Something doesn’t feel right in Memphis. You can see it on the court, you can see it in the games, and now, thanks to a brutally honest episode of “KG Certified”, you’re going to hear it loud. The Grizzlies were second in the Western Conference a couple of months ago. But now they are a team completely out of sync, and Kevin Garnett wasn’t having it.

On the latest episode of KG Certified, the energy was real. The frustration brewed like hot coffee as the spotlight was hot on Memphis. With the OKC leading 3-0, the Grizzlies are looking every bit unmatched to play their opponents. Maybe Game 3 held some hopes, but what it came down to was fans agreeing the team was better off playoff contention. The Celtics star would think no better. With Paul Pierce sitting across from him and nodding in agreement, Garnett gave a passionate rant about the failure of the Grizzlies.

“I feel like they are quitting,” he said bluntly. “I don’t get no sense that they want to be in the playoffs. This is not grit and grind to me. Ain’t nobody dive on the floor, ain’t no hard fouls. It doesn’t feel like we fighting for it. 50 points bro!? That ain’t grit and grind.” It was the kind of emotion that only comes from someone who’s been there to know what real playoff basketball is supposed to feel like. That’s a 108 post-season games for him. But it wouldn’t take an expert to know the disaster the Grizzlies run is proving to be.

They started their campaign with a 50-point difference — 80-131. But the real disappointment followed when they blew a massive lead. 29 points. All it took was Ja Morant’s exit for the Thunder to capitalize on the opportunity and pull the second-biggest comeback since 1997. As Garnett vented, Paul Pierce highlighted how the organization itself had already shown signs of giving up when they fired Tylor Jerkins- their winningest coach.

“I feel like, first, the organization let go of the rope. Because you fire your coach and you have playoffs in three weeks,” he said. More than a few would agree with that, given the coach had set the standard so high that 15 games over .500 wasn’t good enough. He had helped set the foundation, bring an identity, and transform a team into a contender. It was an obvious shocker when he was let go. Makes it hard to argue Pierce’s point. But Garnett wouldn’t agree. He’s fixated on the players.

 “Players play for player, P, you know it. We play for each other. We gonna play for Doc, we played for Flip, we played for Rick. We played for all of these coaches… but we still gotta be professional bro,” he adds.

Garnett compared Memphis’ lifeless demeanor to the fire of the Indiana–Milwaukee series. “Look at Indiana and Bucks, you see that series? That chirps city,” he said. The series is 2-1 currently, with a win margin no larger than 19. But in the West, it’s been largely one-sided.

Losing in the playoffs is always tough! But It’s how Memphis is losing that’s raising eyebrows across the NBA. There’s no will, no urgency, and as Kevin rightly said, no sign that they even want to be in the postseason. This isn’t the Memphis team we’ve come to associate with grit-and-grind toughness.

Memphis’ Collapse: A 3-Game Disaster

Memphis came into the playoffs with injuries, and it didn’t take long for things to go from bad to worse. Game 1 was total nightmare, plain and simple! They lost to OKC by a shocking 50 points as the scoreboard read 131-80. This was an embarrassing margin that made everyone question the kind of team that had just stepped onto that court.

Game 2 wasn’t any prettier either. The Grizzlies struggled to keep up, missing defensive assignments while the shots were way off the mark. The team also showed a little urgency on either end. It looked like a team that was either burned out, broken, or both!

By Game 3, things had escalated even further. The team showed no visible adjustments or improved energy. Despite a decent play in they were again outclassed in effort and will to win. The team had a decent first two quarters, after which they started to disintegrate.

And to make things worse, Ja Morant had a terrible hip injury which kept him out of the game. His uncertainty over the next playoff games has left Memphis without a leader or spark. But even that doesn’t excuse the lack of fight shown by the rest of the roster.

The Memphis team seems to be burnt out and demoralized before the game even begins. And when veterans like Kevin Garnett and Pierce are calling you out on social media platforms? You know something’s broken. Will Memphis find its soul again, or is this the end of their playoff campaign?