Things got a little out of hand in Game 1 of the NBA playoffs between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. The top-seeded Thunder obliterated the Grizzlies 131-80 to open the series. Many believed Oklahoma City “sent a message” with the performance, but ESPN analyst and former NBA player Marcus Morris was more critical of Memphis.
During Monday’s edition of Get Up! on ESPN, Morris said he didn’t believe the Thunder sent a message with the 51-point victory. Instead, he thought the Grizzlies showed up unprepared for the game.
In a quick, 70-second breakdown, Morris was critical of several things on Memphis’s end, including a lack of proper scouting. He was specifically concerned with Zach Edey’s defensive assignment at points in the game, trying to defend, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the pick-and-roll.
“I don’t feel like that was a message, I just felt like Memphis just wasn’t ready to play,” Morris said. “I felt like they didn’t scout them right … Zach Edey is a good young player, but him in a pick-and-roll with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? What did you expect was going to happen right there?”
Edey finished the game with four points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes of action. While offense was an issue for the Grizzlies on Sunday, defense was the bigger concern.
Memphis entered Sunday’s game playing their third game in six days. The Grizzlies lost their first game of the Play-In Tournament to the Golden State Warriors before defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the win-or-go-home situation on Friday.
In both of those games, Edey produced at a high level. He had 14 points and 17 rebounds against Golden State and followed it up with 15 points and 11 rebounds against Dallas. Oklahoma City was a different story, though.
The Grizzlies don’t have much time for adjustments with Game 2 scheduled for Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. We’ll see how Memphis responds after such a disappointing outing on Sunday.
JACKSON SHOUTS OUT EDEY: Zach Edey posted a double-double vs. the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Play-In Tournament game on Friday night to keep the Memphis Grizzlies’ season alive and advance to the playoffs. CLICK HERE
BERG COMMITS TO WICHITA STATE: Center Will Berg announced that he will be transferring to Wichita State to continue his college basketball career. He spent three seasons at Purdue. CLICK HERE
PURDUE PROVIDES UPDATE ON BURGESS: Purdue announced on Thursday that freshman forward Raleigh Burgess underwent successful surgery on his right leg and is expected to make a full recovery. CLICK HERE
