The Memphis Grizzlies will be heading to Los Angeles for the final time this series when the Lakers host them in Game 6 of their first-round series.
After falling to a 3-1 deficit, the Grizzlies convincingly won Game 5 of the series to come closer to their goal of qualifying for the second round. Despite starting the series as favorites to win, the Lakers have outclassed the Grizzlies through the opening few games.
With momentum on their side ahead of Game 6, here are the three primary reasons why Memphis is poised to become the 14th team in NBA history to win a series after being down 3-1.
1. Energy And Youth
Even though Memphis plays in the Western Conference, they are not in the same time zone as the Lakers. The trips between the two cities are much longer than what most other teams in the West have faced in the first round, so fatigue is going to play a massive role in this.
The Lakers added youth at the trade deadline by getting a whole host of players under the age of 30. That doesn’t change the fact that their top stars are both 30+ and have concerning histories with injuries at this stage of the season. Anthony Davis has looked wildly inconsistent primarily due to a lack of consistent effort. Given the travel in this series with the one-day breaks, that has to be taking a toll on the Lakers.
The Grizzlies pushed the pace in Game 5 to take that win. Many have said that Memphis’s run-and-gun style won’t work in the playoffs and they need to execute in the half-court, but they used their pace and conditioning to outwork the Lakers in Game 5. That might be their recipe for overcoming this deficit.
2. LeBron James Doesn’t Look 100%
Even though LeBron James has had some sensational moments this series like all the game-winning plays he made in Game 4, this is not the LeBron James we know. Playoff LeBron is one of the most mythical players we have in the NBA’s lore. Giannis Antetokoumpo’s recent failure with the Bucks shows that prime LeBron making the Finals for eight consecutive seasons is an incredible achievement, even in the East.
We haven’t seen that version of LeBron that could just backpack a team to the Finals anymore. He has been sluggish on the court and is averaging 22.2 points, 12.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 45.7% from the field and 16.7% from three. He’s been hustling on the rebounds but it’s clear to see that his foot is still not 100%. Given the fact that many doctors told James he needed surgery instead of pushing to return for the playoffs, it seems he’s being challenged by his own humanity at this point.
He’s still a top-10 player while looking like this, but this isn’t how he normally looks when it comes to winning time. If Anthony Davis has another passive game, LeBron might not be healthy enough to force the issue and beat the Grizzlies single-handedly, as he could’ve probably done in 2018.
3. They Still Have Homecourt Advantage
Recent NBA history has shown that homecourt advantage isn’t as sacred as it once used to be. In the 2023 playoffs, we have already seen two teams with home-court advantage be eliminated in the Bucks and Cavaliers. The Sacramento Kings are also down 3-2 right now despite having a homecourt advantage. Homecourt benefits the Grizzlies in a more profound way.
We have already discussed the travel component in this series, as a flight from LA to Memphis can be almost 4 hours long on certain airlines. Even if the Lakers are on a chartered flight, the grueling nature of a long air journey cannot be removed. If the Grizzlies can steal Game 6 at the Crypto.com arena, they’re going to force the Lakers to hop back on a plane to Memphis and then face the Grizzlies in front of their home crowd. That will not be an easy task in any way, especially given the physicality and attrition we have seen in this series.
The Lakers have to finish the series off in Game 6 because going back to Memphis will not only be demoralizing but it’ll be exhausting for the team. The Grizzlies will push the pace no matter what and did that consistently for an 82-game season. The opportunity to beat the Lakers by coming back from a 3-1 deficit after all the trash-talk that has happened in the series will motivate them immensely to pull this off.
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