Memphis Grizzlies: Tough Week Ends With A Victory
November was a magical month that saw the Memphis Grizzlies stake their claim to the top of the Western Conference. They finished the month with a 15-2 record, not only best in the West, but also best in the entire NBA.
However, the turn of the calendar page has not been kind to Memphis. The first week of December has seen the Grizzlies double their loss total, and sent them tumbling three spots down the standings. The week started with a matchup on the road against the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets were without Dwight Howard, Patrick Beverley, and Terrence Jones so it figured to be a much easier task than initially anticipated. Unfortunately for Memphis, looks can be deceiving. Marc Gasol struggled to get going offensively, while Houston used 10 three-pointers and 21 points from James Harden to secure a 105-96 victory.
No losses are fun, but this is the NBA. You are going to lose on the road from time to time. These things happen. Memphis would attempt to right the ship Friday night at Fed Ex Forum against the reigning NBA champions, the San Antonio Spurs. Not exactly the team you would want to play coming off of a tough loss.
Once again the Grizzlies would face an elite opponent, and once again they would fall short. Despite 2005 Tayshaun Prince apparently stepping out of a time machine to provide a 20-point effort, and Marc Gasol returning to form with 28 points and 12 rebounds, Memphis would lose 107-101.
Like Houston, San Antonio would get hot from behind the arc. The Spurs shot 56 percent from three-point range, and got a triple-double from ageless wonder Tim Duncan in the win.
The Western Conference is a minefield that is almost impossible to navigate. Two losses dropped the Grizzlies from the top spot in the conference all the way to fourth. The top six teams in the Western Conference have fewer or the same amount of losses as the Eastern Conference leading Toronto Raptors. With that kind of depth, any team can lose on any given night.
Sunday night, Memphis was mercifully given a break from playing top tier teams from within their own conference. They welcomed the scuffling Miami Heat to town hoping to start a new home-court winning streak.
Despite only two points from Gasol, they would do just that. The Grizzlies would take the win 103-87, and other than Gasol, the team would shoot lights out. Every starter but Gasol would score in double figures and the team shot 58.9 percent from the field. Jon Leuer led the way, exploding for 20 points off the bench. Those 20 points included one highlight reel dunk that left everyone in Fed Ex Forum nodding their heads in admiration.
The Grizzlies have avoided a major losing streak, but another tough Western Conference opponent comes to town Tuesday night in the Dallas Mavericks. Before this difficult week I said that Memphis would make a statement if they could defeat both the Spurs and Rockets. It appears as though the statement is that they are not quite ready to be conference favorites.
Every year it seems as though a team emerges early in the season that fans and pundits alike anoint as new challengers to the Spurs dynasty. Last season it started with Portland, and last month saw Memphis hold that role.
After this week, the attention will shift back to the Golden State Warriors as the sexy, new upstart conference favorites. Perhaps that is better for Memphis. Staying under the radar has always suited their grit and grind identity.