Memphis Grizzlies: Western Conference Dark Horse

The NBA Playoffs is a place where legends are born, dreams are made and icons are immortalized. It's a place that a team longs to get to after a long and grueling 82 games. A place that only 16 teams, eight in each conference can make a trip to. Emotions run high. Expectations are through the roof no matter which team you represent. In the midst of all this, there can only be one winner. One NBA Champion. One that is worthy of holding the Larry O'Brien trophy in triumph. You have teams that are expected to be NBA Champions. Then you have teams who are not expected to go any further than the first round...a dark horse.

In the Eastern Conference, I have already determined that the dark horse is definitely Tom Thibodeau's Chicago Bulls. After careful and much consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the Memphis Grizzlies are indeed without a doubt, the dark horse of the Western Conference.

The Memphis Grizzlies are 50-32 heading into the playoffs on Saturday night at 9:30 at the Chesapeake Arena in Oklahoma City to face the Thunder. The team has been through a lot this season and has made the bold statement that they are not going anywhere. February Western Conference Coach of the Month, David Joerger in his first year with the underrated Memphis Grizzlies has made much improvement with this team. Although the seventh seed in the Western Conference, Memphis has shown itself as a threat to the West in this year's NBA Playoffs. They are third in the league in points allowed with an average of 94.6 ppg, they are 14th in assists per game with an average of 21.9 apg.

Currently, the Grizzlies rank 6th in the NBA in power rankings. The Grizzlies made it known that they actually <em>wanted </em>San Antonio and the eighth seed. No matter how exciting that would be for the team, the Dallas Mavericks will end up getting what Memphis deserves.

Grizzlies power forward, Zac Randolph no doubt is the leader of the team. Not only is he the leader of the team, but he actually has help in Marc Gasol, Tony Allen, and Mike Conley. Randolph is leading the team in points and rebounds while Gasol is leading in blocks, Allen with steals, and Conley with assits. Despite their much earned success in the extremely competitive Western Conference, they are barely recognized and not really discussed much on major stations like ESPN. Since Marc Gasol returned in January, his rim protection has made the Memphis Grizzlies number one with a D-Rating of 97.7. Definitely bad news if you're the Oklahoma City Thunder.


This post season, the Grizzlies are there to make a name for themselves and silence the naysayers. They are looking to take over the West and smite each team that comes in their way of winning the NBA Finals. Their performance on the court is electrifying and you cant help but to get goosebumps watching them play at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. If the NBA Finals are not reach, you can rest assure that the Grizzlies are going to at least make the Western Conference Finals. This team viciously clawed their way to the seventh seed, disappointing Jeff Hornacek and company while battling for the eighth and final seed in the West.

Let us not forget their perimeter shooting which is above and beyond expectations. This is a team that knocked off the Thunder last year in the 2013 Western Conference Semi Finals.

David Joerger is an amazing coach and he is definitely benefiting from the performance of the players adapting into his style of play. Look for this team to shock and rock the NBA world to its core this postseason.

Remember, this is the NBA Playoffs...Where Anything Can Happen!

Cleveland Sports Talk Writer &amp; Site Manager,

Briyant Hines

@_BriyantHines