Can the Grizzlies Overcome Their 2-0 Deficit?

Well, as if matters couldn’t get any worse for the Grizzlies following their 51-point blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of their playoff series, the Grizzlies followed up this effort with another blowout loss, although this one was just by 19 points. Regardless of the improvement, albeit in another poor showing, the Grizzlies now find themselves down 2-0 in this Western Conference first-round series. With the series now shifting to Memphis, the Grizzlies will look to make a strong home stand and tie this series up. Is this possible, though? Can the Grizzlies come back after the deficit they find themselves in?

Historically, teams down 2-0 in a playoff series have only managed to come back to win the series 34 times out of 459 attempts, or just 7.4 percent of the time. While this is an extremely low percentage, some teams have done it. In 2023, the Golden State Warriors came back from a 2-0 deficit against the Sacramento Kings in their first-round series. In the 2022 Western Conference Semifinals, the Dallas Mavericks came back to win the series down 2-0 to the Phoenix Suns. In 2021, the Milwaukee Bucks came back from a 2-0 deficit to the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals, just to name a few. Needless to say, it’s not impossible to do, just highly unlikely.

With the Grizzlies heading back home, they will get their best chance to make this a series. This season, the Memphis Grizzlies’ home record is 26-15 compared to their 22-19 record in away games. Besides the record, the Grizzlies are statistically better in nearly every metric at home than they are away. At home, the Grizzlies average more points, rebounds, assists, and blocks while also possessing a higher field goal and free throw percentage. As for the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team, while possessing a 32-8 away record, still statistically fares a little worse in away games than they do at home. The team averages slightly fewer points, assists, steals, and blocks while having a lower field goal and free throw percentage.

While the Grizzlies coming back to win the series against the Thunder is unlikely, it’s not impossible. Some teams have managed to do it before despite the odds against them. With the series heading to Memphis, the Grizzlies will get their best chance yet to gain some momentum as they try to salvage their season. However, should they fall 3-0, then the panic button may be needed, as this is a deficit no team has ever overcome.