The Memphis Grizzlies wrapped up a successful week in which they won four of their five games in seven nights. Winners of five of six games overall, the Grizzlies are 5-5 in their last 10 games after beginning the stretch losing four games in a row.
They now head out west for a five-game West Coast road trip that will include three teams that are in the playoff race in the Western Conference. Included in their last 10 games were seven margins within seven points in which they had a 4-3 record in those games.
However, the biggest thing that stood out from the Grizzlies in that stretch was the two blowout losses that left the fanbase distraught about their playoff projection.
The Grizzlies record against the NBA's elite is 1-5
The Grizzlies' record against their peers has been well-documented this season but their play against the best in the league hasn't improved. For this exercise, the elite teams in the NBA are considered the 56-win Cleveland Cavaliers, 55-win Oklahoma City Thunder, and 49-win Boston Celtics.
No other NBA team has more than 43 wins, including the Memphis Grizzlies, who are tied with the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets for the West's number two seed with a 43-25 record. The Grizzlies' one win over the top three teams in the league was over the Celtics back in early December.
Since that monumental performance that saw the Grizzlies break a long losing streak against them overall in the series and on the road in Boston, they have fallen flat against the top two NBA teams. They have lost their three matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder by an average of 18 points, including losing to them at the FedExForum on March 5th.
After losing a down-to-the-wire battle against the Cavaliers in Cleveland on February 23rd the Grizzlies didn't look competitive at all in their loss to them at home on March 14th. Cleveland led by as many as 25 points, including leading by 20 with four minutes remaining before winning 133-124.
The Grizzlies still have championship aspirations as long as the health of their big three Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. remains intact. However, their struggles against the best in the NBA with games that haven't been competitive have been alarming as a team that wants to be considered one of the best in the NBA themselves.
Memphis has two more opportunities against the NBA's elite with one last game against the Thunder on March 27th and against the Boston Celtics on March 31st.