MEMPHIS, Tenn ā Ja Morant was asked how it feels.
How it felt to win the first playoff series of his career; doing so by overcoming three double-digits fourth-quarter deficits when no other team in NBA history had done it more than once in a single series?
Was he amazed? Proud? Overjoyed?
"Iām tired."
Not what we expected, but understandable.
"Physically, mentally, this series was a battle," he continued. "We knew every game would be a dogfight and we had to come locked in and bring our energy from the state. Obviously, the wins were pretty ugly outside of Game Two, but we got it done. We enjoyed our moment, our celebration, but it's time to turn the page."
The Grizzlies closed out their first round series with a 114-106 win over the Timberwolves in Game Six.
Next up: The Golden State Warriors. Unlike the Minnesota series, Memphis will not be favored despite having homecourt advantage. Fresh off their first playoff series victory, the Grizzlies now get the team with the most playoff experience playing in this postseason.
On Sunday, they will be tasked with limiting a future Hall of Fame backcourt in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Morant likes their chances.
"We feel like we're one of the best backcourts in the league," he said. "Going into any matchup, we're taking ourselves over anybody. I'm very confident we put in the work. Just speaking on me and him, but we've got a lot of guys in our backcourt that are capable of being in that same category."
With less than two days to prepare for Game One of the franchise's first conference semifinals since 2015, Morant had at least the next few hours mapped out.
"We about to go to sleep," he said. "Wake up in the morning, travel. And lock into our game plan as soon as we touch down."