After four consecutive seasons in which the Memphis Grizzlies have improved their winning percentage, coach Lionel Hollins' team's 6-1 start has finally put the rest of the league on notice.
The Grizzlies welcomed the Oklahoma City Thunder to the FedExForum on Wednesday night with the NBA's second-best scoring differential (plus-9.0).
Their 107-97 win over the defending Western Conference champions actually increased that number to plus-9.14.?With wins against playoff hopefuls Golden State and Milwaukee already under their belt, and after an 18-point drubbing of the defending champion Miami Heat on Sunday, the Grizzlies appear ready to enter the realm of the NBA's elite.
Sporting the league's sixth-most potent offense (100.67) and the seventh-stingiest defense (91.67) entering play Wednesday night, Memphis has shown the ability to find wins on either end of the floor.
Hollins' nine-man rotation features a roster of well-rounded players with well-defined roles.
Rudy Gay is the team's leading scorer with 20.7 points per game, but he's equal-parts dynamic offensive threat and pesky defender.
Twin towers Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol share a chunk of the scoring load (16.7 and 14.1, respectively) and collectively form one of the NBA's most productive frontcourts. Randolph leads the NBA in rebounds per game (14.5), while Gasol leads the team in blocks (1.29) and ranks second in assists (4.7).
The Memphis Grizzlies Will Open the 2013 NBA Playoffs...
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At FedExForum
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On the Road
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On their couches
The Memphis Grizzlies Will Open the 2013 NBA Playoffs...
Mike Conley transitions between facilitator (6.9 assists) and scorer (13.9 points) on offense, and defensively, he's tied for 11th in the league in steals (2.0).
The offseason departure of free agent (and former third-overall draft pick) O.J. Mayo figured to hurt Memphis' perimeter attack. But a trio of second-team deep threats (Wayne Ellington, Quincy Pondexter and Jerryd Bayless) have contributed to the league's fourth-best outside-shooting team (39.0 percent).
Memphis may just now be creating their national noise, but they've been a thorn in the sides of NBA elites for a few seasons. Coach Hollins' team pushed the revamped L.A. Clippers to seven games in the opening round of the 2012 playoffs and upset the top-seeded Spurs in six games during the 2011 postseason.
During the 2011-12 regular season, the Grizzlies split their season series with the Chicago Bulls, won their lone matchups with the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks and swept the Denver Nuggets.?In other words, this isn't a franchise that only feasts on the NBA's cellar-dwellers. This is a franchise capable of playing with (and beating) any team on any given night.
Whether or not the Grizzlies remain on the national stage throughout the regular season is hardly a concern for Hollins or his players.
After all, they've proven quite capable of surviving on their own for a few years now.
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