As the Memphis Grizzlies gain ground on last place in the NBA’s Western Conference, the New Year has not seen a single win from them. Will it happen this week?
Entering Wednesday’s battle with the San Antonio Spurs — the second time in less than a week the Memphis Grizzlies have faced them — the phrase “must-win” is becoming more and more prevalent.
For more than a month, the Grizzlies owned the title of the NBA’s top team defense. It was not just a number behind points allowed; Memphis’ record spoke for itself. For a short time, they were atop the Western Conference standings and the league was fearing them yet again in the current decade.
Rounding out 2018, it was more than a snag in a road that was hit by the Beale Street gang. They are in a free-fall, and even that may be an understatement. At 18-22, the Memphis Grizzlies have now lost six consecutive games and 11 of their last 13.
In December, Memphis had a dreadful schedule to battle through. Their shortfalls were understandable. However, they did not regain any ground once they began to face lesser team — even in home meetings. Plus, two blown 19-point leads on two different occasions were the ultimate poison pills.
Whether it has been the Golden State Warriors or Sacramento Kings, it has been a loss. The Brooklyn Nets at home in the Grindhouse? A loss. The underachieving Detroit Pistons? Still an “L.”
The Memphis Grizzlies have done an excellent job in the first half of games. They seem to always earn a halftime lead or they are right there in strong contention for the victory through the first two quarters of action. However, they have an entirely different identity in the third quarter regardless of opponent quality.
Fourth quarters have not been all that friendly, either, but they have not been as hazardous as third quarters. If anything, the Grizzlies have recently become accustomed to play catch-up in the fourth only to fall by a few points by the final buzzer. This has been the case in almost every game thus far in 2019.
At this point, everyone is desperate for a Grizzlies win. The players and fans especially. Plus, J.B. Bickerstaff and his coaching staff. The Front Office, surely. One win could lighten the mood, even though it will not solve the many problems the Grizzlies have encountered over the past several weeks. Can this team maintain a lead for anything?
In looking at the Memphis Grizzlies’ schedule of upcoming games, Wednesday is another tall task against the Spurs. Over the weekend in the last meeting between these two clubs, Bickerstaff utilizing his youth a lot more than usual, but the outcome was the same. A loss.
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, San Antonio is the hottest team in the association right now. They are winners of five straight — the longest current winning streak around the league. Talk about bad timing — yet again — for Memphis.
Perhaps this squad has learned a handful of lessons versus the Spurs and proper adjustments are made during the upcoming home meeting. Yet, it seems unlikely since the Grizzlies are only looking worse and worse on the floor. It would be surprising to see Memphis come away with the “W.”
Next on the calendar is the final matchup of the season versus the Miami Heat. This time, it will take place in Miami, Florida, and it will be the last time the Memphis Grizzlies will face Dwyane Wade prior to his impending retirement. That is, unless there is some miraculous Grizzlies/Heat appearance in the 2019 NBA Finals.
This is a game that Memphis absolutely cannot allow to slip through their hands. Following two days of rest, the Grizzlies take on a Heat squad that is battling injuries and other issues themselves. They are currently on a two-game losing streak, and are a dismal 9-12 on their own home floor this season. This will be the “easiest” opponent Memphis will see in the short-term.
Next week features a toxic slate of games, with three of four being played on the road. Of course there is the James Harden-led Houston Rockets, in what seems to be the 20th meeting of the season between Memphis and Houston. Two days later, there are the Milwaukee Bucks awaiting the Grizzlies.
Though the Bucks are the Eastern Conference‘s second-best record and have a major MVP candidate in Giannis Antetokounmpo leading their charge, the Grizzlies were able to snag a win in Milwaukee earlier in the season. It is arguably the best Grizz win of the 2018-19 season to this point. Can that magic take place again? It is hard to even imagine with how poor third quarters have been for Memphis.
How does the NBA treat the Memphis Grizzlies after facing the East’s second-best club? If you chose “by playing the East’s fifth- and first-best franchises on back-to-back nights,” then you are absolutely correct.
In approximately 10 days, the schedule — along with the Grizzlies’ willpower — will determine their fate on the current season. Will they regain traction and continue to contend for a playoff spot? Or will they enter a full-on tank mode, even more so than we have season over the past few weeks?
The month of January will define this team’s season. It will also be a major factor in how the Grizzlies’ Front Office treats February’s NBA Trade Deadline — looking for bargain deals to improve the team or a fire sale of their own?
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By viewing the final portion of this month’s slate of games, it is hard to select a game that the Memphis Grizzlies will be favored to win. They cannot even secure the “W” with a 19-point second-half lead regardless of opponent, so they do not deserve the right to be favored. It is an uphill battle even against the league’s worst opponent.
In consideration of the current league standings, the “easiest” opponents Memphis will face in the remainder of January is the New Orleans Pelicans yet again on the 21st, followed by the Charlotte Hornets on the 23rd. One week after that (30th), it is another match with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For Memphis, New Orleans, and Minnesota, this particular trio has been playing leapfrog over the past couple of days. As the Grizzlies were defeated by the Pelicans on Monday, it was more than a win that the Grizz gave up. It also allowed New Orleans to surpass them in the standings.
For the well being of the Memphis Grizzlies this season and in the future, they want to clinch a playoff berth, and if not, then they need to be one of the bottom eight teams in the entire league. If they are a middle-of-the-pack team, they do not earn a trip to the NBA Playoffs, plus Memphis will not retain their first round NBA Draft pick in June.
There is a lot at stake for the Memphis Grizzlies right now due to this important stretch of their schedule. As they have totally fumbled the first half of their season away, the next few weeks will really mold their end-of-season fate months before that timeframe arrives.