Remembering the Lakers-Grizzlies 2023 First-Round Playoff Rivalry

This rivalry was lowkey peak. The 2023 Lakers-Grizzlies first-round series was one of the spiciest in recent memory. The seventh-seeded Lakers upset the No. 2 seed Grizzlies 4-2, and it got heated early after Dillon Brooks said he wouldn't mind playing LeBron in a seven-game series and then called him "old" following Memphis' Game 2 win. Brooks was ejected in Game 3 for hitting LeBron in the groin, and Ja Morant dropped 45 that night in a loss. Memphis stayed alive in Game 5 behind 33 from Desmond Bane and 31 from Ja, but the Lakers closed it out in Game 6, 125-85, a 40-point blowout. D'Angelo Russell had 31, Anthony Davis had 16 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks, and Ja shot 3-of-16 as the Crypto.com crowd booed Brooks all night. The trash talk didn't age well for Memphis. Was this the best first-round series of the last five years?