The Thunder Put The Grizzlies Season On Life Support After Kicking Their Ass Again In Another Blowout Win

Zach Beeker. Getty Images.

I know, I know, a series doesn't "truly" start until someone loses at home. Technically, all the Thunder did to kick off this sers is what they were supposed to do, which is to protect homecourt. If you're a Grizzlies fan and you need to snort some copium, I'd go with that.

But for the rest of us, I'm afraid we have eyes. While the Grizzlies did a much better job this time around and didn't lose by 51, they still lost by 19 and were generally outclassed in every aspect of the game. As much as it might hurt to hear, these two teams are not close. It's Varsity vs JV. That's not uncommon for a 1v8 matchup, and sometimes in a playoff series, you just don't have the talent to take down an opponent who just so happens to be having a historic season. 

Much like Game 1, this game was yet another example of what makes the Thunder so devastating. It starts with their ability to completely suffocate you defensively. There are no holes, no weaknesses for you to target, and this is up and down the roster. Every single player that steps on the floor can defend, and they can defend multiple positions. So when we saw the Grizzlies get off to like a 1-12 (0-5) start, they were pretty much dead before they even caught their breath. Even when they cut it down to 6 in the 3rd quarter, the Thunder do not panic. Instead, they cause TOs and bury you in transition.

For the second straight game, the Grizzlies couldn't get out of their own way. One of the worst teams in the NBA in terms of opponents' points off TOs, they allowed 24 in the blowout in Game 1 and then another 25 tonight. In no world can you do that against the Thunder and not get blown out. Their ability to turn you over and then score in transition is the foundation of their dominance. If you don't have good ball control, you stand no chance. 

Then of course, there's the balance of their roster. SGA, the guy who many believe has locked up the MVP, has been a complete non-factor in terms of shooting the basketball. It's been very un-SGA like:

Has it mattered? Not even in the slightest. Sure, who they are playing is a factor in that, but it's also a testament to their elite depth

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We probably won't hear much about SGA's shooting to start the playoffs because the Thunder are winning, and that's fine. Not everyone is held to the same standard, even the MVP. When it came to the Thunder bench, this is where they were really able to extend things. OKC won that battle 33-14, and for the most part, every second unit player was efficient in their minutes

As I said in the blog after Game 1, you don't win 68 games and have the highest point differential in NBA history by accident. The Thunder are now +70 after two games in large part because of the production of their entire roster. Those things matter because it's how you end the series quickly, which for any title contender is the goal of these early rounds. Get out of these games healthy, and get out of the series quickly. Getting elite production from the "others" in the starting lineup, as well as the bench production at a time when your best player can't buy a bucket, is how you avoid those types of disasters that can play a role the later you get into your playoff run.

It goes without saying, but Game 3 is clearly both a "must win" AND a "can't lose" for the Grizzlies. NBA history says your season is over if you lose it. Granted, teams down 0-2 are 34-425 (7.4%) all time and 13-188 (6.4%) in the first round, so there's a case to be made that their season is already over. Perhaps it would have been better to lose the Play In compared to what we've seen happen through two games, but it's too late to go back now. Maybe you finally won't shoot like shit to start a game because you'll be at home, but unless the Grizzlies figure out their TO/points off TO problem (they won't), I'm not sure what else would even matter. 

As the Thunder move along, they'll certainly need SGA to play better and get back to hitting the same shots he has been making at a very high clip for the last 6 months, and you're silly to think he won't. Most rational people expected this series to be a quick sweep, and everything we've seen so far only makes that result feel inevitable.