Ask any Memphian about the overall success of the Memphis Grizzlies since the franchise began playing in Pyramid 10 years ago, and you’d probably hear something to the effect of, “They’ve been alright, not great, not bad. They’re finally hitting their stride.”
Ask the same question before this season, and you’d probably get a laugh before an explanation.
Saturday night, the Memphis Grizzlies did something they hadn’t done in franchise history: win a playoff game at home. Now 1-7 all-time at home in the postseason, the win symbolizes new hope and sustained energy for a city that has never been able to fully embrace NBA fandom.
That is, until now.
“You felt the buzz as soon as you came into the building,” said Memphis forward Zach Randolph, referring to the Grizzlies’ home arena at FedEx Forum. The venue welcomed a sell-out crowd of 18,119 fans Saturday night which spilt out onto the crowded streets of downtown Memphis and Beale Street after a 91-88 victory over the Spurs in Game 3 of their first-round series.
“I got shivers,” said Grizzlies guard Mike Conley. “The hair stood up on the back of my neck.”
Conley, the Memphis field general and ball logistics specialist since arriving to the Bluff City out of college in 2007, scored 14 points and dished eight assists in the win as the No. 8 seed Grizzlies took an astonishing 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series over the No. 1-seeded San Antonio Spurs.
In what was described after the game by Memphis forward Shane Battier as a “broken play,” Battier found Randolph outside the arc late in the fourth quarter, guarded by Spurs center Tim Duncan. Not exactly in his repertoire of shots, Randolph shot up a rainbow three-pointer that landed gracefully through the hoop, all-the-while 18,000-plus fans exhaling from the stands.
Even Grizzlies owner Mike Heisley admitted to personally objecting to the wild shot taken late with the game on the line, before shouting, “YES!” in approval.
After the game, cameras followed Randolph on the court as he performed his self-entitled “win-win” dance to DJ Khaled’s – and appropriately titled as well — “All I Do Is Win.” Fans stayed in their seats to enjoy the entertainment on the court, as well as soak in all that they has missed out on in the 10 seasons and countless missed opportunities of winning a playoff game at home.
What has been most special for Grizzlies’ faithful and the city in general is knowing they won’t have to endure another anticlimactic postseason sweep this time. The Grizzlies were swept in the playoffs for three consecutive years (2004-2006), these being the only years the Memphis team had played past the regular season until 2011.
Since Shane Battier’s instant classic, go-ahead three-pointer with 23.9 seconds remaining in Game 1, the viral city-wide thought of “sweep” has been swept away from the minds of Grizzlies fans and Memphians alike. Instead, the players decided to replace this ill-fated mantra with a catchy motto of their own: “Let’s Make History.”
And so far, they have. The Memphis Grizzlies have taken the lead in a playoff series, have won a playoff game at home as before mentioned, and won in the playoffs, all firsts for the franchise. For a team that was becoming accustomed to new coaches, new annual stars and playoff let-downs in its short but engaging 10-year history, it’s a step in the right direction.
That’s something to be proud of, Memphians.
— Colin Skinner is a junior in journalism and electronic media. He can be reached at [email protected].
