NBA Playoffs: Takeaways for the eliminated teams (Western Conference Edition)

Memphis Grizzlies (Swept by the Spurs)

Marc Gasol’s absence hurt the Memphis Grizzlies

If there was ever an NBA team which was most suited for the title ‘Grizzlies’, it is this Memphis team. Even if the grindhouse era of the NBA is over, the Memphis Grizzlies have always been there to remind us how Basketball was always supposed to be played- a bruising defence and attacking the inside. However, over the last six seasons, despite having the required wherewithal to win a Championship, the Grizzlies have failed to make it past the first round all but once.

It is true that injuries to some of their key players like Marc Gasol has marred their season, however, it is undeniable that the team from Tennessee is slightly anachronistically placed in time and has failed to evolve with the changing demands of the league. If the Grizzlies intend to stay relevant, they need to evolve.

Take the 2011 San Antonio Spurs for instance. Up until then, Coach Pop had heavily relied on their future Hall of Fame PF/ C, Tim Duncan to play a significant role in their offence. Ironically, it was a surprise upset in the first round to an eighth seeded Grizzlies team that it dawned upon Pop that the league was going small, and contending a title on the shoulders of an aging Centre like Duncan just wouldn’t be possible.

Next season, the Spurs traded for the Pacers’ 15th pick in the draft, and selected Kawhi Leonard. Rather than focussing on crowding the paint, the Spurs heavily invested in the three-point shooting of wings like Leonard and Mills, propelling them into title contention. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The Grizzlies, built on a similar philosophy like the Spurs of the 2000s’- with their reliance on Gasol and Randolph, need to make a transition to small-ball.