The strongest unicorn in basketball

Chapter 346 Sweeping the Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are an amazing team.

If you want to say that you are weak, it is difficult to fight anyone who comes, but if you want to say that you are strong, you have not had good results these years.

More importantly, the black and white bears that once ruled the alliance are now only left in their prime of life.

Zach Randolph is about to turn 36 this year. He has officially become the team's substitute this season, and his average points, rebounds and other data have dropped to the worst level except for his rookie two seasons.

In terms of strength, the Grizzlies have dropped several grades on both offensive and defensive ends compared to previous seasons. The reason why they can enter the playoffs is mainly because their opponents set off well.

Several other former Western powerhouses, the Mavericks are getting old, the Lakers are entering the rebuilding period, and the Trail Blazers are suffering from injuries, which finally pushed the Grizzlies into the playoffs.

However, although they entered the playoffs, no one felt that they were lucky!

After all, in the eyes of everyone, even if the Grizzlies made the playoffs, they only played four more games than the teams that did not make the playoffs.

That's right, there are only four games, and there is no possibility of one more game!
It's not that the fans look down on the Grizzlies, it's that the Kings are too strong, so outrageously strong.

Neither the fans nor the media can see any hope that the Grizzlies can win a game.

Still, the Grizzlies showed their resilience.

On April 4, the Grizzlies faced the Kings away.

At the beginning of the game, they showed amazing fighting spirit. Gasol Jr. and Conley showed amazing touch on the outside as soon as they came up. They once played an 18:7 against the Kings.

However, then the Kings' defense began to increase in strength, and the Grizzlies' offense also began to decline, and the point difference gradually began to narrow.

At the end of the first quarter, the Kings had chased the point difference to 25:30, only 5 points behind.

The Grizzlies' ability to withstand the King's section is already very remarkable.

But it can only withstand one section.

After the game entered the second quarter, as the Grizzlies' three-point shooting began to decline, they suddenly found that their scoring became extremely difficult.

Randolph rubbed the ball with his back, rolled Grant to the basketball, and then swayed Grant with his footsteps, taking advantage of the time difference, ready to put the ball into the basket.

But at this moment, Covington, who was defending the bottom corner, suddenly returned to defense, and directly blocked Randolph, who could no longer jump.

The Kings are not only starting defensively well, but because of Covington and Grant on the bench, the forward defense is also very good!

Since the Grizzlies' outside shooting percentage has declined, the Kings can safely double-team.

Originally, the Grizzlies were not dominant inside, but as the Kings began to shrink their defense, it became even more difficult for the Grizzlies!
This is the case against the bench, and it will be even more difficult to play when the Kings return from the starting lineup!
Sure enough, the Grizzlies scored only 19 points in the second quarter, which was in stark contrast to the first quarter.

The Kings also successfully overtook the score with 52:49.

After entering the second half, the offense of the Grizzlies still failed to improve. They scored 15 points in the third quarter and 18 points in the fourth quarter. They only scored 82 points in total.

On the other hand, the Kings scored 32 points in a single quarter in the third quarter, which directly turned the fourth quarter into garbage time.

The final score was 82:111, and the Grizzlies lost miserably.

In the Grizzlies team, except for Gasol who scored 32 points, only Conley and Andrew Harrison scored in double figures, which was very miserable.

On the other hand, in the Kings, 8 of the team scored in double figures, and individuals can score while standing on the court.

This season, Li Pu's scoring average in the regular season has dropped to 24 points. Who would have thought that what prevented him from scoring high points was not too strong opponents, but too weak opponents?
Two days later, on April 4, the second series between the two teams continued in Saskatchewan.

Unlike the first time, this game started with the Kings taking the initiative and playing against the Grizzlies.

For the strong defense of the Kings, the Grizzlies have a headache, but there is no good way!
They have tried a lot of tactics, Gasol Jr.'s high post support, Conley and Jr.'s pick and roll, Randolph low post singles...

Unfortunately none of them worked.

The Kings easily blocked all the offensive tactics of the Grizzlies, and even Li Pu himself could strangle Gasol, the leader of the Grizzlies, for a period of time.

In this way, the Kings led the Grizzlies by 29 points at 16:13 in the first quarter, and even led by 19 points at halftime.

Let the second half be completely reduced to garbage time.

Although the Grizzlies once chased the score to 12 points in the third quarter, it is a pity that as long as the Kings make a little effort, the point difference will come back again.

106:82, the Grizzlies had another fiasco.

At the end of the two games, the big score of the series was rewritten to 2:0.

No one thinks the two teams are in the same league.

Even the Grizzlies, who have always been tough, were shaken in the game.

Can we really win a game against the Kings?

After the game, the Grizzlies, from the coach to the players, all bowed their heads. Obviously the series is not over yet, but they acted as if they had already lost.

The Kings are too strong, so strong that they are desperate!
Memphis is the largest city in Tennessee, the second largest city in the southeastern United States, and the 17th largest city in the country, with a population of about 70.

Since the Grizzlies arrived in the city, they have quickly shaken off the embarrassment of their time in Toronto and immediately revived.

Although they have not won the championship until now, they have been among the strong teams in the Western Conference for a long time. Although the core has changed from Gasol to Gasol, the true nature of the strong team has not changed.

However, this time, they didn't appear to be powerful at all.

On April 4, the two teams returned to Memphis for Game 20 of the series at FedEx Arena.

Despite returning to the home court, the Grizzlies' performance is still very poor, and the whole team has no morale at all.

If it weren't for the poor overall feel of the Kings in the first quarter, it would be impossible for the two teams to tie in the first quarter.

At 23:23, the two teams were tied in the first quarter, but that was all.

From the second quarter, the Kings' touch began to recover, and the Grizzlies' defense began to disintegrate in front of the Kings' strong offense.

The game between the two teams was like cutting flesh with a blunt knife. The Kings only won by five or six points in each quarter, but by the fourth quarter, the difference between the two teams had reached 15 points.

In the end, there was no surprise, 103:116, the Grizzlies lost another game, and the big score of the series has come to 0:3.

In this game, the Grizzlies had a good outside touch. The team made 40 three-pointers with more than 10% of their three-pointers.

It's a pity that the Kings made 50 three-pointers with 14% three-pointers.

Even the Grizzlies are not the king's opponent in this one. How can the Grizzlies win the king?

By the fourth game of the series, the Grizzlies had given up struggling, and Li Pu even played for only 25 minutes. Even so, the Kings finally defeated the Grizzlies 103:86.

They swept their opponents 4:0 and advanced to the next round with their heads held high. Their opponent in the next round was the Houston Rockets.

(End of this chapter)