An embattled Memphis Grizzlies season came to an unceremonious end Friday night versus the Los Angeles Lakers. The 125-85 shellacking in Game 6 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs leaves the franchise in need of serious soul-searching and much better luck with injuries. It is difficult to not let frustration creep in when eulogizing this once promising team that was supposed to be “fine in the West.”

Of course, when Ja Morant said those infamous words, they had not yet lost crucial contributors Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke. In any case, their final showing in LA was truly a sight to forget. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith poured salt into fans' gaping wounds Monday on First Take, expressing his disappointment in such a one-sided conclusion to what had the makings of being the best first-round matchup.

“They look like damn jokes. They were an embarrassment, ” he said, via ClutchPoints. “They didn't lose, they got their a** kicked [by the Lakers]… If I'm the Memphis Grizzlies, they're a laughing stock right now.”

As mentioned above, this was not a team at full strength, but they had finished the regular season strong all the same. Morant played with his hand injury and ignited a huge Memphis effort in Game 5. None of that carried over into the weekend, with everyone looking thoroughly outclassed by the reborn Lakers. The Grizzlies were powerless inside and outside the paint. All of the hype built up by Dillon Brooks and the media amounted to an unfortunate wake-up call.

And that wake-up call does not just confront the health of the roster but also their growth and maturity. Losing in this fashion just exacerbates all of the drama and invalidated bravado.

It will be a long, long offseason.