Memphis Grizzlies made it to the conference finals for the first time in their history last season. It was a load off their back and should provide the team with much needed confidence to take the next step. The old coach Lionel Hollins has been replaced by Dave Joerger. How much of an impact that move will have remains to be seen but the Grizzlies have been very active in the offseason. The Likes of Tony Allen, Jon Leuer, Jamaal Franklin, Mike Miller and Fab Melo have been added to the roster to make the team stronger. Grizzlies are out to make their mark in what promises to be an intriguing campaign.
Memphis Grizzlies have started to make some noise. For the first time in a long while they have started to look like a team that is not content with just being there. The roster has a much balanced look to it and that can only be good news for the latest season and beyond. The potential of the team has played a big part in making Memphis Grizzlies tickets sales improve and if things keep going in the right direction then that figure looks set to improve even further.
The Beginning
Memphis Grizzlies trace their history back to the city of Vancouver in Canada. The country had been longing to have an NBA team for years and that dream began to show signs of becoming a reality when Arthur Griffins, owner of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks decided that Vancouver needed an NBA team. He came up with a bid and put his proposal in front of the league. The plan was accepted and an NBA team was awarded to the city in 1994.
The team was named Vancouver Grizzlies and took to the basketball court for the first time in a game against Portland Trailblazers. The Grizzlies not only came out on top in that game but also went on to win the next one against Minnesota Timberwolves. The season on the whole didn’t go too well though and the team ended up posting a losing record on the board. The fortunes didn’t improve for a while after that with Grizzlies posting six losing seasons.
Re-location to Memphis
With attendance figures dropping and no success forthcoming, the franchise was moved to Memphis in 2001. The team became the Memphis Grizzlies and in 2003-2004, their third season in the new city, they made it to the playoffs for the first time in their history. Not only that, but they also posted a winning record by the end of that regular season. They made it to the postseason for the next two years as well but didn’t manage to go past the first round in all three attempts.
Non Playoff Years and Some Success
The next four years between 2007 and 2010 were letdowns with no winning seasons and no playoff appearances. The Grizzlies started to pick up form once again when the 2010-2011 campaign rolled into town. They went 46-36 and made it to the postseason once again. They beat San Antonio to make it past the first round for the first time ever. In the conference semifinals they came up short against the Thunder.
Next campaign was another winning one that brought their way a postseason berth. 2012-2013 turned out to be the most successful season to date. They went all the way to headlining the conference final series but ended up with a 4-0 result against San Antonio Spurs.
The Grizzlies have shown steady improvement in the last three years. They have bought players sensibly in their attempt to ensure the form doesn’t go down. If the new stars click and play to their potential, then fans should gear up for an epic season.