First Western Conference test: Boston Celtics vs. Memphis Grizzlies preview

Following their record-breaking night at Madison Square Garden, the Boston Celtics continue their road trip against one of the Western Conference powers. So far, Boston has only competed against teams in their own conference, but a contest with the 7-3 Grizzlies who have won three straight is going to be a good measuring stick for the Celtics early on in the campaign.

Memphis was one of the biggest surprises last season, clinching the No. 2 seed in the West behind the human-highlight reel, Ja Morant. Taylor Jenkins and the Grizzlies have come into this season with a target on their back, but despite that, Desmond Bane and Morant have continued the sustained success that this club experienced for the majority of last season.

After getting beaten by a Utah Jazz team that is supposed to be on track for a rebuild in two straight games, Memphis has quickly turned the page, sitting top five in the league in points and rebounds per game. With the way this Boston Celtics team is shooting the basketball, and the number of people that found a way to contribute to success against New York, the offense could be too much to handle for the Grizzlies.

Following the win over the Knicks, Joe Mazzulla spoke of his team’s need to keep their feet on the gas, stating:

"“It’s one of those things…Same thing happened in Chicago. We hit three or four in a row and then we kind of start to relax and think we’re gonna just hit every one, or we’re going to get an easy one every single time. So it’s just finding that balance of like ‘take the great ones, but when we can get a paint touch, let’s get a paint touch, too.”"

Memphis is missing Jaren Jackson Jr. due to a foot injury, and without De’Anthony Melton, who was dealt to Philadelphia on draft night. The size and creativity of this Grizzlies team are still something Boston has to be concerned about. Memphis is second in offensive rebounds per game, and with Horford as the only true big man that Mazzulla consistently trusts, it is going to be a team effort to limit one of Memphis’ strongest strengths.

Boston Celtics-Memphis Grizzlies a matchup between two future powers

Even though the Boston Celtics have won 12 out of the last 13 contests between these two, the youth and grit of this determined side to show they belong in a deep Western Conference create a whole new matchup for the years to come. It is the beginning of a run against three tough opponents from the opposite conference, and a way to see how the Cs not only stack up against their own conference but teams around the league.

As Joe Mazzulla alluded to, Boston has the tendency to take their foot off the gas at times, but against a playoff-bound team like the Grizzlies, a second-quarter lapse cannot happen. The two losses to Cleveland could highlight some things that the Boston Celtics could improve against top competition, and the perfect time to make a statement to a team like the undefeated Bucks is in a battle against the second-best regular season team in 2021/22.

Both Ja Morant and Jayson Tatum are in the top ten in the scoring charts in the early stages of the NBA season. Each player has that attitude that they are the best player on the floor night in and night out, making the duel between the two even more electrifying. Marcus Smart playing man-to-man defense on one of the most explosive offensive threats this league has to offer is must-see television. The Celtics’ defense is now taking steps in the right direction to complement an offensive threat that leads the NBA in three-pointers made per game at an astounding 16.

To think that this consistency from deep is going to continue is far from the truth, but with the ways Boston has demonstrated how it can grind out results over the last two contests, shooting is not something it is so reliant on as it may seem from the outside.

The Boston Celtics shot a horrific 29 percent from three against Chicago, but they found other ways to break down the opposition with the depth it they now possesses with Malcolm Brogdon on board. Memphis may be a physical team that knows how to put the ball in the basket at a consistent clip, but the Cs have shown that essential quality of adaptability that is going to win them a whole lot of games that last season’s team simply could not pull out.