Ja Morant is right to be amped about the chance to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA playoffs. After all, what made the Memphis Grizzlies one of the most feared teams in the league a few years back is that they were underdogs.
Only difference is, back then they were the new kids on the block letting the other teams know they may be young but they were plenty talented. This year, they’re underdogs once again, but it's because they had to take the more challenging path to reach the NBA Playoffs.
Ja Morant on the Belief the Grizzlies have going into the First Round Against Oklahoma City :
— Grizz Lead (@Grizz_Lead) April 19, 2025
“We’re back where we want to be.. back being the underdogs…we have all the confidence in ourselves and ready to go Sunday.”
BELIEVE IN MEMPHIS. Ⓜ️ pic.twitter.com/heejLvAr2N
Last year was the first time in three seasons that Memphis didn’t make the playoffs. In 2022 and 2023, they were the No. 2 seed in the Western conference. Yet, they only have one playoff series win to show for their success.
This time around they’re the No. 8 seed, and they have to prove once again why they built through the draft and why it can work. Morant is right to be confident in his squad, especially after his performance on a bum ankle.
But there’s one specific stat that shows no matter how confident Morant or the Grizzlies are, they’re outmatched by Oklahoma City.
The one stat that will shatter Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies upset hopes against Oklahoma City Thunder
The regular season seldom matters when it comes to the postseason. But what it does do is provide context. The Grizzlies were 0-4 against the Thunder this year; that doesn’t say a whole lot, considering the Thunder only lost 14 games.
But the fact that the closest game between the two teams was 11 points goes to show the Thunder have the Grizzlies' number. Although Morant only played in two of those games, and the trio of Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane only played together in two of the matchups.
That’s not the most glaring stat, though. The Grizzlies' biggest bugaboo this year is playing well against good teams. Say what you want about them throttling the Dallas Mavericks, but they were supposed to do that, given everything the Mavs were missing.
The Grizzlies were 14-25 against teams with a winning record this season and 34-9 against teams with a losing record. Which is why they lost to the Golden State Warriors earlier this week before beating the Mavericks.
If games were played on paper, the Grizzlies wouldn’t stand a chance against the Thunder. But Morant’s right: When the two meet on the court, the biggest factor for the Grizzlies is their mentality.
This team went from being the hunter to the hunted to the forgotten. Now they have a chance to spoil the Thunder’s golden opportunity to get to the NBA Finals. But it will take more than confidence and an underdog mentality.
That’s the first part. But what are they going to do when it comes to playing in a full series? They’ll have to tap into their 2022 NBA playoff mindset to overcome the Thunder.