A season that looked poised to be the Memphis Grizzlies best one yet, looks to have been undone by a recent rash of injuries and months of inconsistent play.
It started out so well, a 21-4 start seemed to give the Grizzlies the national recognition they had long deserved, and it looked sustainable and thoughts crept around the city that the Grizzlies could finally win an NBA Championship.
Since starting 21-4, the Grizzlies are 33-23 and while that is a strong record. The drop off in performance now leaves the Grizzlies with a 54-27 record, and after spending virtually the entire season as the number two seed in the Western Conference; they are now the sixth seed heading into their final game of the regular season against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
For maybe the first time in their history, the Grizzlies eclipsed the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team as the most popular team in the City of Memphis this season.
The Tigers has had its struggles in recent years, and combine that with the Grizzlies now five consecutive playoff appearances, and Memphis has a professional basketball team they firmly believe in.
It looked as if Grizzlies center Marc Gasol finally found his aggressive side in the opening months of the season. However, while he was named to NBA All-Star team for the second time in his career Gasol’s aggressive change proved to be a false dawn.
Recently, he injured his ankle in the loss against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, so the chance of seeing Gasol at his best in the playoffs appears slim.
Another player who has seen his effectiveness drop in recent month mainly due to injury, is point guard Mike Conley.
Considered an NBA All-Star snub, Conley continues to show how much he’s progressed in his NBA career, and is now seen as a top-10 player at his position.
He’s averaging a respectable 15.8 points and 5.4 assists a game, and is one of the team’s few reliable shooters. Conley is shooting 38 percent from three-point range.
The disappointing part seems to be like Gasol, Conley won’t be 100 percent at any point in the NBA Playoffs.
Tony Allen, the “Grindfather”, is dealing with his fair share of injuries, and has missed the last few games with a hamstring injury. Even at age 33, Allen’s defense is as great as it’s ever been, and Allen’s impending return will be key if the Grizzlies are to have any success in the playoffs.
Key role players like the newly acquired Jeff Green and Courtney Lee have been hit-or-miss this season in their various roles. With the injuries to three of the “core four” (Gasol, Conley, Allen and Zach Randolph) showing more and more each game, Green and Lee will have to step up to make up for the injuries the core players are battling through.
Three-point shooting has been hit-and-miss for the Grizzlies not only this season, but in the past few years. Though early signs looked promising, the Grizzlies are only shooting 26 percent from long range in their losses as compared to 37 percent in their victories.
Nevertheless, while a first ever Grizzlies division banner hung in FedExForum would’ve been nice, in the long run people only remember how the team fared in the playoffs. A successful season would be advancing to second round, and if they defeated the Spurs or Warriors in the second round, the Grizzlies title dreams would be alive again.
Disappointment would be a first-round exit despite the injuries, especially if the Grizzlies were still able to secure home court advantage by winning against the Pacers on Wednesday.
Regardless of how the season ends, the “core four” will probably be back again next year probably still chasing that elusive championship.
It would’ve been nice to see if a fully-healthy Grizzlies team could’ve done it, but as the saying goes injuries happen to every NBA team and the 2015 NBA Playoffs start Saturday whether the Grizzlies are healthy or not.
Right now, the 2015 Grizzlies will be remembered as a team that probably peaked too early, but with a rash of late season injuries preventing them from giving them one more chance to peak again.
That may not be fair, but life isn’t always fair and the Grizzlies may be stuck with a “what if” about this season for years to come.
Marc Gasol talks to the media during NBA Media Day last October. Gasol was named to the Western Conference All-Star team for the second time in his career this season. Photo by Jonathan A Capriel
