The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-103 to improve to 5-0. This is a surprising start for Memphis, a team that man probably had under .500 through their first five games. This is only the second time in franchise history that the Grizzlies started 5-0. Is Memphis emerging as a legitimate threat in the Western Conference?
Grizzlies Rare Accomplishment
The last time the Grizzlies started 5-0 was in the 2014-15 season when they went 6-0 to start. This is now only the second time ever that they reached 5-0 to start a season. The 2014-15 Grizzlies team was led by Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and Zach Randolph; it was toward the end of the grit-and-grind era. They were coached by Dave Joerger.
That team finished the season 55-27, eventually losing in the second round of the playoffs to the Warriors. Memphis took the Warriors to six games, a team that ended up winning the championship. They were a very well-coached team that played hard, but went into an era of three-point shooting. The grit and grind style wasn’t enough at that time, as the Warriors had started a new wave of basketball.
The Expectation
Before the season started, Memphis was a team that many saw as rebuilding and not a good team. A lot of people had them below .500 through the first five games. No one could have predicted that they would be 5-0 to start the season. They lost Ka Morant and drafted Cam Boozer. Ty Jerome is the starting point guard. They went in a completely different direction, and it wasn’t supposed to work this early on.
Now, five games into the season, the Grizzlies are proving everyone wrong. They are one of the only two teams in the entire NBA with an undefeated record. They are playing together and freely without any expectations, and it shows. This is a well-rounded team that is exciting to watch.
Memphis Hot Start
The first game of the season started off with Jerome having an unlikely game with 45 points. Now, five games in, he has continued his hot scoring, averaging 25.8 points per game. They also brought a sense of grit and grind back with Zach Edey and Boozer both starting. That gives them a dominant paint presence on offense with a lot of second-chance opportunities.
Boozer is a player who can do a bit of everything. He can shoot, post up, play make, and rebound. Against the Trailblazers, he had a triple-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. They have shooters to pass to, bigs that can score and rebound, and a point guard who is on a heater through five games but can also pass.
Can They Maintain This Level of Play?
This is very sustainable for Memphis because of the way that they play. They are able to score all over the floor allowing them to have other options when threes aren’t falling. No one should be ready to call them a legitimate title contender yet. It is still the beginning of the season for a young Grizzlies team. They still have some defensive struggles that need to be worked on.
This is a great start for them, and it shows that they are ahead of schedule. They look like a good, well-coached team that doesn’t back down. They have a fun play style that works with the players they have.
This win by the Grizzlies against the Trail Blazers was a historic win. The Grizzlies have a lot of people’s attention right now, as they should. They changed the preseason conversation of no expectations. The question now is, just how good is this Memphis Grizzlies team?
Grizzlies’ Surprising 5-0 Start Makes Franchise History