I never really paid attention to the rest of the NBA during the Grizzlies' last heyday. I always knew that the Battier-Gasol Grizz had some success so I decided to check out their roster. I never realized that, during this 3 year period, they featured solid NBA talent like Jason Williams, Mike Miller, Bonzi Wells, James Posey, StroShow (lol) and Eddie Jones. I was surprised to see that the Gasol-Battier core NEVER made it past the 1st round! During this 3 year stretch, they came within 1 win of two 50 win seasons (45 wins in 04-05). They finished 15th, 4th and 1st in terms of opp PPG. My jaw absolutely dropped when I saw that they were swept EVERY SINGLE YEAR in the 1st rd!!! I understand the tough matchups (SAS, PHX, DAL), but seriously not even one win? So my friends, why the playoff ineptitude?
The main reason why the grizzlies didn't win a game was because Pau was our only real offensive weapon and playing the spurs, phx and dallas, who all had powerhouse teams back then, it was too much to overcome.
We are talking about the support for a squad featuring Pau and Battier. They weren't exactly beasts, but some of those dudes even won titles/ came close while playing a strong supporting role for other teams (Posey, Mike Miller, Eddie Jones). Even Bonzi exploded for SAC in the playoffs after leaving the Grizz
They weren't a playoff basketball team in regards to that style. They had 1 core guy that could do damage, but the others are containable unless there is that secondary star to make things easier. Having a bunch of B- to B players doesn't cover up having another A-quality player.
0-12, guys...and that is after finishing each season with 45+ wins and a top defensive team! I know the rest of the squad was questionable and Battier as a second option was terrible. What I am asking is how in the world does a 45, 49 and 50 win team in the regular season not even squeeze out ONE playoff win???
They just weren't a very good team. At that time there were a couple of really bad teams in the league that you were sure to beat every time. When they had 45 wins they were still the 8th seed. If Pau Gasol is your best player you will lose. Sad thing is, they didn't even have a 2nd player that was anywhere near Pau Gasol. Their offense was a joke. Their gimmick offense may have worked in the regular season but in the playoffs, where teams really prepare specifically to stop your main weapons, that crap won't fly.
Pau Gasol is a giant marshmallow, and bad playoff matchups. They played high seeds who were on a mission to trash them as soon as possible and move on. That's a different scenario than getting 45 wins by beating the Eastern conference and the lower seeded teams on nights where not much was at stake. People like to preach that defense is all-important, but without multiple offensive sparks to make something happen when there's a lull in the game, your team is doomed in the playoffs. Very much like the T-Mac / Yao Rockets.
I don't think you know what an excuse is. If I was to claim that the grizzlies got a raw deal or say that they were really good team except ... no Im stating the facts by answering the question accurately. I am not defending the losses in any way. They lost becuae they were overmatched.
I actually chose "unfortunate" playoff matchups ... though I have to say those teams would've pulled upset or two, if they had Bizarro Gasol (his younger brother) and Randolph, instead of him. Or even if Gasol, himself was paired with a guy, like Andrew Bynum (healthy). Actually would've stood great chance of beating a team, like the Suns, Spurs, or Mavs. I believe a front line with Bynum and Gasol (Lakers) or (Bizzaro) Gasol and Randolph with Jason Williams, Mike Miller, Bonzi Wells, James Posey, StroShow (lol) and Eddie Jones would've been enough to beat the Dallas or Phoenix or force a 7 game series. The Spurs are a little tougher to predict, because of their versatility. You give Grizzlies two outstanding post players who can play defense with handful of defensive maestros on the wing (Jones, Posey, Battier, and Wells), along with a defensive minded coach. Phoenix's run and gun game would be more or less neutralized, because the Suns wouldn't be able to keep opposing bigs off the boards enough to get into their game...which is what happened when they played the Spurs. That was actually the Achilles heel of teams, like the Mavs and Suns. Both struggled mightily against teams with good front-lines or centers, which is why Houston could last fairly long in a series against any team with a healthy Yao Ming or why the Lakers almost pulled off an upset over the Suns. It's also a reason why the 67 win Mavs team went down to Golden State, no real interior presence to stop all of the chaos. Small ball, typically does not win, unless a team has a supreme talent with versatility on the perimeter (see Chicago and Miami). Even now, if you were to pluck a great center from his youth or prime and put them on an average playoff team to a borderline playoff team that such team would easily be in contention for a title, next year. Think about adding Wilt Chamberlain (in his prime) to the Atlanta Hawks, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (in his young days) to the Milwaukee Bucks.
There was mild difference between the Grizzlies and Rockets, I thought T-Mac and Yao at their best were A+ talent, but did not have a supporting cast to match. On the other hand, I thought Pau Gasol at best was B to B+ talent who could play as an A on a given occasion. If the Rockets had the Grizzlies supporting talent, they would've gotten out of the first round several times, instead of going through the treadmill of players who near retirement or guys who are in and out of D-League.
Agreed. As we know, between Yao and TMac we were rarely at 100%, and outside of those two guys there was no one creating chaos on offense. Luther Head shooting 1/14 in an entire series against the Jazz always comes to mind.
Are you really asking why a team that never surpassed 50 wins got swept by teams that won 57, 60, and 62 games?
They were a poorly constructed team (as are the current Grizzlies). They could cover for a lack of elite individual talent with depth and good coaching in the regular season. However come playoff time all the teams are rested and prepared and elite individual talent begins to really matter.
