If you are a sports fan (or if you are in touch with the popular sayings and adages of society), you have heard of a moral victory. Now before you keep reading, I am not saying that a 16-point loss is a moral victory. No; last night's game against LeBron and the Cavs was both a moral and physical loss. We shot 38%, gave up 64 points in the paint, our All-Star contributed 8 points and 4 rebounds on 3-14 shooting and we shot a woeful 14% from beyond the arc. There is no debating that the Grizzlies lost in every way possible last night.
When I reference the phrase "moral victory," I am referring to our last two games, when we went 1-1. Is 1-1 good for this Grizzlies team, one that has come so far this season and is in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006? Normally, I would say no. But is 1-1 good when those two games are against the two best teams in the NBA, on back-to-back nights, and both home and away? YES!! 1-1 is good, when one of those victories is against the Los Angeles Kobes and one of those losses is against the Cleveland LeBrons. Would I be happy if the Grizzlies went 1-1 against the Nets and Timberwolves? Of course not. But to go 1-1 against the cream of the NBA crop is something different and that's something I'll take any day.
Now I know what you're all saying: "But the loss dropped us out of a playoff spot and now we're tied for 9th in the West!!!" I would like to point something out: the Memphis Grizzlies are a mere four games out of the 3rd spot (that's right! 3rd!) in the Western Conference. The West is a deep and talented conference. If the Grizzlies keep playing the way we've been playing (like winning 13 of 19), we will be just fine. As the old coaching saying goes, "we can't control what any other team is doing. We can only control ourselves." If the Grizzlies keep controlling themselves, everything will be just fine.
Stay tuned for for analysis on Friday's game against the Rockets and keep living the Grizz Life.
Owen
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