The Memphis Grizzlies have been the underdogs of this current NBA season. They have been superb and very ably led by their star point guard Ja Morant but even beyond him, the team has been in golden touch. They are surely a team to watch out for as the postseason inches closer.
The Grizzlies are second in the Western Conference standings only after Phoenix Suns as they are having a freak regular season. The Grizzlies were very dominant in recent matches, they took over the Golden State Warriors a few days ago and now they have developed a handsome lead over them in the second position.
Their consistent performances were not appreciated enough until NBA analyst and former champion with the Boston Celtics, Kendrick Perkins discussed them on Tuesday’s episode on ESPN. Perkins highlighted how the Grizzlies have that don’t care attitude and are ready to hunt down their opponents. They dont have any respect for who the big player is or how much legacy the franchise carries, they are just here to win.
“Let me tell you something about the Memphis Grizzlies … they don’t give a damn who you are. They have zero respect for you when it comes between those lines,” Perkins started.
The Grizzlies currently have a record of 53-23 and are in the second position in the Western Conference sandwiched between the P{hoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors. In Ja Morant’s absence, the team was lead by Dillon Brooks who did the major share of scoring recently defeated the Golden State Warriors 123-95 in their last game. They even defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 127-102 before that and this time they did that without the presence of their talisman Ja Morant. Players like Dillon Brooks, DeAnthony Melton, Jaren Jackson Jr, Steven Adams, Desmond Bane, etc stepped up their game to win against the Bucks.
A win against the reigning champions that too by 25 points and without their best player on the court must have given them great confidence and motivation. Looking at their recent performances Perkins is simply awestruck.
“If Ja Morant wasn’t on the Memphis Grizzlies, and we see this team playing the way they’re playing the way right now, what would we be saying right now? We all be saying, ‘Man, they’re one superstar away from being legit title contenders.’ But guess what? They actually have that superstar, and he’s coming back in about the next five days or so,” Perkins added.
The Grizzlies are 9-1 in their last ten NBA matches and have shown hardly any signs of slowing down. Considering their form and their ability to fight it out against the best team and dominate them without Ja Morant surely makes them special. Therefore Perkins feel that the Grizzlies can win the Western Conference in the postseason. “I got them winning the Western Conference,” he concluded.
