2007-2019
Often when NBA teams are not situated in a ‘large’ market they don’t get the recognition they deserve across the association unless they attain major success, like lifting the Larry O’Brien at the end of the year. No team epitomises this more than the Memphis Grizzlies during the early to mid-2010s. The Grizzlies were a unique team that got through NBA games hustling on both ends of the court. This led to the Grizzlies being called ‘Grit and Grind,’ which perfectly illustrated their play style.
Before the beginning of the “Grit and Grind’ era, in 2007 Pau Gasol had led the Grizzlies to three straight playoff exits in the first round until 2006. The Grizzlies front office was realising it was time for change so on July 12th, 2006, they traded Shane Battier for the 8th overall pick in the 2006 draft Rudy Gay. The following season the Grizzlies finished as the 15th seed winning 22 games and losing 60 which was the worst record in franchise history. This however could be seen as a blessing in disguise, as with their 4th overall pick in the 2007 draft the Grizzlies drafted one the cornerstones for their new era in Mike Conley.
Needing to make room for their new young stars to flourish, the Grizzlies traded away Pau Gasol on February 1st, 2008. The Grizzlies were heavily criticised by the NBA media and fans for trading Gasol for ‘nothing,’ as they only acquired two first-round picks with mid-level role players. Yet, they did not realise the potential of Pau Gasol’s brother Marc Gasol who the Grizzlies were given the draft rights to through the trade.
The Grizzlies continued to struggle for the next couple of years but were collecting great pieces for the future during this period. The Grizzlies traded up in the 2008 draft to get OJ Mayo who was selected third and then a year later the Grizzlies with the second pick in the 2009 draft selected center, Hasheem Thabeet out of UConn. This is while also trading for Zach Randolph from the Clippers and signing a new head coach in Lionel Hollins. In the 2009/10 season, the Grizzlies missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season finishing with a record of 40 wins and 42 losses. Things would all change that offseason due to the Memphis Grizzlies signing one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and NBA champion Tony Allen on a three-year deal. This was a monumental free agency pickup as this was the start of the ‘Grit and Grind’ system being used.
In the 2010/11 season, the Memphis Grizzlies had their first ‘above 500 campaign’ since 2005/6 with a record of 46 wins and 36 losses finishing 8th in the Western Confernce. This saw power forward Zach Randolph be selected to an All-NBA team as well as Tony Allen making an all-defensive team. The Grizzlies would then go on to upset the 1st seeded San Antonio Spurs in six games implementing the grit and grind style of play. They would end up narrowly losing in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs. This was the coming out party for the Memphis Grizzlies, as people began to realise that the Grizzlies would be a threat for the coming years.
The 2011/12 season was a lockout season in the NBA where the Grizzlies finished as the 4th seed in the Western Conference. The Chris Paul led Los Angeles Clippers beat the Grizzlies in the first round in seven games where many of the players struggled with efficiency throughout the series.
However, the best season of the ‘Grit and Grind’ era came in the 2012/13 season with the midseason trade of Rudy Gay to the Detroit Pistons for Tayshaun Prince showed how Memphis where fully buying into the ‘Grit and Grind’ philosophy that Coach Hollins had adopted. They finished the campaign with 56 wins and 26 losses, positioned as the 5th seed in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies hung their hat on the defensive side of the court that year playing physical defence making it tough for opponents to score against them. Memphis held the opposition to 89.3 points per game which was the best in the NBA. This meant that the Grizzlies had three players making the All-defensive team that year in Tony Allen, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. Moreover, Marc Gasol went on to win the Defensive Player of the Year award for the season as well as making the All-NBA second team. In the playoffs, the Grizzlies would get their revenge from the previous year and beat the Clippers in six games after losing the first two in the series. They would then comfortably go on to defeat the Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City Thunder in five games in the second round of the playoffs. Their season was then unfortunately cut short in the Western Conference Finals against the experienced San Antonio Spurs team who ended up sweeping them. This was an impressive year for the Grizzlies as it was the best in their franchise history showing how you don’t need the superstar names to thrive in the NBA.
Memphis would continue to make the playoffs until 2018 but would continuously stumble at the same hurdle losing in either the first or second round every year. The core players of the ‘grit and grind’ system would gradually begin to leave Memphis over these years. With this era for the Grizzlies ending when Mike Conley was traded to the Jazz in 2019.
So, what made the Memphis Grizzlies stand out? To have success in the NBA in the postseason usually would require you to have a superstar talent on your roster. For instance, during that era in the Western Conference, you would look at Tim Duncan on the San Antonio Spurs, Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers, or Dirk Nowitzki on the Dallas Mavericks as examples of this. The difference is that the Memphis Grizzlies did not have a bona fide superstar but the cohesiveness that the team played with would mean that they stood a chance against any opposition they faced.
In a fast-paced era where many teams were beginning to transition to the perimeter-centric system, the Memphis Grizzlies were not a trend follower and still played two dominant big men. The Grizzlies relied on post-play from Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph for their offence even though this style of play started to fade out across the association. The resilience with which the Grizzlies played with on the defensive end was entertaining to watch. With a plethora of defensive talent on the roster, they would stifle opposition offences making them a nightmare to play against.
Although they did not win a championship during that period, the countless playoff memories that they gave us NBA fans and the unconventional style in which they played basketball is why the ‘Grit and Grind’ Memphis Grizzlies is a team we shall never forget.
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