Sixers Face a Hungry Grizzlies Squad in Memphis

By Sean Kennedy

Unlike Baxter, I don’t think the Sixers are going to be friends of the bears when they face a Grizzlies team scrapping for their playoff lives. Memphis finds itself one game out of the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, despite the fact that they would be tied for 3rd in the East, because the chasm between the two conferences is wider than Michael Strahan’s gap. The Grizzlies may have saved their season with a 5-point victory against Miami Wednesday, and can’t slip up with probable wins against the Sixers (Spoiler Alert) and Lakers this weekend, before setting the stage for some high-intensity battles when they close out the season with games against fellow playoff hopefuls Phoenix and Dallas.

That’s a long-winded way of saying that Memphis is not going to hold anything back in going for the victory tonight. Star center Marc Gasol missed 23 games earlier this season with a sprained MCL, a stretch that saw the Grizzlies go just 10-13 (a record most teams would consider poor, Sixers fans), but they’re a different team defensively when the big Spaniard is in the line-up. The Grizzlies have not suffered a loss to a team currently below .500 since early February so there’s no history of them having a ‘let-down’ game against a lesser opponent. Case in point, Memphis crushed the Sixers last month 103-77, shooting 54% from the field as opposed to just 37% for the Sixers, a number low even by Philadelphia’s usual habitat for humanity-building standards. Starting forward Tayshuan Prince has missed the last two games with an ankle injury and likely remains out for this contest, but it shouldn’t make much of a difference in this contest.

So if I’m saying the Sixers don’t stand much of a chance against a motivated Memphis group, what should you be watching for tonight? First, I’d like to see if Michael Carter-Williams can contain stud point guard Mike Conley on the defensive end. MCW has picked up his offensive game lately, but I’d like to see him stop one of the craftier players in the game (Conley is basically ambidextrous and has a boatload of offensive moves accordingly). Also, I also enjoy the battles Thad Young has when he’s up against one of the true big men power forwards in the NBA. Zach Randolph has an inch and 30 pounds on Thad and I expect to see a war down low as Young tries to keep Z-Bo off the low block. Finally, the most intriguing match-up will be emerging center Henry Sims going up against Gasol. Sim City has 20-point outings in two of his last three contests and I want to see if he can replicate that production against arguably the best defensive player in the league. No matter the situation, there’s also some great things to watch for out on the court; let’s see if the Sixers can’t put a scare into the Grizzlies down in Memphis tonight.