Former Lakers great Magic Johnson used to call the waning minutes of a close game “winning time,” and the Memphis Grizzlies have reached that point in the 2010-11 season.
The Grizzlies have completed the team’s most difficult stretch of their schedule that included three games against the San Antonio Spurs, road games against Dallas, Miami, Boston and Chicago, and home games against Oklahoma City and New Orleans.
Memphis went 8-6 against some of the NBA’s best teams and maintained their hold on the Western Conference’s eighth playoff spot.
With the final two weeks of the regular season upon us, Memphis’ schedule begins to ease up.
The Grizzlies will only play three of their final eight games against playoff teams, giving them an opportunity to make the team’s first playoff appearance since the 2005-06 season.
The Grizzlies have a chance to erase any doubt over the next 10 days beginning on Wednesday when they face Golden State.
Memphis will travel to New Orleans on Friday, then return home for three straight games against the Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento.
Memphis should, at minimum, go 4-1 against those teams and doing so would all but lock up a playoff berth.
The Grizzlies have been playing without injured forward Rudy Gay since February 15, and he’s now officially out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
But the Grizzlies have made several key additions to help the team, adding Shane Battier and Leon Powe. Their presence has added playoff experience to the roster, but most importantly they’ve brought mental toughness to the team.
And no player has given Memphis more toughness this season than Tony Allen. His addition has made the Grizzlies a more physical team, and they’ve become much better defensively.
On Monday, ESPN’s Marc Stein released his latest NBA power rankings and had Memphis 10th. He wondered how a team that’s gone 10-6 against the Lakers, Spurs, Mavericks and Thunder could only be the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Considering Memphis was 14-19 on January 1 and nowhere close to a playoff spot, it’s a wonder they’ve been able to achieve so much during the second half of the season.
Prior to the season, ESPN analyst Tim Legler picked Memphis to finish no better than 11th or 12th in the Western Conference. While the pundits have doubted and wondered, the Grizzlies went about their business.
Now the Grizzlies need to eliminate all the wondering and doubts.
Memphis has to send a clear message over the next two weeks that they are not only worthy of making the playoffs, but they are team to be reckoned with when the postseason begins.
It’s winning time for the Memphis Grizzlies, time to prove to the rest of the NBA, their fans and to themselves that they have the stuff it takes to get this franchise to the next level.
