Memphis Grizzlies move into 8th seed in the Western Conference Standings
For now, the Memphis Grizzlies are in the 8th seed in the Western Conference standings. They were elevated into the 8-seed position after a big win over a strong Philadelphia 76ers squad on Sunday night. It feels good, but the Grizzlies have a long way to go before they can exhale.
In all likelihood, the Grizz will be bumped out of this spot by Monday night, when the San Antonio Spurs play a bad Cleveland Cavaliers team. The Spurs hold the exact same record as Memphis as 24-23, but Memphis holds the tie-breaker due to leading the head-to-head series 2-1.
This could pay off down the road if these two teams finish the year with the same record. Memphis would get the nod when it comes to seeding.
The Spurs will have a shot to reclaim their spot when they face the ice-cold Cavaliers on Monday night. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, will face a blazing-hot Miami Heat team on Tuesday night in an effort to hold onto their spot.
The Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs will be in a dogfight for the 8 spot
In a year where the 7-10 seeds will be facing off in a play-in tournament for the NBA Playoffs, positioning matters ever more than usual. I won’t go into too much detail on how this year’s playoff works, but if you’re interested in that, you can follow this link to an earlier Beale Street Bears article.
If the Grizzlies find themselves in the 9th or 10th spot of the Western Conference playoffs and they win out of the play-in tournament, they’ll likely find themselves facing the first-place Utah Jazz in the playoffs.
Even to get to that point, they’ll have to win two games in a row against playoff-caliber teams. They’ll want to avoid this at all costs, as they were recently swept by a Jazz team that is having a franchise season.
If the Grizzlies find themselves in the 7th or 8th spot, on the other hand, they’ll only have to win a single game to earn entry to the playoffs. If they win their first play-in game, they’ll earn the 7 seed in the playoffs. If they lose that, they’ll have another shot, but winning that will only earn them the 8th spot.
It’ll be a dogfight for the 8 seed between a few teams, but the Grizzlies hold a nice advantage over the Spurs. If they can stay within striking distance until Jaren Jackson Jr.’s return, this team could be in a strong position for the NBA Playoffs.