This Grizzlies team is one that has fascinated me for several years now. Like Denver, they have opted not to dish out the huge contract for an established superstar, and instead have developed the chemistry between their starting five, four of whom are consistently possible All-Star candidates (sorry, Tony Allen). Two years ago as the eighth seed, they became only the fifth team in NBA history to beat a 1-seed and advance to the Conference Semifinals, and finished the season taking Oklahoma City to seven games. They looked like they were on the verge of something huge.
They emerged as the team to beat last year, the team that all the analysts were saying to look out for in the playoffs. They snapped up the 4th seed and were ready to make their run. Then, something disastrous happened in the very first game of the postseason. Their lead got all the way to 27 before they crumbled completely and it never felt like they fully recovered.
They have had a long summer to reflect on their past mistakes, and have emerged hungry in this young season. Today marked their fifth victory in a row, putting them at 5-1 on the season. They did it in style, too, solidly beating a Heat team that was looking for its fifth win in a row as well. They did it with a little perimeter shooting help from reserve Wayne Ellington, who posted a career best seven threes for a total of 25 points.
Rudy Gay, never shy to help out on the offensive front, contributed 21 points as well as 8 boards, 5 assists, and 4 steals, playing up to the potential that Memphis fans have always known he has. Mike Conley had another stellar outing, posting 18 points and 9 assists. I gotta say, I really like Mike Conley. He's got a silky-smooth jumper, is deadly from pretty much anywhere on the floor except straight-on threes, and has great court vision. He also seems like a pretty cool guy.
Then there is the terrifying Memphis big-man combination that utterly ruined D-Wade and LBJ (no, not that LBJ) that is Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.
Look at them. Take them in. They are both absurdly talented, can rebound the rock with the best of them, and Z-Bo seems unable to not get a double-double, racking up his sixth in six games. Even with Marc only scoring 2 points, Memphis had all the offense it needed tonight.
Now it is certainly true that Memphis will not always be able to count on holding D-Wade to 8 points on 3-15 shooting, nor will Wayne Ellington be posting 25 points every time they need him to. But that being said, when Memphis plays well (and man, they played well against a Heat team that is always hungry for victories), they are clearly one of the elite teams in the league, possibly even able to surpass the now Harden-less Thunder. Whether or not they can play up to their massive potential remains the question for this young team.
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