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Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers: Series Preview

By: Daniel Carp, Grizzlies.com Contributor

Game 1: Sunday, 7 p.m. at FedExForum
Game 2: Wednesday, 7 p.m. at FedExForum
Game 3: Saturday, 9:30 p.m. at Moda Center
Game 4: April 27, 9:30 p.m. at Moda Center
Game 5*: April 29, TBD at FedExForum
Game 6*: May 1, TBD at Moda Center
Game 7*: May 3, TBD at FedExForum
*If necessary

Portland Trail Blazers

Record: 51-31
Standings: Fourth in Western Conference, first in Northwest Division
Starting Five: PG Damian Lillard, SG Arron Afflalo, SF Nicolas Batum, PF LaMarcus Aldridge, C Robin Lopez
Head Coach: Terry Stotts (third season with team)

Last time out

With the Northwest Division title already secured and no chance of securing home-court advantage in the playoffs, Portland opted to rest some key rotation players in a 114-98 loss to the Mavericks in Wednesday night's regular-season finale in Dallas. The Trail Blazers played without shooting guard C.J. McCollum, small forward Nicolas Batum and center Chris Kaman, all of whom suffered minor injuries during the last week of the season and got a night to rest before the playoffs began.

The Mavericks used a 35-point third-quarter explosion to cruise to victory, leading by as many as 20 points early in the second half. Center Tyson Chandler led the charge for Dallas with 22 points and 15 rebounds, helping his team dominate the glass. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 19 points for Portland, but shot just 8-of-24 from the field.

Last time versus Memphis

The Grizzlies have defeated Portland in all four of the teams' matchup this season, the most recent coming March 21, when Memphis used hot shooting from beyond the arc to topple the Trail Blazers 97-86 at FedExForum.

Normally a team not known for its long-range shooting, the Grizzlies knocked down 11-of-18 attempts from 3-point range. Small forward Jeff Green shot 5-for-7 from downtown and led Memphis with 23 points and nine rebounds. Point guard Mike Conley added 21 points and nine assists. Damian Lillard scored 27 points for Portland in the loss.

Grizzlies in the playoffs

In their last postseason run, seventh-seeded Memphis took No. 2 seed Oklahoma City to seven games in a thrilling first-round series but fell 120-109 in the decisive contest. The series featured four consecutive overtime contests, three of which were won by the Grizzlies. Ultimately, the series left a sour taste in Memphis' mouth, as it squandered a 3-2 lead.

The Grizzlies have advanced past the first round of the playoffs just twice in the franchise's 20 seasons, reaching the conference finals for the first time ever in 2013.

Matchup breakdowns

Point guard: Damian Lillard (POR) vs. Mike Conley (MEM)

In one of the series most intriguing matchups, the lightning-quick Lillard will go head-to-head with Conley's veteran savvy. Lillard's quickness off the dribble could be especially problematic for Conley, who is battling a foot injury. Conley does not have to take on quite as active role in his team's offense to have success as Lillard does, so he will likely concentrate his efforts on the defensive end of the floor.

Shooting guard: Arron Afflalo (POR) vs. Courtney Lee (MEM)

Another case of injuries potentially playing a role in this series. Afflalo will make his return from a right shoulder strain and battle Lee, who regained his offensive form down the stretch. In a matchup of striking similarities, two 6-foot-5 shooting guards who are 29 years old and were selected near the end of the first round of the NBA draft will go at it. Because so much of Memphis' offensive production comes from its frontcourt, Lee's primary responsibility will be to slow Afflalo down. He can win this matchup by not losing it.

Small forward: Nicolas Batum (POR) vs. Jeff Green (MEM)

This matchup should be one of the keys to victory—the rangy Frenchman will square off against the powerful Green. Both are players who can hurt you outside and inside and will regularly fill up the stat sheet with rebounds, assists and steals in addition to their scoring punch. Either could be considered his team's X-factor in this series.

Power forward: LaMarcus Aldridge (POR) vs. Zach Randolph (MEM)

Who doesn't want to see this one play out? A pair of physical power forwards, both of whom excel in the pick-and-roll but can hurt you with their back to the basket as well. This is, without a doubt, the series' marquee matchup. To make this battle a bit more enticing, both of these players appear to play their best against their first-round opponent. Randolph averages 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game against Portland this year, and Aldridge has recorded 22.3 points and 8.0 boards against the Grizzlies.

Center: Robin Lopez (POR) vs. Marc Gasol (MEM)

This might be the matchup where Memphis has the greatest advantage. If the Grizzlies want to advance to the Western Conference semifinals, Gasol is going to have to take advantage of his matchup against Lopez and be his team's driving offensive force. With Randolph battling Aldridge on the other block, Lopez will not have a lot of options for help defense against Memphis' All-Star center.

Misc. Notes

Blazers trying to buck history

The Grizzlies have won nine of their last 10 games against the Trail Blazers dating back to the 2012-13 season.

Back to square one

The beginning of the postseason couldn't have come at a better time for both teams. Memphis finished the season 5-5 in its last 10 games, dropping to fifth place in the West after having a firm grip on second place for the vast majority of the regular season. The Trail Blazers also struggled down the stretch, winning just four of their last 10 games. Both teams will welcome the idea of regular-season records getting thrown out the window when the series begins.

The venues

Memphis averaged 17,329 fans per game at FedExForum this season, which ranks 18th in the NBA. However, the Grizzlies tied for sixth-best in the league with a 31-10 home record on the season. The Moda Center, home of the Trail Blazers, was near capacity most of the season with an average of 19,472 fans per game. Portland posted a 32-9 home record on the season, and was just 19-22 on the road.

Injury notes

Portland was significantly belabored by injuries down the stretch. Batum (right ankle), McCollum (sprained left ankle) and Kaman (back) were all held out of the Trail Blazers' season finale to nurse their ailments. Arron Afflalo (right shoulder strain) and Dorrell Wright (broken left hand) each missed the team's stretch run as well, and this was all after losing shooting guard Wesley Matthews for the season. Aldridge had missed two games with a sprained left foot before returning to lead Portland with 19 points against the Mavericks Wednesday.

Memphis has no shortage of injury concerns of its own. Gasol suffered a sprained ankle in the final week of the regular season, but that did not stop him from recording 33 points and 13 rebounds in his team's 95-83 win against Indiana Wednesday night. Conley (foot) and Allen (hamstring) did not dress for that game. Randolph is hobled by an ankle injury but is expected to suit up for Game 1 against Portland. The Grizzlies were significantly hampered by health concerns down the stretch. Having Gasol as close to 100 percent as possible is going to be a significant piece of the team's first-round series, and Conley and Allen will play key roles if they can stay healthy.

One obscure stat

Nicolas Batum's No. 88 comes from his birthday—August 8, 1988 (8/8/88).