The Memphis Grizzlies have had a good season overall, currently sitting in the second spot in the tough and rugged Western Conference. As it stands right now, it looks like the Grizzlies would be in the second or third spot at season's end, depending on what the Sacramento Kings do with their remaining games. Getting either of those two spots would result in the best regular season Memphis has had in recent memory.
Even with the Grizzlies having success on the court, it hasn't happened without its share of bumps on the trail. Their superstar point guard, Ja Morant, has been out of the lineup do to discipline issues. Morant has allegedly displayed a pattern of troubling behavior, with reports surfacing about everything from fights with teenagers, to being in a truck that pointed a red laser at an Indiana Pacers entourage. After those reports surfaced, an Instagram Live video of Morant holding a gun inside a club signaled the team to address the issues.
The 23-year-old guard was suspended for what turned out to be eight games, and he went to a counseling facility in Florida during that time. Through it all, Morant is scheduled to return in the coming days. Injuries to forward Brandon Clarke and center Steven Adams have also slowed Memphis down. Clarke is out for the season with a tear of his left Achilles, and Adams has been in-and-out of the rotation.
But here we are, and the Grizzlies are still one of the most dangerous teams playing basketball. With that said, let's take a look at a seeding scenarios and playoff matchup that could only be pictured in a dream.
Grizzlies dream seeding scenario and playoff matchup
I mentioned Memphis is likely to finish in the second or third spot in the conference standings. That means they won't have to worry about the play-in tournament, and they will have home court advantage in most cases when it comes to matchups in the playoffs.
So who would the Grizzlies like to see in the first round? The Golden State Warriors of course. Normally, there wouldn't be any situation where a defending champion would be the opening matchup a team would want, but this is a different case.
First, there is some animosity (to put it mildly) between the two clubs. We have heard about the rift between Memphis guard Dillon Brooks and Warriors forward Draymond Green, as they continue to trade barbs with each other. Golden State guard Klay Thompson has thrown plenty of shade at the Grizzlies, especially when the Warriors won the NBA Finals in 2022. Steph Curry lets his play do the talking (for the most part), but even he has traded a few words with Morant in past games.
Secondly, Golden State was the team that took Memphis out of the playoffs last season, winning 4-2 in the Western Conference semifinals. Even in defeat, the Grizzlies believed they would have been the team that moved on if Morant didn't get injured in Game 3 with an knee injury, which forced him to miss the rest of the series. Brooks famously said “We’re young, they’re getting old, so they know we’re coming every single year,” after the series loss.
The Warriors currently sit at sixth in the conference, but there's a lot of congestion in the standings. Golden State is a game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for fifth, but only 1 1/2 games separate them from the Los Angeles Lakers, who are 11th. In other words, there's a real possibility this matchup can actually happen, and the Grizzlies would have the home court, which was the case in last season's matchup.
Memphis would love nothing more than to get revenge on the Warriors. They would make up for getting knocked off by their nemesis a season ago, and they can say they officially dethroned the defending champ. Those items alone are enough to get the Grizzlies going, but there's genuine dislike between these two teams. Normally, there would be handshakes and props given for a hard-fought series. It wouldn't be surprising if none of that took place, at least as far as Brooks and Green are concerned.
Getting Golden State in the first round would be the dream scenario for Memphis, but they would have to be careful if they were to win. A victory would definitely cure the revenge bug, but there would still be a lot of work left to be done. There are other teams besides the Warriors, and it's possible a letdown could happen after something that would create so much emotion. With that said, one can be sure the Grizzlies wouldn’t run away from the opportunity.
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