NBA SIMS LEAGUE
NSL Insider - Memphis V Denver R2 Previewby Joshua, updated on Thursday, May 19 2022, 04:31 am EST Eastern Conference Round 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs Denver Nuggets Two western conference juggernauts with both teams finishing the season with at least 50 wins in what is a brutal western conference built in almost completely opposite strategies. In one corner we have the grit and grind Memphis squad that has one mission and that is to stop the opposition scoring with defensive menaces situated all over the floor. In the other corner we have the high octane Denver squad who has two of the greatest long distance shooters in the league that can get hot quickly and pile on the points even quicker with Klay and Curry. The age old question of defence vs offence will be answered by the results of this series so hold onto your hats, it's going to be a doozy. How They Got Here Memphis Grizzlies- The defensive dynamos handily took care of their first round opponent, the Los Angeles Clippers quite easily, grinding their way to a 4-1 win. The Clippers sport one of, if not the best player in the Greek Freak who can demolish teams off his own back. He lead the clips with 28 points, 18 rebounds and 3.4 assists doing everything his coach asked of him and then some across the series and always provide a nightmare scenario for opposing GMs to game plan against. Jaylen Brown is the leader of this Grizzly squad and boy did he show it putting up 25 points a game, 6 rebounds and 2.4 assists while playing stellar defence on anyone that got in his way. The Grizzlies suffocated any of the other scoring options in the Clippers ultimately leading to their demise despite Ginnaisi's best efforts. Denver Nuggets- There isn't a whole lot to delve into here as a lack of available players led to the reigning champion Spurs not being able to field a side leading to their forfeit in this round. Almost unprecedented circumstances but was the correct decision and the Nuggets thank their lucky stars and move onto round 2. Match Ups Centre Mitch Robinson vs Willy Hermangomez Two opposite style centres to go along with the opposite styled teams. Mitch Robinson is 2k dream centre that is huge, super athletic and long while not being overly skilled at anything besides dunking the ball and sending shots to the nose bleeds with monster swats! Willy on the other hand is a traditional European centre that may not have the jump out of the gym athleticism but makes up for it with high iq, skills in nearly every department of the game and a lot of heart. Neither of these guys feature heavily in their teams offence but they know their roles and whoever can do a little more within their role will be the victor in this match up. 
My Prediction: Mitch Robinson takes the chocolates Power Foward Jaren Jackson Jr vs Serge Ibaka The old vs the new. JJJ is the next revolution of what Ibaka started at the power forward position all those years ago when he was drafted. JJJ took his defence up another notch this season pushing himself into DPOY discussion for the foreseeable future which has helped the Grizzlies go to another level. Not to mention that he is a genuine athletic floor spacer and you can see why memphis think so highly of the young big man. The now wiley veteran that is Ibaka was once every word I just described JJJ with but with the sapped athleticism he has learned to use his savvy and IQ to make up for it. Youthful legs or veteran wile, who wins? We will find out. Small Forward O.G Anunoby vs Gary Trent Jr Another Grizzlie player, another defensive dynamo in O.G. The long 3 and D wing continues to round out his game year after year and now he has become a legit well rounded player that teams should be keeping an eye on. Another 3 and D player is my prediction to start at the small forward position for the nuggets where he will provide 3 point shooting, some defence and some athleticism to try out work the size differential that O.G will have the advantage of. Two players that tend to play very similar roles for their team but who will do it better? Shooting Guard Jaylen Brown vs Klay Thompspn Talk about star power! This matchup is a clash of the titans with Jaylen Brown being one of the better 2 way stars in the league against Klay Thompson who is arguably the best 3 and D star of all time. Klay is a sniper from behind the arc and if Brown gives him any space he will knock down 3s with deadly precision. Brown is a decent shooter in his own right but he uses other facets like his athleticism to attack the basket to keep his opponent off balance and rack up points. Brown will fill out other areas on the stat sheet that Klay wouldn't dream about but if Klay catches fire from beyond the arc then it will all be for naught, a truly exciting battle. Point Guard Mike Conley vs Steph Curry Ive always been a fan of Mike Conley even coming out of the draft, being a lefty that loved to play D myself i always saw a bit of my game in Conley (on a much, much, much lower level but shades of) but unfortunately at Conley's advanced age he is starting to show signs of playing more like me then he would like to. This is especially bas news considering who his opponent is! Steph is NSL royalty, Mvp worthy and one of the best scorers the league has seen. I fear he is beyond unstoppable with being able to pull up from anywhere on the court and stretching defences to the limit with his shooting gravity. Good luck to whoever opposes him. Overall i think this will be an entertaining series and a bit of a chess match between the gms to see who can get their offensive players shining brighter. Grizzlies 4-1 |
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My Predicton: Brown in a very close battle
My Prediction: Steph by the length of the Flemington straight