Grind City Views: Memphis Grizzlies in National Power Rankings (Week 23)
By Jerrod Smith
In this week’s edition of “Grind City Views,” let’s look at the Memphis Grizzlies in the National Power Rankings and see where they rank amongst against the league’s best.
After a strong 4-0 week, the Grizzlies dropped three straight games last week. Obviously, a losing streak signals a drop in national power rankings. Let’s see where the Grizzlies end up in this week’s power rankings.
Sports Illustrated – No. 9
"“This current three-game losing streak is more forgivable than the five-game one that started the month (Spurs, Warriors, on the road), and the Grizzlies are bound for the playoffs anyway, but some consistency would be nice from a team this experienced…”"
Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated gets us started here with a ranking most should agree with. The Grizzlies had “one of those games” against the Pelicans. Then, the Grizzlies played back-to-back games against the two best teams in the league on the road. Speaks for itself. Those two losses make the Pelicans sting just a tad bit more.
ESPN – No. 14
"“The Grizzlies continue to lead the league with a combined four wins this season against Golden State and San Antonio, but they just lost road games to both powerhouses over the weekend … with yet another first-round matchup against the Spurs looking increasingly likely. The difference this time, of course, is that the familiar sight of Memphis vs. San Antonio in Round 1 — for the fourth time since 2004 — would mean Marc Gasol vs. brother Pau Gasol in a best-of-seven series for the first time.”"
On a 1-10 scale of how much this ranking hurts, it would be 1-2. Hurts just a little bit.
Marc Stein should give the Grizz a break. How many teams just coast in games against the Spurs and Warriors? Especially on the road! Anyway, the schedule smooths this week with games against the Kings, Pacers and Mavericks. Look for the Grizzlies to jump in the rankings next week.
Also, who wouldn’t be down for best-of-7 series with the Gasol brothers? Just like old times, right? … Right?
NBA.com – No. 15
"“Though they hung close with the Warriors on Sunday, three straight road games against top-five defenses (in which they scored just 96 points per 100 possessions) has the Grizzlies looking more and more like the No. 7 seed in the West…”"
The Grizz just can’t seem to catch a break from national writers. It’s true that the they’ve been inconsistent this year. Two of the three loses this past week shouldn’t be knocks on the Grizz – especially with the way they competed against the Spurs with a mediocre Gasol and without him against the Warriors. This is another tough ranking for the Grizz, and a lot of this falls on the loss to the Pelicans last Friday.
Must Read: Troy Daniels: the Grizzlies' Great Enigma
The Grizzlies dropped in all of these rankings, which isn’t surprising given that they’ve lost three straight game. But, not going to throw shade at any of the teams in front of them. Hopefully, the guys can pile up some wins this week.
Until next time, folks!