At 9-2, the Grizzlies enter this week with the best record in the National Basketball Association. But that’s not all. They’ve also built that record against one of the league’s toughest schedules, with the second highest opponent winning percentage in the league.
That second part is about to change. The Grizzlies 11 opponents so far have owned a .596 winning percentage. The three Eastern Conference cellar-dwellers that will come to FedExForum this week have a combined .220 winning percentage. And this starts tonight with the 3-10 Cleveland Cavaliers, who will be without their budding superstar point guard Kyrie Irving, who is out with a broken finger.
The Cavs have played the fifth-fastest pace in the league with a 29th-ranked defense. If that holds up tonight, and the Grizzlies are in good form, not only will the home team notch its 10th win, but will have a big scoring night doing so.
Three things on my mind about tonight’s game:
1. The Return of Jeremy Pargo: Who knew this would actually be an interesting storyline? After a failed rookie season as the Grizzlies’ back-up point guard, the Griz paid the Cavaliers to take Pargo this summer, thus reducing the team’s potential luxury tax penalty. Pargo wasn’t playing much before Irving’s injury, but in his first game as a starter in Irving’s stead, Pargo erupted for 28 points on 11-19 shooting in a (rare) win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
