contested. Most of the time he had a crowd on him. But he wasn’t the only one facing a tough defense. The team as a whole did a really good job of playing that tough, gritty defense. The only person that had a good game for Portland was Aldridge. I can live with that. One person scoring 30 plus points while the rest of the team struggles isn’t going to win this series for Portland. On the offensive side of the ball we did a good job of going inside. We weren’t jacking up 3s or taking ill-advised shots. Ball movement was good and had Portland on their heels a lot. Our bigs were all aggressive and fighting inside. Our offense had a natural flow to it. In Game 2, the key is to just stick to the basics again. Move the ball, don’t jack up 3s and play gritty defense. Turnovers lead to easy baskets which can help get the guys going. Speaking of turnovers, we have to continue to keep that number low. In Game 1, we did a good job of protecting the ball. We don’t want Lillard running in transition and getting easy baskets. We already know Portland is going to come our aggressive. They know that it’s way better returning home with the series tied at 1-1 instead of being down 0-2. So I expect them to come out on fire. But as long as the Grizz don’t panic and continue to play good team defense, they’ll cool off and the game will turn into our type of game. A grind it out, gritty game. We just have to endure the run they will try to make.

Jason: The Grizz need to come out strong and establish the tone early and keep their foot on the pedal throughout the entire game. They need to play solid defense for 48 minutes and never allow Lillard or Aldridge to catch a decent rhythm. If they can do that, they’ll easily take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Martin: Game two the key will be to stick to our identity. Play inside out in the mud, and keep up the tenacious defense.

Constance: We have to come out hot from the start  firing on all cylinders. Everyone needs to stay focused and do their jobs. We need to effectively rebound, always look for the ball, get after it on ever possession. We can’t let down. Play until the end!

Alec: To win game 2, we need to come out strong and demoralize them from the get go. I think Big Spain will have a great game in light of the Spanish Players sign that Portland was using.

3) Beno was the hero off the bench in Game 1 with 20 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds. What other bench player should step up and shine in Game 2? Why?

Elizabeth: Playoff Beno was in full effect in Game 1. It was great to see him go off and torch the Blazers. Beno’s great night allowed Conley to only play 23:48, which allowed him to rest that foot. This bodes well for the Grizz moving forward. It’s so difficult to predict who will be the next bench player to shine for the Grizz because there are many capable of doing so. On any given night, someone different is liable to come up big. My bet is that we will continue to see good offensive games from Beno. Kosta Koufos with his rim protection will be a tremendous asset. When Tony Allen feels more comfortable on the court as he did in the 2nd half of Game 1, then watch out.

Kathy: Hopefully, Beno will be on fire again Wednesday night. Vince Carter needs to find his groove and contribute from his niche in our offense. We have a great bench that can dominate the Blazers’ reserves and we need them all to come out firing when Coach Joerger gives the cue. Our best weapon off the bench is Jeff Green; hopefully his back problems remain in check and he can add to the Grizzlies’ domination of the Blazers in Game Two.

Jamar: I really think Vince should step up and shine in Game 2. It seems like he was the only one that didn’t shine in Game 1. Beno made plays. Allen made plays. Koufos made plays. Our bench was producing. The only person that couldn’t really get it going was Vince. We need him to step up in a big way because that’s why we brought him here! We brought him here to give us shooting off of the bench. And to hit big shots in the playoffs. At times during the season he looked like he would be that guy. But for some reason he’s been in a slump lately. You know it’s bad when you miss a dunk. So Vince should shine in Game 2. But with that being said I don’t want him coming out and forcing 3s. Instead he should focus on going inside. Driving to the basket and maybe taking a few mid range shots. Something easy to help him get his confidence back. If he can do that then, I’ll feel comfortable with him taking a couple of 3s later on in the game. But I wouldn’t complain if Beno shined again as well. That really helped because Conley was able to rest longer.

Jason: As much as I wish Vince Carter could step up and provide some scoring off the bench, that seems highly unlikely at this point, due to his injuries and the fact that he’s not getting any younger. I would imagine that Udrih will have another monster game and I’m hoping that Koufos can play well and give the front office a reason to renew his contract this off season. You can probably expect Tony Allen to come off the bench and lock down Lillard and Afflalo, assuming Afflalo plays tonight.

Martin: Beno was Awesome… Going forward I would like to see more from Vince Carter. Going forward we will need contribution from everybody especially Vince. Hoping to see him break out the slump in Game 2.

Constance: We all know that TA is going to step up and do all the little intangibles to keep us pumped up. He stepped up in game 1 and I expect the same and more in game 2. I would love for Vince Carter to get it going too. I still think we can use his experience and his expertise. The 3 ball will start falling for him consistently.  He just needs to stay encouraged.

Alec: I think Green will have a strong game in game 2. He wasn’t great from the field in game 1 and don’t think he’ll repeat that.

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