By Pete Pranica, Grizzlies Play-by-Play
For Foxsportstennessee.com
March 12, 2010
The season grows short and the playoff race for the Memphis Grizzlies is more of a treadmill ride than anything else.
While Head Coach Lionel Hollins and the Grizzlies would dearly love to make the post-season -- if for no other reason than to show just how far this franchise has come in one year -- they are not making it an all-or-nothing affair.
If the Grizzlies can somehow catch Portland and/or San Antonio for the final playoff spot in the West, great. If not, it's still been a successful season.
And whether or not the Grizzlies make the playoffs, they will recall with fond memories March 10 in Boston. That was the night that the league's 3rd-youngest team made the league's 2nd-oldest look tired, worn and frayed around the edges.
The Grizzlies played on the fabled parquet with a swagger largely unknown among young teams. They didn't cave in to a lineup with three Hall of Famers and the league's most accurate field goal shooter. Nor did they blink in the face of one of the league's most improved point guards.
Instead, they played through Boston's thuggish defense -- certainly more clutching and grabbing than the Celtics' fellow Garden tenant, the Bruins -- and responded with their own brand of toughness and tenacity.
Sadly, much of the national media attention focused on "what's wrong with the Boston Celtics" rather than "these Grizzlies are pretty good." Such is life for the Rodney Dangerfield of the NBA.
When the Grizzlies focus on the task at hand they are a very difficult out. Since the All Star break, their focus on the road has been fabulous and their mental toughness has been most encouraging.
