Herrington: Halfway through West gauntlet, Grizzlies’ ‘test’ results inconclusive
Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins looks on during a Dec. 5, 2024 game against the Sacramento Kings. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
Chris Herrington
Chris Herrington covers the Memphis Grizzlies and writes about Memphis culture, food, and civic life.
Let’s rewind about a week and a half.
The Grizzlies are rolling into the new year. They’ve gone 14-3 after an 8-7 start, have climbed to second place in the deep, competitive Western Conference and are doing some eye-popping stuff: Winning on the road against the defending champ Celtics. Rattling off 70-point halves. Running up 155 points on Toronto. Dispatching the rival Warriors by 51 while brow-beating Draymond Green and Stephen Curry each into one of the worst games of their lives.
Times are good, but close inspection is just a little concerning: The Grizzlies, at this point, are only 4-7 against the 11 other West teams in the playoff race. They are 0-5 against those teams on the road.
It’s a small sample but a worrying one.
More information was needed, and it was imminent: The Grizzlies were about to embark on 11 straight games against West playoff contenders, with eight of those games on the road. This was the real test. We were about to find out how good the Grizzlies really were.
Or maybe not.
Nearly halfway through this gauntlet, the Grizzlies are 2-3 but the test results are inconclusive.
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