I rewatched every Grizzlies first quarter possession in game 3 to see if they were good shots that just didn’t fall or if it was caused by the Lakers defense.
What I came away with is, outside of the Dillon 3s and the first Ja layup attempt, a lot of these are actually good percentage shots that’s just weren’t falling. Defensively, they made adjustments after the 1st and outscored the Lakers in the remaining 3 quarters. If just a few of those missed jumpers fall, and they end the 1st quarter in the 17-24 point range, this is a wildly different game.
As bad as that was, I feel pretty confident going into Game 4. A worse than nightmare start and still made it respectable. They could have just let the bench play out the 4th, but they kept putting pressure on the Lakers, which forced AD and LeBron to play extended minutes (AD – 39, LeBron – 36) when they could have been getting rest.
Bane started to get some shots to fall late in the 3rd quarter and 4th quarter, which is a great sign. Just need to carry that into game 4. They won’t start that cold again, so just weather any early Lakers flurry and keep any lead from exploding over 10, or get out to a quick lead and put pressure on them.
by stb_1992
4 Comments
Do you recall at which point did Jenkins call a timeout?
They definitely missed some gimmes but I think the first quarter was about what should be expected. Lakers are playing basically 5 on 3 or 5 on 4 every defensive possession because they can sag off some combo of Ja/Brooks/Tillman every possession.
Clip One – [https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2023/04/22/0042200153/40/a02eab94-6928-1e54-78ea-74a0c4b5a69b_1280x720.mp4](https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2023/04/22/0042200153/40/a02eab94-6928-1e54-78ea-74a0c4b5a69b_1280x720.mp4) Bane won’t shoot off the screen and he cannot drive in the paint when AD drops and JV/DLo sag off their man. This is the best shot Grizzlies are going to get on the possession and it’s a Brooks 3…
Clip Two – [https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2023/04/22/0042200153/56/e5637097-ba83-2b98-5fd0-50da267a1042_1280x720.mp4](https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2023/04/22/0042200153/56/e5637097-ba83-2b98-5fd0-50da267a1042_1280x720.mp4) Grizzlies stagger screens and the Lakers double Morant with no lane. Again Brooks is the best shot on this possession.
Clip Three – [https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2023/04/22/0042200153/72/55cbd1ba-8509-3edb-c627-2027f96044f2_1280x720.mp4](https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2023/04/22/0042200153/72/55cbd1ba-8509-3edb-c627-2027f96044f2_1280x720.mp4) Bane doesn’t shoot again, breezes by AD but this time Reaves/DLo collapse and Brooks is the best option again
So maybe you don’t like the Brooks 3s but the Laker are forcing the Grizzlies into this. It is not something that is going to improve, they just cannot play three non-shooters and come away with good shots. I don’t feel bad going into Game 4 but I think your diagnosis of the first quarter doesn;t give the Lakers enough credit. They came with a gameplan and dominated. The last 3 quarters of the game are not that important to me because the Lakers were coming late into sets, taking shots they normally wouldn’t, etc.
Masterclass of ass
What still baffles me about the first quarter is that the final 5 minutes we’re without ja jaren and bane.
Bane and Jaren were in foul trouble for sure, but what are we saving them for? In that 5 minute span, the lead ballooned from 15 points to 26. Relatively attainable to the largest first quarter deficit in playoff history.
No reason for all 3 to sit for nearly half a quarter in the playoffs ESPECIALLY given the context of where we were in the game.