Memphis Grizzlies Playoff History

The Memphis Grizzlies were initially established as the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995. The franchise was then renamed after moving to Memphis in 2001. In recent seasons, they have emerged as a force in the league. The Grizzlies are the only team in all major North American sports leagues to play in the city of Memphis. The team is owned by Memphis Basketball LLC whose chairperson is Robert Pera. The team plays its home game at FedExForum with their main sponsor being FedEx. The stadium has a seating capacity of 19,000.

The Grizzlies has had its own share of historical players on its roster. Some of them include Shane Battier, Pau Gasol and Jason Williams. They are now led by Ja Morant, who has been out of action in the 2023/24 NBA season due to off-court misconduct and injuries.

How many times has the Memphis Grizzlies made the playoffs?

The Memphis Grizzlies have made it to the post season 13 times as of March 2024. As the Vancouver Grizzlies, the team never made it to the playoffs. Of these 13 appearances in the playoffs, most have been characterized by first round exits. Furthermore, in most years when they reached the playoffs, they finished the regular season placed below fourth position in the west. They completed the regular season placed second in the 2021/22 season and 2022/23 NBA seasons, but failed to make a deep playoff run in either of the two seasons.

The Memphis Grizzlies’ success has impeded on different points in their history. These include the acquisition of Pau Gasol, the acquisition of Zach Randolph, the emergence of Marc Gasol and more recently, their appearance in the Western Conference Finals. These points cumulatively led to the growth of basketball culture in Memphis and also led to a reasonable amount of success for the team.

Presently, the Grizzlies are placed 13th on the Western Conference standings. At this stage of the season, reaching even the Play-in tournament would be unlikely for the team.

Memphis Grizzlies Playoff Record

The Memphis Grizzlies have a losing record in the NBA playoffs as of March 2024. They have played 98 games in the playoffs of which they have lost 60 and won 38.

The team’s most memorable playoff run came in the 2012/13 NBA season, when they reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time. Led by Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, the Grizzlies defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference semifinals. However, in the conference finals, they got swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

Number of conference championships won

The Memphis Grizzlies are yet to win a conference championship. They have reached the Western Conference Finals only once in 13 playoff appearances. In the 2012/13 season, they were pitched against the San Antonio Spurs, who beat them in a 4-0 sweep. This was a period where the Spurs were at their peak, being led by a trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobilli. They also had Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Patty Mills to further bolster their depth. As a result, merely reaching the Conference Finals was in itself a feat for the Grizzlies team.

Number of NBA championships won by Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies have not yet won an NBA championship. However, since moving from Vancouver, the Memphis Grizzlies have made significant strides in the postseason. The closest they reached to the NBA Finals is the conference championship in the 2012/13 season, where they lost against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Finals was won by the Miami Heat, who were led by the trio of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. The Grizzlies have constantly attempted to rebuild their roster in the hopes of developing into a title contender. Their most recent attempt involves building a roster around superstar point guard Ja Morant, whom they drafted with the second overall pick in 2019.

Memphis Grizzlies Last Playoff Appearance

The Memphis Grizzlies’ last playoff appearance was in the 2022/2023 NBA season. They finished the regular season as the second seed in the west. They then faced the seventh seed, who happened to be the Los Angeles Lakers. Led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the helm, the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies in six games with a 4-2 record, marking the sixth time in NBA history where a seventh seeded team has beaten a second seeded team in the first round of the playoffs.

In this series, the Grizzlies were led by Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks. Ja Morant averaged 24.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. On the opponent’s side, LeBron led the way with 22.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.

What is the biggest playoff series comeback in Memphis Grizzlies history?

The Memphis Grizzlies witnessed their biggest playoff series comeback against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2017 playoffs. Despite trailing 0-2, the Grizzlies fought back against a strong Spurs team to tie the series at 2-2 after four games. However, they were unable to win the series and lost the series in six games.