There’s no guarantee that the Memphis Grizzlies will become just the second No. 8 seed to topple a No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs since the opening round moved to a best-of-seven format in 2003. Even if they do, the legacy of their series will first be as a requiem for what has been so great for so long about the now-aging-in-dog-years San Antonio Spurs.
The Grizzlies could make one of the league’s historically ignored franchises worth stopping to notice.
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Why? Because Memphis isn’t built like a championship team.
It’s no wonder the Grizzlies never won a playoff game before this season (0-12). The closest thing they have to a bona fide NBA superstar — the supposed prerequisite for a title — is Zach Randolph, who was an All-Star in 2010 but couldn’t accurately be described as anything more than a fringe top-10 player at his position. (That said, we’d still take him in crunch time over Chris Bosh).
The rest of Randolph’s teammates are very good — calling them great would be a stretch, including the missing and injured Rudy Gay. Mike Conley is living up to his once-ridiculed contract extension, and the Grizzlies have five role players averaging between 7.8 and 9.8 points per game, none a better fit than a welcomed-back Shane Battier.
Marc Gasol was supposed to be little more than a reminder of the genes that have paved the way for multiple championships for the Los Angeles Lakers. Right now, Marc is outplaying his older brother, Pau. But will the same be said in May and June?
Under taskmaster Lionel Hollins, Memphis has established a defensive-minded, team-oriented identity. The former is a prerequisite for postseason success.
The ceiling for the latter remains unknown, in part because the Grizzlies are so young and Gay’s return next year in theory makes them even better.
The good thing for Hollins is that those things don’t matter, the way the Grizzlies hadn’t for so long in the NBA. What’s made Memphis relevant is its 3-1 lead over San Antonio, an advantage that has done more than possibly signal the end of an era.
