The Memphis Grizzlies haven't been much of a match for the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
During a brutal season filled with injuries, Memphis has endured through the process to become the 7th seed in the Western Conference, fighting for victories against the top two seeds in the East while nearly taking down the Warriors at home toward the end of their historic run.
Their games against the Spurs have been a much different story. Both have been easy victories for San Antonio, who appears to be dominating while merely playing at half speed. After going 40-1 at home in the regular season, it really isn't all that surprising.
That doesn't mean it isn't frustrating for the Grizzlies players, especially Matt Barnes.
“We're coming to a gunfight with some spoons,” Barnes told reporters.
“As long as we go down swinging, who cares what happens?” Barnes said. “I just want to go down swinging, and I don't think we're doing that.”
RELATED: Matt Barnes Uses D’Angelo Russell Incident To Take Shot At Derek Fisher On Instagram
Barnes has an interesting point. While the Grizzlies probably don't have a realistic chance of actually taking four of seven from San Antonio, you'd at least expect them to be a bit more competitive.
As a playoff team, it's your responsibility to lay everything on the line on the court. Of course, that becomes a mental challenge when you're so obviously overmatched, but at that point you're playing for your pride more than anything. If you get a win, great. If not, you can at least live with putting out your best effort.
Their head coach Dave Joerger is confident they can bounce back from these blowout defeats, thanks to four losses of over 30 points this season, including a 50-point defeat.
“We've had good practice,” said Joerger.
Follow Us
Subscribe