MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The game had everything. Everything the NBA wanted in a play-in game. Everything the Memphis Grizzlies could have hoped for.
Everything Ja Morant had prepared for and spoke about since coming to this franchise less than two years ago.
The Grizzlies defeated the Golden State Warriors 117-112 in an overtime thriller. They return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017, drawing the top-seeded Utah Jazz in the first round.
Facing a battle-tested Warriors core, Memphis was not expected to win. Analysts and spreads alike favored Golden State. It was the perfect formula for a team that has fostered an underdog mentality all season.
"Definitely bathing in a lot of fun right now," a soggy Taylor Jenkins said, moments after receiving a Gatorade/water bath. "A lot of excitement."
And deservingly so. Golden State defeated Memphis handedly just five days ago. Steph Curry rang up 46 points and drained nine triples against them in Sunday's regular season finale. But the Grizzlies studied that loss and adjusted accordingly, playing inspired defense throughout.
Then there is Ja Morant. A 21-year-old facing a three-time NBA Champion and soon to be three-time MVP. How did he respond? With 35 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals. With a career-high five three-pointers less than a week after a 1-for-6 showing from deep when the Warriors gave him free reign from the perimeter.
Ja Morant responded with a grit this franchise has not seen since the Core Four. He showed the world what Grizzlies fans already knew: There is a star in the making in Memphis. And it may be time to remove 'in the making' from that sentence.
"I love pressure, honestly." Morant said. "I feel like my game rises to another level."
And with it, this young Memphis squad. According to ESPN's Rachel Nichols, the 2020-21 Grizzlies are the youngest team to reach the playoffs since the Oklahoma City Thunder teams that featured Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook over ten years ago.
"For us to be here now is a true testament to our fight throughout the whole year," Grayson Allen said.
There has been plenty of fighting to do. A rash of injuries, a 12-day COVID pause and a league-high 40 game schedule in the second half. But as was echoed between the baths of excitement and postgame Zoom crashing, the fight is not over.
"We're not trying to be done with just making it to the playoffs," Morant said. "We're trying to make a deep run, so obviously we will celebrate but we have to lock right back in to playing Utah."
Game One of the Grizzlies-Jazz series is set for Sunday, May 23 at 8:30 p.m. CT.