The winner of the playoff series between the Lakers and the Grizzlies

The series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies is one of those that will take center stage in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, with very different rosters and styles of play. Contrary to the difference in the performance of both franchises in the regular phase, it is expected to be very close and even reach seven games.

On paper the Grizzlies come in as a more dominant organization having achieved their second consecutive season exceeding 50 victories, staying with the number two seed in the Western Conference. They are seeing the fruits of a project that revolves around young players like Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson, among others.

But in the postseason the story could be very different, since even with some Lakers who suffered to get into the playoffs in the second half of the campaign and had to play the ‘play in’ tournament, they have arguments in their squad to fight. The extensive experience and playing ability that LeBron James and Anthony Davis have are their great arguments.

In terms of payroll, the Lakers seem better prepared, largely thanks to management efforts to strengthen themselves throughout the 2022-23 season. However, beyond their stellar duo, the Californians do not have players who have played in the playoffs or who have played an important role for their teams in terms of this phase.

For their part, the Grizzlies come from losing in the last postseason in the conference semifinals, playing a worthy role against the Golden State Warriors who would end up being champions. Although it is true that they do not have much of a run in terms of the playoffs, it is a project that is evolving more and more and does not seem to have found its ceiling.

Beyond the fact that they are teams with very high offensive potential, the defenses will be the main protagonists, with coach Taylor Jenkins taking advantage of the poor performance of his rivals in the midrange and also generating turnovers, being areas in which the Lakers they rank as the second worst in the NBA.

In accordance with what the bookmakers suggest, this will be a series that will extend to its maximum account of seven games. Despite the good moment that the Lakers are experiencing, the Grizzlies will head to the conference semifinals for the second consecutive season, this time defining their 4-3 classification at the FedExForum in Memphis.