Lights Out in Memphis

The Grizzlies-Spurs series was anything but, as those who bothered to notice noticed.

The average margin of loss in the series was a whopping 22 points.

It’s hard to blame Memphis for their lackluster performance, though.

What with both star center Marc Gasol and point guard Mike Conely Jr out for the postseason, how could anyone expect the team from Music City to compete with basketball excellence?

Still, the Grizzlies put on a performance marked by their usual good, old-fashioned Memphis grit.

But grit doesn’t do a lot when the likes of Kwahi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are on the other side.

Oh, yeah, don't forget the giant that is Boban Marjanović.

The series was looking to be your prototypical NBA playoff first-round sweep.

But then, something amazing happened.

Well, at least amazing as compared to the unbalanced basketball being played on the court.

The lights went out.

Unlike the power outage at the 2013 Super Bowl, which saw the 49ers rally back to almost defeat the Ravens ...

... this power outage delayed an inevitable throbbing of a basketball game.

The Grizzlies went on to lose, 116-95, and the series in a 4-0 sweep.

The power outage can almost be considered a metaphor for the series in general

The Grizzlies are the delay through which the Spurs must wait in order to get on with their goal of upsetting the Warriors.

But think of it this way, Memphis fans.

At least the power outage kept you in the post-season for 18 minutes longer than you would've been if the lights had stayed on.