Memphis Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo walked in the locker room on Sunday, preparing to give his postgame speech like after any other game.
This time, he had to wait.
“Hold on coach, grab a seat, grab a seat,” GG Jackson recalled Desmond Bane saying.
So Iisalo waited. After Memphis defeated the Dallas Mavericks 132-97, Grizzlies players and coaches watched the final moments of an overtime game between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers in the locker room. Memphis was waiting to see who it would go against in a play-in game.
After a back-and-forth affair that ended in overtime, the Clippers won. The Grizzlies will now travel to Golden State on Tuesday (9 p.m., TNT).
“They just added Jimmy Butler, so it’s going to be even much harder,” Vince Williams Jr. said. “And we’re going to play there, too. Honestly, we just got to go in there and work hard, do what we supposed to do and hopefully come out on top.”
Confidence remains high in Memphis
The Warriors and Grizzlies played four times in the regular season. Golden State won three of those matchups, with the Grizzlies’ only win coming in Memphis.
Lamar Stevens wasn’t on the team yet when Memphis won against Golden State, but he’s confident in his teammates.
“I’m excited for the opportunity,” Stevens said. “Regardless of who we were going to play, I think that we got a big chip on our shoulder with something to prove. I think a lot of people are counting us out, so we’re just excited to go there and play our game.”
Grizzlies locked in on next assignment
Iisalo said after Sunday’s game that the Grizzlies were preparing for all possible play-in opponents. Members of the coaching were assigned scout for a potential game against the Clippers, Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves or Denver Nuggets.
In the end, the result was Golden State. The scouting report will help, but the Warriors are a team Memphis is very familiar with.
Including the upcoming matchup, the Grizzlies and Warriors will now meet in the postseason for the third time in the last five seasons.
“I feel like we match up well with them,” GG Jackson said. “Jaren (Jackson Jr.) is definitely going to bring his A-game. He hasn’t necessarily being talking about it, but you kind of see him, he’s locked in.”
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, ...
