Eight Hundred and Ninety-Seven: The Eastern Spurs Are Coming
The Memphis Grizzlies didn't finally end their winning streak until January 3.
On January 3, 2015, at the Denver Plateau, the Grizzlies lost to the Nuggets 98-104.
Since Grizzlies No. 2 had just finished playing the game in Los Angeles, No. 3 immediately reported to the Denver plateau, which was undoubtedly a huge test for the physical fitness of the Grizzlies players.
So in this game at the Pepsi Center, the Grizzlies showed their fatigue.
But as the saying goes, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse.
Unless the horse is really fast.
If the Grizzlies are just tired, it will be difficult for the Nuggets, who are currently unable to even enter the top eight in the Western Conference, to challenge the Grizzlies.
But the Nuggets performed extremely well in this game.
Ty Lawson made 10 of 14 shots and scored 25 points and 11 rebounds with a super high shooting rate of 71.2%.
Afflalo made 8 of 12 shots and scored 23 points with a 66.7% shooting rate.
The explosive touch of these two backcourts made the Grizzlies very passive. And in addition to Lawson and Afflalo, the Nuggets also had 4 people scoring in double figures.
There is no doubt that this is a result that the Nuggets have not been able to achieve in previous games.
In the entire game, the Nuggets shot 51.9% from the field and 46.7% from three-point range. The number of teams that can achieve this kind of shooting rate against the Grizzlies this season can be counted on one hand.
Or to put it more bluntly - this is the only one!
In this way, the Nuggets relied on their super-level performance and the Grizzlies' own fatigue to win the game in an upset. The Grizzlies' winning streak stopped at 13 consecutive wins.
However, the loss in this game did not worry Grizzlies fans too much. It was just a painless regular season record and not something to be afraid of.
Although the Grizzlies are unlikely to achieve the terrifying results of 70 wins this year, there should be no problem in maintaining the first place in the Western Conference.
After all, the Grizzlies have won 70 or more games in a single season for two consecutive years. After the Bulls won 72 games that year, they couldn't continue their 70-win myth.
Originally, 74 wins was the pinnacle. Even under the same circumstances, it would be difficult to replicate such a miracle.
The outside world is quite tolerant of the defeat in this game. Almost everyone believes that as long as the Grizzlies take a break, they can continue to win a series of victories.
But on this point, Link's view is different from the public.
Winning 70 wins in the regular season for three consecutive years was not an impossible task for the Grizzlies.
After all, Link has truly reached his peak since this season.
Although the Grizzlies left Nick Young and others, overall the lineup has not changed much.
Compared with last season, the Grizzlies' strength has improved instead of falling.
But the main reason why the Grizzlies can no longer achieve an exaggerated 70-win record this year, and why they have already lost 6 games just entering January, is because of injuries!
In the previous two seasons when they won 70 games, the Grizzlies' lineup was quite healthy. From the main players to the role players, there were no serious injuries.
But this season, the Grizzlies' lineup is almost never complete.
Randolph and Iguodala knelt early in the season. Iguodala only recently returned, and there is still no news from Randolph.
This is not over yet. Tony Allen injured his right cornea a few days ago. Although "Teacher Tony" will return in the next game, if he were there, Afflalo might not be able to hit such a high shooting percentage today.
Injuries are the biggest obstacle limiting the Grizzlies' pace.
No, after the back-to-back games with the Nuggets, injuries came back.
"What!? If this happens, won't we have no inside players!?" In the head coach's office of FedEx Arena, Dave Joerger looked at the chief team doctor Moon in front of him, with "Unfortunately" written on his face. The word "believe".
"It's a pity, but I'm afraid it is." Moon shook his head. "Mark and Nurkic fought too hard yesterday, and he said he had some discomfort in his right calf today. For safety reasons, we have to let him enter the daily routine. Watch list.”
In yesterday's game, the matchup between Jusuf Nurkic and Gasol was considered a European derby.
Gasol is very famous in Europe, and all European players follow the example of the two Gasol brothers.
Nurkic, who is new to the league, is no exception.
Over in Europe, this "European Derby" has been quite hyped. Therefore, Nurkic has been prepared for yesterday's showdown for a long time.
Nurkic finally lived up to expectations. He played very actively yesterday and scored a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes of play.
Facing a young, passionate and hard-working Nurkic, Gasol, who played back-to-back games, was a little tired of dealing with it.
Although he persisted in playing the entire game and scored the second-highest score on the Grizzlies, second only to Link's 18 points.
But during yesterday's game, Gasol felt some discomfort in his right calf.
Today, after questioning and examination by the team doctor, Gasol was added to the daily observation list.
It is faster to protect now before the injury is actually caused than to treat after the injury.
But in this case, the "Black and White Bears" will not be able to appear.
Randolph was supposed to return a few days ago, but he still felt discomfort in his knee and it didn't get better.
The medical team was afraid that Randolph would be injured continuously, so he has been placed on the daily observation list and has not been activated.
Well now, Randolph's return date has not been determined, and without Gasol, the Grizzlies' inside strength has undoubtedly been weakened a lot.
Although the Grizzlies have previously signed a guaranteed contract with Whiteside that lasts until the end of the season, even with the addition of Whiteside, the Grizzlies' inside line was barely sufficient.
Now that both the "Black and White Bears" are injured, the Grizzlies' inside reserves have become stretched again.
"Damn it...we have been suffering from constant injuries this season." Joger was very helpless. If it weren't for injuries, the Warriors would not be ranked first in the Western Conference.
If it weren't for injuries, the Warriors' 16-game winning streak wouldn't still be the longest winning streak of the season.
"There's no way, Zach is already 34 years old after all, and Gasol will be 30 in less than 20 days. This is already Link's fifth year with the Grizzlies, Dave, and everyone's age will not stop growing. "
Moon's words made Qiaogel even more worried. Yes, the young villains who made trouble in the alliance were already in their thirties.
Time flies by in a blink of an eye.
"However, Mark fell at the wrong time. On the 7th, we are going to encounter a difficult opponent." Joger looked at the schedule and drew on the grid for January 7th. With a red circle.
"You always have a way to get through difficulties, don't you?" Moon shrugged. He was only responsible for healing injuries, and formulating a game plan was beyond his capabilities.
"It's not that I always have a way to get through the difficulties, but Link always has a way to get through the difficulties. If Mark can't come back on the 7th... Link may really have to make a new attempt... ..."
Qiaogel rubbed his temples, he really had a headache.
A few days later, on January 7, the Memphis Grizzlies will play against the Atlanta Hawks on the road.
The Hawks were only eighth in the Eastern Conference last season, and their record of 38 wins and 44 losses would not even make the top ten in the Western Conference.
The Atlanta Hawks have never been considered a problem.
But this year, their current record is 26 wins and 8 losses, which means they have only lost two more games than the Grizzlies...
This rising Eastern Spurs may be even more difficult to deal with than the real Spurs.
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