First off, apologies for this blog’s recent relative dormancy. I was out of town last weekend for a birthday trip and returned to a Grizzlies situation in which three off days preceded a road trip that begins tonight, and a work situation in which the voting deadline for the film critics group to which I belong looms at the end of the week. So I’ve been in movie mode.
Posting will be modest the rest of this week, but I hope to have the blog back at full throttle next week when the Grizzlies return to FedExForum for a three-game homestand.
With the Grizzlies facing a Suns team they beat in overtime just last week, I’m not going to do a typical match-ups-oriented preview. Instead, a few bullet-point notes and observations on tonight’s game and where the Grizzlies stand at the moment:
*The West is looking as tough as ever. Just a few days ago, the Grizzlies (14-4) had the best record in the NBA. Now they have the third best record in the conference behind the Spurs (18-4 on a five-game winning streak) and Thunder (17-4 on an eight-game winning streak) and just barely ahead of the Clippers (15-6 on a seven-game winning streak) and the surprising Warriors (14-7 on a four-game winning streak). Despite the Grizzlies great start, no-one should assume an ultimate improvement on last season’s fourth-place finish. This will likely be a tough, close playoff race all season.
