6 CLACKAMAS PRINT • APRIL 22,2015
Trail Blazers prepare for the
Memphis BBQ
Grizzlies vs Blazers
by Zak Laster
by Blake Thomason
S'
Finally! The Blazers season stum
bles to a close and now, It’s tim e for
playoffs! This time last year, there was
excitem ent and optim ism because
the Blazers had a strong starting five,
w ith nearly everyone h ittin g th e ir
stride a t th e rig h t tim e. The same
cannot be said fo r this year’s team,
as th e y e n te r th e playoffs Injured,
battered and on a four-gam e losing
streak. Unlike last year’s opponent,
th e Houston Rockets, w ho play lit
tle to no defense a t all, this year’s
o p p o n e n t, th e M em phis Grizzlies,
th rive on th e ir defensive play. The
Grizzlies have given the Blazers huge
problems this season. Memphis won
th e season series 4 -0 , holding the
Blazers to under 1 00 points in all
fo u r games. I don’t see this playoff
series going any different.
Memphis matches up well at every
position and the Blazers are not even
close to healthy. LaMarcus Aldridge,
Nicholas Batum, Arron Afflalo, Chris
Kaman, Dorell W right and C.J. McCul-
lum are all either battling nagging In
juries or will be unavailable for some
or the entire first round. That doesn’t
even take into account th e loss o f
“Iron Man,” Wesley Matthews, w ho
has been out on Injury since March
6. All o f this does not look like it will
add up to a winning playoff series in
2015. That being said, Blazers fans
can take pride In knowing their team
won their first outright division cham
pionship since the 1998-99 season.
Blazer fans w ill p o in t to th e fact
th a t Memphis Is dealing w ith th e ir
own Injuries, but their current lineup
is better than any th a t th e Blazers
can put on the court right now. If the
Blazers had a healthy group o f play
ers, th e series m ight extend longer,
although it’s safe to assume th e re
sult w ould be the same. The Blazers
playoff run w ill be short and sweet,
like Memphis barbeque. Pencil the
Grizzlies in to th e second round.
ZL: I'm taking the Grizzlies in five games.
BT: I see Portland winning a tough, gritty series in seven games.
Rip City Is back In th e playoffs and
Blazer fans should be excited.
As usual, the west had a w ild finish.
Teams ranked No. 2 th ro u g h No.6 In
the conference were all tied or w ithin
a game o f each other. Of the four pos
sible draws fo r a first-round matchup,
Portland g o t th e m ost favorable w ith
Memphis.
The Grizzlies ended the season In a
mini-slump - going 5-5 in their last 10 -
similar to Portland. The Blazers have had
Inconveniently tim ed Injuries dow n the
stretch - losing Wesley Matthews for the
season, Arron Afflalo fo r the start o f the
playoffs and other m inor ailments - but
they’re not alone. Two o f the Grizzlies’
best guards, Mike Conley and Tony Allen,
are also lim ping into th e postseason.
W hile th e loss o f Matthews hurts th e
Blazers, the rise o f second-year guard
CJ. McCollum has helped ease the pain.
Allen Crabbe has also done a nice jo b
filling In during Matthews’ and Afflalo’s
absence and he should see an increase
in minutes until the latter returns.
Memphis’ strength is in Its frontcourt,
lead by Marc Gasol and fo rm e r Blaz
er Zach Randolph. P ortland also has
strength, experience and most im por
tantly, depth. LaMarcus Aldridge, Robin
Lopez, Chris Kaman and even the young
Meyers Leonard w ill all play key roles in
this series. W hile Leonard may not be
th e biggest bruiser o r best d e fender
like some o f the other posts, his ability
to knock dow n perim eter shots w ill be
Im portant. Drawing Randolph or Gasol
out o f th e paint w ill free up room fo r
Aldridge and Damian Llllard to operate.
His overall athleticism will also help the
offense.
Despite similar lineups, these tw o foes
play drastically different styles of bas
ketball. Memphis likes to slow the game
and pound the ball inside. Portland ex
cels when they run and push the tempo.
If th e Blazers are able to control th e
pace, they should be able to score easy
and often on a tough Grizzlies defense.
P o rtla n d sh o w e d last y e a r th e y
w ouldn’t be fazed by having to w in on
the road and th a t should be the same
this year given the team ’s added expe
rience. The Blazers have been trem en
dous at home and the Grizzlies are the
second w orst team on the road of the
four possible opponents.