National Basketball Association

Can Memphis beat Golden State without Mike Conley?

Published May. 4, 2015 1:17 a.m. ET

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The truth is, Memphis can't beat Golden State without Mike Conley. But that doesn't mean they won't go down swinging. Courtesy of Michael Pina over at Bleacher Report, here's a deep look at Conley's replacements, Nick Calathes and Beno Udrih, and how they can help the Grizzlies get back into the ring in Game 2:

"In the first round, Memphis plopped Nick Calathes into the starting lineup and had him toggle back and forth with Beno Udrih for lead ball-handling duties throughout Games 4 and 5. In an obviously limited sample size, the Grizzlies crushed the Portland Trail Blazers whenCalathes ran beside their four natural starters (Tony Allen, Courtney Lee, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph). While Conley can sink threes and demand respect as a floor-spacing presence, Golden State’s guards will completely ignore Calathes whenever he does not have the ball, flummoxing the Grizzlies’ primary post-up attack."

It's no secret that Memphis faces an uphill climb of epic proportions right now, and imagining a scenario in which they ever see the mountain top gets less and less realistic by the day. Until Conley comes back, Calathes and Udrih must play out of their minds. Anything less and the Grizzlies are looking at a clean sweep.

(h/t: Bleacher Report)

Photo Credit: Justin Ford/USA TODAY Sports