The Grizzlies have been in Memphis for 16 years now. It’s hard to believe it has actually been that long. Even though they haven’t been around as long as some other teams in the NBA, there have been multiple jaw-dropping moments.
If you followed the Grizzlies before this seven year tenture of excellence, it wasn’t being a Grizzly fan. So if you followed the Memphis Grizzlies during that time, you probably appreciate how good they’ve been lately. If you didn’t, I still assume it’s been a hell of an experience being a fan.
No. 1: Grit N’ Grind Begins
It began back in February of 2011. The Memphis Grizzlies were playing the Oklahoma City Thunder at the time when they had the core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. There was a man on the bench who was receiving little to no playing time, but somebody needed to stop the eventual scoring champion that year, Kevin Durant.
Who was that guy? It was Tony Allen.
TA ended the night with 27 points along with five steals. After the game during his post-game interview, Tony Allen sputtered the words “All-Heart. Grit. Grind.” The franchise was changed forever..
Also, Thank you Tony Allen for providing the Grizzlies with their best marketing tool as well.
No. 2: 8 seed? No big deal
2011 was a heck of a year for Grind City. The Memphis Grizzlies won their first playoff series in franchise history, and what a way they did it. They beat the dreaded San Antonio Spurs as an eight seed. The core of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginoboli just couldn’t handle Zach Randolph that series. Even though the Grizzlies lost to the Thunder in the conference semifinals, nobody will ever forget the Grizzlies taking down the Spurs in six games as an eight seed.
Hot take: If the Grizzlies would have beat the Thunder, they would have made the Finals this year.
No. 3: Western Conference Finals Run
In 2013, the Grizzlies were on a hell of a run which eventually lead to the Western Conference Finals. Even though the Grizzlies traded Rudy Gay, they somehow found a way to get better (I still don’t get that).
The first round was a success as they took down the Los Angeles Floppers. They got a little help in the second round with a Russell Westbrook injury. Unfortunately, when the Grizzlies got to the Western Conference Finals they ran into a bit of a problem: they had no outside shooting at all.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs exposed the drawbacks of the Rudy Gay trade. Coach Pop clogged the lanes on ZBo and Marc and left no space for Conley to get to the rim, forcing the Grizzlies to beat them from outside the paint. The Grizz couldn’t make them pay as the series ended in a sweep.
Next: 5 Best Landing Spots for ZBo
Final Remarks
Now that we have given some of our favorite moments, give us yours!