In this edition of “Into the Bears’ Den,” we review the Grizzlies’ performance in January. In the first of five segments, we’ll review their best win.
January brought many great wins (Golden State, Houston and Utah) and terrible losses (Lakers, Clippers and Bulls).
Parker Fleming, Jackson Munyon, Jakob Eliason, Jerrod Smith and Jake Finnen give their takes on January’s best win.
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Parker Fleming (@PAKA_FLOCKA): January 13th: Grizzlies 110, Rockets 105
“But wait, didn’t they beat the Warriors? That’s easily the best win.”
Hear me out. The Rockets win is slightly better.
Unlike the Warriors, the Rockets could be a first-round matchup. During this game, the Grizzlies showed that they could be the most difficult first-round matchup for the Beard and his Rockets.
The only big men who could “stop” Gasol and Randolph are an aging, declining Nene or a young, skinny Clint Capela. Also, despite a bad shooting night for Parsons, Tony Allen, Troy Daniels and James Ennis came through to help top a Western Conference powerhouse.
Jackson Munyon (@jackson_munyon4): January 6th: Grizzlies 128, Warriors 119
If you’re down by 24 points in the second half to the most talented team in the NBA, it’s essentially a death sentence. Surely, no team could come back from that, but these Memphis Grizzlies did.
Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph dominated the paint in the 4th quarter to help ignite the comeback. When it was all said and done, the Grizzlies completed one of the most impressive wins in the NBA this season. They also improved to a 2-0 record against the Warriors this season.
Jakob Eliason (@jakobeliason): January 28th, Grizzlies 102, Jazz 95
I’m taking this one in a different direction today. The Grizzlies are sitting only two games back of the fourth place Clippers. They’re on a six-game road stretch that kicked off with an unnecessary loss to a less-than-average Portland team. The remainder of the trip consists of the Nuggets, Thunder and Timberwolves – young, beatable teams.
The win over Utah is significant, because it was NECESSARY. Coming off the loss to Portland, the Grizzlies were in must-win mode. While consistency is an overarching issue with this Memphis team, a win over a fifth-place Jazz team on the road may just be the spark needed to fix it.
There are three winnable games remain on this stretch. The Clippers are in trade talks, which means players have more on their minds than meets the eye. A classic Memphis emergence could bring the Grizzlies into the fourth or fifth spot heading into February.
Jerrod Smith (@jerrod_smith7): January 6th – Grizzlies 128, Warriors 119
I will have to agree with Jackson here. This was an unbelievable win, and it shows what this team is capable of.
Winning in Oracle against a stacked Warriors team is already impossible, and you might as well give up if you’re down 24. Somehow, the Grizzlies found a way to win. It just goes to show you cannot doubt this team. If they can play like they did in the later part of this game, sky is the limit, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t be at the least the 4th or 5th seed when the playoffs roll around.
Jake Finnen (Twitterless…for now): January 25th – Grizzlies 101, Raptors 99
Yes, the wins over the Warriors, Rockets, and Jazz are impressive. However, the Grizzlies handed Toronto a loss in the Forum with a side of Spanish rice. In the last game before being named an All-Star, Marc Gasol proved why he should not only be in the All-Star game (could’ve been a starter if fans were smart enough to not vote for ZAZA PACHULIA). It was the Spanish Revolution in Memphis, and Gasol carried the team to victory and reassured the Grizzly fanbase that there’s no reason to worry. The backup point guard will come, and Gasol should be point center in the meantime. Let the All-Star do his thing.
Follow more of our “Into the Bears’ Den” content this week for January’s worst loss, biggest storyline, MVP and February’s expectations.