Grizzlies vs Clippers: Kawhi steals the show as the ghost of the Celtics haunts Memphis

What an absolute ripper of a game we got from the NBA last night. Over at the FedExForum in Memphis, the Clippers rocked up having done their homework after watching what the Celtics did to this same Grizzlies outfit. And boy, did they put those notes into practice. With Kawhi Leonard ticking over like a fine Swiss watch, LA pinched a huge win—one that feels like so much more than just another W on the fixture list.

Let's be real, this wasn't just another game. It was a genuine test of character for the Memphis mob, still licking their wounds after the lesson the boys in green dished out. And the big question hanging in the air, the one we're all chewing over in the pub or on socials, is this: Did the Celtics actually prove something the other night? Reckon they did, and the Clippers were taking furious notes.

The night Kawhi pulled Memphis apart

Let's start with what went down last night. Kawhi Leonard was pure surgeon: 28 points, delivered with surgical precision, no forcing, reading every double-team like he had the Grizzlies' playbook at home. It's not just the points; it's that he iced the game when it mattered most. In that last quarter, every time Memphis looked like they might mount a comeback, there was that deadpan 'Kawhi Leonard Face', knocking down a mid-range that just crushed the home crowd's spirit.

But it wasn't a one-man show. At the other end, Ja Morant tried to spark something with his usual electricity, but ran into a defence built specifically to shut him down. The Clippers, led by the savvy Tyronn Lue, copied what the Celtics did days earlier: clog up the paint and make the support acts beat you. And yeah, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane had a crack, but it wasn't enough against that LA nous.

Boston's shadow: What did they really prove?

Back to that million-dollar question. Was that Celtics win in Memphis just a mirage, or was it a genuine blueprint? For mine, it showed a few things that the Clippers backed up last night:

• The system cracks when you isolate Morant: Cut off his passing lanes and build a wall in the paint, and the Grizzlies lose their mojo. The Celtics used Holiday and White; last night, Mann and George (when he was on) took turns making life hell for him.
• Memphis's paint isn't impenetrable: If you've got a big who can stretch the floor and a mobile power forward, you can punish Jackson Jr. away from the basket. Kristaps Porzingis did it with his threes; last night, Leonard and Norman Powell exploited those same mismatches.
• You need an ice-cold finisher: Boston's got Tatum, the Clippers have Kawhi. You need someone who, in the last five minutes, grabs the wheel and doesn't shirk it. Last night, Kawhi was that man, just like Tatum was a few nights earlier.

And don't get it twisted, the Grizzlies are too proud to just roll over. They fought to the death, with a couple of Bane threes that nearly flipped the scoreboard. But there you go, in a league of fine margins, having Kawhi Leonard in playoff mode back in February almost feels like cheating. The Memphis boys will need to hit the film room and realise the league now has two drafts on how to beat them. Boston's, and the Clippers'. And they're practically carbon copies.

So, fans, last night wasn't just a game. It was a statement in the West. The Clippers, with a fit Leonard, are an absolute nightmare matchup. And the Grizzlies, for all their talent, have their homework cut out for them: prove they can learn from these losses and level up before the real stuff starts in April. This conference is absolutely on fire.