Grizzlies 2015-16 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions
The Memphis Grizzlies have been known for their gritty, hard-nosed defense in recent years, but that identity hasn't translated to any close brushes with the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
The Grizzlies' 2015-16 schedule dropped on Wednesday, and it can be viewed courtesy on NBA.com.
Scoring will be a premium for Memphis in if it is meant to be a true contender. Odds Shark lists the Grizzlies as a 33-1 bet to win the championship. A long but potentially lucrative wager, though any returns to be made depend on Memphis altering its basketball brand.
Let's take a closer look at the Grizzlies' marquee contests for the upcoming season, along with analysis and a final record prediction.
Breakdown of Top Games
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors
First Meeting: Monday, Nov. 3
En route to their NBA championship, the Warriors' toughest hurdle may have been Memphis, who pushed them to six games in the conference semifinals before bowing out.
And that was without point guard Mike Conley for Game 1, when the Grizzlies lost by 15. Although they suffered three straight double-digit losses to close out the series, Conley was also dealing with a facial injury.
This is a chance for redemption of sorts for Conley as he lines up opposite reigning MVP Stephen Curry. In the midst of a contract year, Conley will want to make the most of these high-profile battles and acquit himself well before he hits the open market.
CBSSports.com's Matt Moore raises a fair point about how Golden State's championship could harm Memphis' bid to come out of the West:
"One unfortunate repercussion for the Grizzlies of the Warriors title could be the upcoming wave of smallball stretch 4s they’ll be facing
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) July 23, 2015"
What led to the Grizzlies' demise against Golden State was the glaring disparity in offensive firepower. Once the pace picked up and the Warriors asserted themselves, the series was effectively over.
It comes as little surprise that Memphis was tied last among playoff teams with an effective field-goal percentage of 48.9, per NBA.com. Golden State led the NBA in the regular season with a 54 percent eFG clip.
Memphis' ability to play with faster-paced adversaries is diminished greatly when Conley is absent. The Grizzlies therefore figure to reward him for being one of the better, underrated point guards in the Association with a big payday if they're meant to keep up with the times.
Conley seems likely to stick around, but part of that decision may depend on how deep this Memphis squad goes in the postseason. These games against Golden State ought to provide a good indication of where the Grizzlies will stack up in the West in 2015-16.
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Houston Rockets
First Meeting: Friday, Nov. 20
The one-on-one duels in these showdowns guarantee to entertain basketball fans everywhere.
All-Star centers Marc Gasol of Memphis and Houston's Dwight Howard have both been named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year in the past. Gasol is more adept offensively, particularly as a passer with an average of 3.8 assists in 2014-15. Howard can crash the glass better but isn't as polished in the post.
Mason Ginsberg of ESPN's TrueHoop Network raises a fair point about the quality of big men in the West, making note of Gasol in particular:
Rockets guard James Harden faces perhaps his stiffest challenge of the season when Tony Allen marks him up on the perimeter. Allen is second to no one in terms of on-ball defense, and he will make life difficult for Harden, who can score at will inside or out on most of his opponents.
Conley once again figures to be a huge deciding factor. Houston traded for talented but troubled PG Ty Lawson. Few players have the lateral quickness and defensive chops to stay in front of the former Denver Nugget, but Conley is one of them.
Considering the entire Southwest Division just made the playoffs, the games Memphis has against its biggest rivals will loom especially large in the years to come. It's more salient for the Grizzlies, whose window to contend may be closing as early as the end of this next season.
Record Prediction
Depth is a luxury the Grizzlies don't really have. Most of their bench is filled with young players who haven't proven themselves or veterans like Vince Carter who are barely hanging on in the NBA.
As mentioned before, this could be Conley's final call in Memphis. Power forward Zach Randolph's physical style of play can only carry on for so long now that he's just turned 34. Randolph needs the likes of Brandan Wright to step up with some productive minutes.
Wright believes he has the proper tools to make the Grizzlies a more multifaceted team that can throw foes a curve with their second unit, per the Associated Press, via NBA.com:
"Obviously with the starters, we'll be more physical, a big team that can really pound it on the inside, attack the paint. Then we come off the bench and I think we'll be a little bit faster, a little bit more pick-and-roll oriented, a little bit more athletic. "Then we mix some of those lineups, and it's a different aspect that hasn't been here in the past. I'm excited to see how it meshes.
"
The X-factor is swingman Jeff Green, who's capable of brilliance at both ends at times but struggles with consistency, particularly with regard to offensive efficiency.
Green is in a contract year just as Conley is and must prove he fits the system. His arrival in a trade during last season threw off Memphis' chemistry to a degree, though he does have explosive scoring ability and can guard well at the 2 and 3 positions.
In an era of smaller lineups, whining in excess about foul calls and teams skewing more toward building around perimeter players, the Grizzlies' old-school mentality gives off a neat, retro vibe. It's fun to watch their adversaries warily walk into the "Grindhouse" of FedEx Forum.
According to Clay Bailey of the Associated Press, via NBA.com, Gasol has said he never considered any scenario in which he'd leave Memphis—especially after he got the impression Conley would stick around—and Randolph's career found new life when he came to Blues City.
Whether the pride the Grizzlies' two bigs and tight-knit core have in representing Memphis translates to being a legitimate factor in the West is another matter. At worst the Grizzlies are in for a first-round exit, but they have the collective intangibles to be a contender if everything jells right.
Record Prediction: 56-26
