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According to Ja Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies' fate was sealed when Lu Dort collided with him mid-air before Game 3 went into halftime. A nasty spill on the hardwood ruled him out for the final one-and-a-half games of a four-game sweep by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After the Grizzlies built up a 29-point cushion, FedExForum was rocking. The Memphis crowd celebrated their inevitable Game 3 win to get right back into their Round 1 series against the Thunder. Then the atmosphere resembled a funeral.
Morant was ruled out for the rest of the series with a hip contusion. He was spotted with crutches afterward. The Thunder slowly chipped away and mounted the second-biggest comeback in NBA playoff history to go up 3-0 in the series.
The short-handed Grizzlies valiantly fought in Game 4, but eventually succumbed to the title contender. Just like that, the Thunder ended their season as it unraveled for weeks. A shocking firing of Taylor Jenkins was a last-ditch effort to save their season that didn't work.
As the Grizzlies held their exit interview, Morant argued he finally cracked the Thunder's historic defense. Playing the "If" game, he saw a very easy hypothetical where the Grizzlies could've tied the series at two games apiece and forced a Game 6.
"I had them figured out. Going out Game 3, not being able to play was frustrating because that win right there could've made this totally different," Morant said. "I feel like we'd be on the way to OKC, series tied 2-2 right now."
Sure. You could make a case that the Grizzlies likely hold onto a Game 3 win if Morant played in the second half, but the average fan might overvalue his importance to their roster this season. The fact of the matter is, the Thunder were the better team this entire season and have won 13 in a row against the franchise, dating back to two seasons ago.
The Grizzlies were rolling in a do-or-die situation, but dealing with hypotheticals is a useless exercise. You need as much luck as talent to go deep in the playoffs, but in this Round 1 series, the Thunder definitely relied more on the former variable than the latter.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: After sweep, Ja Morant argues he figured OKC Thunder out before injury
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