NBA Playoffs Recap 11 — The Grizzlies’ Last Shot?
Memphis has had a fun season, but it all might end tonight
The Grizzlies/Spurs first-round series always had an air of inevitability to it. Not in the sense that San Antonio would wipe Memphis off the face of the map, but rather that the Spurs would almost definitely win this matchup. Throughout the first two games, that looked true. After games three and four, it looked a little less certain, but a strong game five performance put everything back in San Antonio’s control.
And now, going back to Tennessee for game six, the Grizzlies are on the brink of elimination. They’ve fought hard and well over these five games so far, but need to play even better to have a chance of forcing a seventh. With an aging roster and slim future assets, this might be one of the last times this core finds itself in this position.
I’ve always been fascinated by the Grizz. When I was still only casually following the league, they always seemed to be dishing out a playoff upset to a superior team, and this (combined with their small-market appeal) always made me want to cheer for them. The funny thing is that the team hasn’t really changed much over the last several seasons, and has still managed to stay relevant.
Many have argued that the team should have blown it all up a year or two ago, but I have no problem with this team going all-in on its current core. I like the Mike Conley contract, I like Marc Gasol, and I think the Chandler Parsons deal (as bad as it looks now) was worth a shot. It’s hard for teams like this one to rebuild, and there’s no guarantee that a high draft pick would ever return anyone as good as these first two players.
But at some point, it all has to end. And it’s quite possible that Memphis will fall out of the playoffs or struggle even more next season. Conley and Gasol should still be well above average basketball players, but the rest of the aging core (Tony Allen, Zach Randolph) and the unproven younger players (Andrew Harrison) don’t provide enough extra talent to fully trust this team again. And to make matters worse, younger teams like the Timberwolves and Nuggets will only be better. Someone has to move to make room in the top eight, and it may very well be Memphis.
Nothing I’m saying is new. The Grizzlies organization knows that future years may be barren, and many of the team’s fans do as well. I also don’t want to just preach doom and gloom, since I think the ownership made the right call to keep this team together as long as possible.
Rather, I just want to appreciate everything this core has done before game six this evening. I actually think Memphis will win, so there should be another game left after it, but I don’t see this series finishing in their favor. And next year, I don’t know. So let’s take a moment and appreciate the Grizz. They’ve been a lot of fun to watch.
