#5 Dallas Mavericks vs. #4 Memphis Grizzlies

[The Athletic]

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#5 Dallas Mavericks #4 Memphis Grizzlies

Ah the good ol 4/5 match-up.  On paper this is one of the more intriguing match ups of the playoffs.  The two division rivals will meet for the second time in as much as two weeks.  Both have had really awesome seasons but one has to go home.  For the Mavs, it really all starts and ends with their big three of Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Lou Williams.  I mean Lebron and Durant?! That's just filthy and no team even comes close to that as a 1-2 punch.  Lou Williams has had an unbelievable season as well and will have to do his thing for the Mavs to advance.  The Grizzlies have quietly been dominant since Chris Paul returned from injury.  The Grizzlies are also led by a 3-headed monster in Jimmy Buter, Chris Paul, and Paul George. 

Like we talked about earlier the Mavs have a filthy big three, but where they struggle is depth.  The Mavs three key role players are all Mavs, Dirk, Wes, and JJ.  JJ has had a really solid season overall but with Dennis picking things up recently he's seen a little bit of a decline in his production.  Wes has really had a sneaky solid season this year, and he's going to need to be huge for the Mavs to win this.  Another thing to keep an eye on is the health of Kris Dunn, if Dunn continues to miss time Jerian Grant will be huge for the Mavs, Dunn should be back soon but even getting one more game of starters' minutes could be huge for the Mavs.  Ultimately it's going to come down to the big three.  Lebron has been down since IT has come back, but when he's locked in he's a lock for 50+ a night.  KD has been a little bit passive since Steph has come back but again when he's going he's a lock for 30.  If KD and Bron can put up huge numbers the Mavs have a shot. 

The Grizzlies are just loaded.  On top of Paul George, Chris Paul, and Jimmy Butler the Grizzlies have a ton of depth.  WCS has really proven he's going to be valuable moving forward, Portis has been solid in limited minutes, and should be looking at more when Niko is moved and guys like Lance and ZBO have really played well in their roles.  Really as long as the big three produce the way they should the Grizzlies should be able to handle the Mavs with relative ease because of their depth. 

The Mavs have had a really good year, and have three studs, but unfortunately for them i don't think this will be enough.  The Grizzlies are just too deep and talented and should start to run away with this one.  For the Mavs to hang around Lebron, KD, and Lou are going to need a monster two weeks.