The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA...

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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#81 » by BD12 » Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:39 pm

tsherkin wrote:No superstars on the Grizz, but some really good players who fit and play well together. Pound the boards, abuse their size... Smart ball without spamming any single option too much.

I don't think they're a title threat barring injury, but they are a really good team and a treat to watch. Great inside-out play... I'd call them a dark horse. Hot start early is nice, but this is a marathon, not a race; we'll see what's shaking at the break. They are a good team and they are a threat to make the Finals... And despite my hesitancy to proclaim them contenders, given some luck and the right matchups...

Right matchups? The only team that will give them fits is the Clippers. Everybody else is a cakewalk for the Grizzlies if healthy going into the playoffs.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#82 » by te887848 » Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:42 pm

Right matchups? They only team that will give them fits is the Clippers. Everybody else is a cakewalk for the Grizzlies if healthy going into the playoffs.

Sig-worthy post. :rofl:

The Lakers would eff up the Grizzlies bad. So would the Thunder. The Spurs could beat them too.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#83 » by WenningtonGuy » Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:42 pm

Chri2Kng wrote:Their only loss came at the hand of the Clippers just like so many other teams. I still say the Clippers are the best team in the NBA. Clippers would easily beat Knicks.

However the Clippers coach suck but the Clippers is the deepest team in the league. Their bench outplay miami starter.

Having Odom, Hollin, Crawford, Bledsoe, Grant Hill, Matt Barnes at bench is clearly unreal.


Other than Crawford, that isn't unreal at all...
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#84 » by BD12 » Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:45 pm

te887848 wrote:
Right matchups? They only team that will give them fits is the Clippers. Everybody else is a cakewalk for the Grizzlies if healthy going into the playoffs.

Sig-worthy post. :rofl:

The Lakers would eff up the Grizzlies bad. So would the Thunder. The Spurs could beat them too.

Then sig it. I'm not even a Grizzlies fan. They would sweep the Spurs and probably beat the Thunder in 5 or 6 games. Lakers would go to 7 games probably (will have to see how they play with D'Antoni)
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#85 » by 702Celtics » Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:47 pm

I can see Memphis coming out of the West, barring injury. They have all the right pieces a team needs to contend for a title; good team defense, a smart PG, a lockdown SG, an All-Star SF/PF, and a good C. I hope they stay healthy, they're a very fun team to watch.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#86 » by KnickswiththeKnack » Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:58 pm

Respect, been keeping an eye on them since preseason. I think they can go very far, depending on who they draw in the playoffs.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#87 » by Ballings7 » Sat Nov 17, 2012 10:54 pm

Definitely one of the top teams in the league, and IMO are now definitely better than OKC, who do not have the same buzz about them

They're a problem for any of the typical noted teams in the league... but a cakewalk? That's irrationally stupid to think.

The only way you can win playing small ball is if you have athletes like Miami with role-players predicating off their play. And, Miami won't be able to do that all the time in the playoffs IMO, especially in the finals.

Phoenix's teams were two levels off from what Miami had/has...

Size is still the way to go for general team format...
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#88 » by FingerRoll » Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:02 pm

Well done, Grizzlies. The city's fans should enjoy this season.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#89 » by LEHGOCELTICS » Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:09 pm

Grizzlies remind me of the early 2000s Detroit Pistons -- blue collar brand of basketball. A team that flourishes because of team cohesiveness, chemistry, and hard-nosed defense, not because of the presence of superstars. Perhaps this will be the year that injuries don't rob them of a deep playoff run.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#90 » by Sky_Knicks » Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:14 pm

Kironte wrote:
Heat fan06 wrote:Marc Gasol looks bigger than 7'1..huge



And still able to do things like this.....sweeeet :o :o


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Wtf :lol: Beast mode
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#91 » by TheHartBreakKid » Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:38 pm

The West is too good...Boston/NY/chicago fans are about to get upset but I think any of San Antonio, OKC, Memphis, Clippers and the Lakers would be favorites to make the ECF with Miami.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#92 » by Jase » Sun Nov 18, 2012 1:23 am

commadoor 64 wrote:8 games in folks.

(Still though, best record sounds nice :D)


Huge difference between being 7-1 against cupcake teams and being 7-1 having beaten the two teams that were in the Finals last year, as well as the only previously-undefeated team in the league. They're beating quality clubs.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#93 » by Never Wrong » Sun Nov 18, 2012 1:35 am

Jase wrote:
commadoor 64 wrote:8 games in folks.

(Still though, best record sounds nice :D)


Huge difference between being 7-1 against cupcake teams and being 7-1 having beaten the two teams that were in the Finals last year, as well as the only previously-undefeated team in the league. They're beating quality clubs.

Yup, Memphis has had a tough schedule. I know it's early, but it wouldn't surprise me if they finished with the league's best record.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#94 » by Prospect Dong » Sun Nov 18, 2012 1:04 pm

No superstars on the Grizz, but some really good players who fit and play well together. Pound the boards, abuse their size... Smart ball without spamming any single option too much.

I don't think they're a title threat barring injury, but they are a really good team and a treat to watch. Great inside-out play... I'd call them a dark horse. Hot start early is nice, but this is a marathon, not a race; we'll see what's shaking at the break. They are a good team and they are a threat to make the Finals... And despite my hesitancy to proclaim them contenders, given some luck and the right matchups...


I don't think there's any team the Griz couldn't hope to beat, when healthy, in the west. As of right now you'd have to give the Thunder and the Clips the edge against them in a seven game series, but it's a pretty narrow edge. The lakers look better on paper, but I think they've struggled enough to date that they actually need to earn their favourite status.

As for the East, I think the griz probably deserve to be favoured over anyone other than the Heat, and again, while they have a clear edge the Griz have repeatedly beaten them in the regular season and have the size to exploit their small ball.

I think, based on how things look so far, you can call them a legit contender, though far from title favourites.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#95 » by tsherkin » Sun Nov 18, 2012 2:10 pm

BaunceyChillups wrote:Why is Z-Bo not a superstar? He's a better player than either Westbrook or Melo.


He's not nearly good enough to be considered in that tier of player, and as others have said, there's at least some media element to the term as well, which Z-Bo does not embody. I love that he kills the boards for them as hard as he does, and it's really nice to see him fitting into the team concept on offense as well as he does. He doesn't have as shapely or critical an offensive presence as I'd like to see out of a legitimate superstar who doesn't play All-D level ball on that side of the floor, either, right, so his impact isn't up there in the superstar tier. Memphis is a beautiful team; why take away from that with the incessant need to have a superstar? I think that's maybe the nicest thing about the Grizz; they remind me of the 04 Pistons in that they DON'T have any especially noteworthy focal player. Hell, Rudy Gay is taking considerably more shots than Randolph, which is as dumb as spiked punch given how poorly he's scored this season, but the Grizz are setting things up and Randolph's clearing the offensive glass like a champ, as is Mo Speights in his limited minutes.

BD12 wrote:Right matchups? The only team that will give them fits is the Clippers. Everybody else is a cakewalk for the Grizzlies if healthy going into the playoffs.


A cakewalk? That's not fair to say, no. It'll be an interesting post season. Meantime, they have a couple of EC teams that would be matchup issues, and that comment was made in reference to Memphis posing a title threat.

Prospect Dong wrote:I don't think there's any team the Griz couldn't hope to beat, when healthy, in the west. As of right now you'd have to give the Thunder and the Clips the edge against them in a seven game series, but it's a pretty narrow edge. The lakers look better on paper, but I think they've struggled enough to date that they actually need to earn their favourite status.


We'll see. I'd bet on L.A. if they were healthy because Howard immediately nullifies Gasol's impact, at least, and I think it's clear that Nash is superior to Conley. Metta will be disruptive, especially if Gay continues to peddle his mediocre scoring wares and Pau matches up well with Z-Bo. Now, those are just straight 1v1 matchups, so team chemistry will be important and obviously the Grizz have phenomenal team chemistry, but the offensive firepower on L.A. and how well it meshes (as opposed to, say, the 04 Lakers) leaves me doubtful that Memphis will be able to hang with the Lakers once/if they get semi-healthy. The Clippers, as you mentioned, look nastier and I'd be stopping and thinking about the Thunder, sure. I'd be intrigued by Dallas, too; I don't think the Mavs are at all a title threat unless Dirk comes back VERY strong, but I think they have the potential to play spoiler in the early rounds, or to exhaust a team in the first round with a drawn-out series, leaving them more vulnerable going forward. You run a 4-3 series victory in the first round and your opponent goes 4-1 or 4-2, sometimes that can make a difference.

As for the East, I think the griz probably deserve to be favoured over anyone other than the Heat, and again, while they have a clear edge the Griz have repeatedly beaten them in the regular season and have the size to exploit their small ball.


Mmm. I wouldn't call them a favorite over New York based on a single RS game. Remember, that loss happened because of the 3rd quarter in the Knicks/Grizz game. New York was +3 over the other three quarters in the game but laid an 18-point egg while the Grizz scored 31 in the third quarter. Melo played only 3 minutes in that quarter because of some fouls and a tech, I mean that game was just a RS game. The 72-win Bulls lost to the expansion Raptors, right? So did the WC champ Sonics that year, it happens. I'd still tend to favor the Knicks in a Finals series. At least until we get a better idea of how things shake out over the regular season for both teams (not necessarily against one another, but what lasts, what doesn't, what remains a strength, what fades, etc).
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#96 » by [GR] » Sun Nov 18, 2012 2:14 pm

Memphis' schedule gets a lot easier too:

Nov, 19th VS Denver
Nov, 23th VS LA Lakers
Nov, 26th VS Cleveland
Nov, 28th VS Toronto
Nov, 30th VS Detroit



All at home, and the only tough game is the Lakers.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#97 » by TwentyOne920 » Sun Nov 18, 2012 2:21 pm

4-1 is plausible for that stretch and I see the Grizzlies beating the Lakers. It all comes down to which Gasol brother plays better and who between Randolph and Howard grab more boards.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#98 » by Neutral 123 » Sun Nov 18, 2012 2:27 pm

Not THAT surprising. Was more surprised at them losing to the Clips last year. They definitely can stay top 3 in the conference til the end of the season.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#99 » by TwentyOne920 » Sun Nov 18, 2012 2:28 pm

Neutral 123 wrote:Not THAT surprising. Was more surprised at them losing to the Clips last year. They definitely can stay top 3 in the conference til the end of the season.


The Grizzlies could be stopped last season by letting Mayo chuck them out of games, reducing their ball movement. And they took so many long 2s last season, hence an inefficient offense.
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Re: The Grizzlies have the best record in the NBA... 

Post#100 » by Neutral 123 » Sun Nov 18, 2012 2:35 pm

TwentyOne920 wrote:
Neutral 123 wrote:Not THAT surprising. Was more surprised at them losing to the Clips last year. They definitely can stay top 3 in the conference til the end of the season.


The Grizzlies could be stopped last season by letting Mayo chuck them out of games, reducing their ball movement. And they took so many long 2s last season, hence an inefficient offense.

Wow, well I guess we won't be able to have an exchange on this. So they are better by subtraction? That could be the case. Still not sure if they'll be able to get it done without an elite star though in the playoffs.
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