Written by Joe Mags at The Comeback
The Spurs beat the Grizzlies down on Thursday, 103-83. For the umpteenth season in a row, San Antonio is very, very strong — its ever-ready offense now equipped with a bronzed defense that is holding opponents captive in a straight jacket as they sing for Brazil.
It might be a three-team league this season. Golden State is undefeated and there’s Christmas music playing in the streets. Cleveland already has the No. 1 seed in the East without Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert in the lineup. For the other 27 teams in the NBA it’s about the journey, because there’s little chance somebody else steals the Larry O’Brien trophy from that trio.
Memphis will not win the NBA title this season, or likely ever during the Marc Gasol, Mike Conley-era for the franchise. As the Grizzlies transition from Grit n’ Grind to their next iteration, the expectations for this franchise are different then, say, the New York Knicks, who despite not winning a title for 40 years have the country’s largest market and most excitable fanbase to appease. It’s different for Memphis, a franchise with an unmistakable identity, beloved players, a spot at the table in the Western Conference and the respect of the league — not to mention hundreds of millions of dollars in franchise value as the league booms. It’s a good time for the Grizzlies.
Except that their season began in disastrous fashion. A 50-point loss to the aforementioned Warriors was the loudest of five double-digit losses in the team’s first nine games. The aftereffects from the underwhelming start still linger in the numbers: Memphis is bottom 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency. This team was fashionably slow-and-steady over the past five seasons, but it was impossible not to wonder if the league, amidst a small-ball enlightenment, had finally past the Grizzlies by.
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