The Memphis Grizzlies hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday evening (1/7/21). Both teams headed into the game with the mindset of getting back on track due to previously losing their most recent game. The Grizzlies fell short to the Lakers 92-94 on Tuesday evening. Cleveland lost 94-105 to Orlando Magic Wednesday evening and were heading into their second game back to back, which means they had to use whatever time they had in between games to rest as they traveled to Memphis in order to face off. This had the possibility of giving the Grizzlies a leg up with a day off and with home court advantage. With the Grizzlies 2-5 and the Cavs 4-4, the game had the capability of going either way. When it came down to the final score, the Cleveland Cavaliers ended up taking the win with a total of 94-90.
Both teams were missing key players, including Cavs star Colin Sexton and Grizzlies stars Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant. Though missing key players, there was a more important factor to this evening’s faceoff: the potential that lies within both of these young teams.
It has been said that we will never know our fullest potential unless we push ourselves to find it. Although these teams have both struggled thus far this season, we have seen the potential that they hold. The Cleveland Cavaliers began their 2021 season on a three game winning streak against the Charlotte Hornets, the Detroit Pistons, and the Philadelphia 76ers. Within those three games, the game leader has been Collin Sexton scoring 27 points against the Hornets, 32 against the Pistons, and 22 against the 76ers. The Memphis Grizzlies held their own, two games in a row, against the 2020 NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. Missing key players was not going to hold them back from putting up a fight until the end. Dillon Brooks has been a team leader this season, averaging 16.9 points per game. The ability to hold their own has become the “grit and grind” mindset of Memphis, which is so important in order to succeed and reach their fullest potential. They have not had the most ideal season so far, but if they continue to tap into their potential, there is a possibility that they can and will unlock greatness.
What is keeping these two teams from reaching ultimate success? It is speculated that the amount of injuries on both teams is a large factor. With both teams’ age average being under 26, they must be efficient in protecting the younger players. While the prime NBA player age does fluctuate, research has shown that the majority of the players prime performance age is around 27. One thing that is often overlooked is the role that age plays on the court. Age has the ability to affect the way that an athlete plays, especially a rookie, because of nerves and pressure when facing off athletes who have been in the league for years. How can we protect these players in order to reach their fullest potential? One way would be to limit their minutes per game so that when they do play, they are playing at their best.
Tonight’s game was a showdown between two very young teams encompassing high amounts of potential. Jonas Valenciunas and Brandon Clarke crashed the boards for their team with four points and four rebounds by the end of the first quarter, causing the Grizzlies to be up 24-19. By halftime, the Cavaliers had made a comeback and were up 46-45. These were low scores to have halfway through the game, with both teams shooting below 50% from the field. The Cavaliers seemed to make up for their poor shooting by getting to the free throw line and shooting a higher percentage from the three than the Grizzlies (which ultimately led to their three-point lead). By the end of the third quarter, Grizzlies were up 69-67, with Brandon Clarke leading with 14 points and nine rebounds. With 20 seconds left in the game, Cleveland was ball up one when Cleveland’s rookie star Isaac Okoro slipped behind the defense and got a wide-open dunk, assisted by Andre Drummond, which automatically put the Cavaliers up three with five seconds remaining. With a last pursue to tie the game, the Grizzlies attempted a corner three that, unfortunately, came up short. With the clock hitting triple zeros, the final score read 93-90 Cleveland!
The Cavaliers standout player of the night was Cedi Osman with 16 points, five rebounds, and two assists whereas the Grizzlies, Valenciunas, had 17 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. Memphis has been competitive with some of the top teams in the league, but they seem to come up short thus far this season. This was a low-scoring game and seemed to be difficult to put points on the board (Cavs 48% from the field and Grizzlies 43% from the field). The Cavaliers defense was stronger tonight, which aided them in taking the win (to compensate for their poor shooting). Both Memphis and Cleveland seemed to struggle tonight, but with perseverance, they both have the potential to unlock greatness.
Memphis now stands at 0-5 in home games, but another opportunity lies ahead tomorrow evening when they host the Brooklyn Nets at 7 PM Central.
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