After the Grizzlies lost Game#1 in Dallas, the team had a serious players-only meeting to try and turn things around. It didn't work. They got their collective a$$e$ handed to them in Game#2. It was even worse than the first game. It got so bad in Game #2 that Fratello benched all his starters during a critical stretch in the 2nd half. It didn't work either, and they still lost big. Before Game#3 in Memphis, Jerry West berated his team in an attempt to wake them up from their slumber. The result? Probably the most painful loss in franchise history --- Memphis lead for most of the first 4 quarters, before the Mavericks calmly and methodically wrestled the win away in the last few minutes.
Game#4 is coming up.
The Grizzlies have a monkey on their back. It's their 0-11 playoff history, and they're on the verge of being swept out of the first round for the third straight year. What are the chances that an 0-11 team will reinvent itself and go 4-0 in the 10 days? Zilch. Zero. Nada. And the Grizzlies know that better than anybody. You can bet those odds weigh heavily on the back of their minds. In Game#4, that monkey on their back will be their worst enemy, not the Mavericks. Trust me folks, that game will be over before the first basket is even scored.
If I was a betting man, I would mortgage the house and take the kids' tuition... then bet everything on the Grizzlies losing *BIG* against the Mavericks in Memphis on Game 4. It'll be a laugher because the Grizzlies won't even show up. It's hard enough to motivate an 0-3 team to avoid a sweep. But can Fratello convince his 0-11 team they have a shot at going 4-0 over the next 10 days? That's practically impossible. And if a team has lost any hope of advancing to the next round, then they have no chance of even winning one playoff game.
IMHO, of course.
Game#4 is coming up.
The Grizzlies have a monkey on their back. It's their 0-11 playoff history, and they're on the verge of being swept out of the first round for the third straight year. What are the chances that an 0-11 team will reinvent itself and go 4-0 in the 10 days? Zilch. Zero. Nada. And the Grizzlies know that better than anybody. You can bet those odds weigh heavily on the back of their minds. In Game#4, that monkey on their back will be their worst enemy, not the Mavericks. Trust me folks, that game will be over before the first basket is even scored.
If I was a betting man, I would mortgage the house and take the kids' tuition... then bet everything on the Grizzlies losing *BIG* against the Mavericks in Memphis on Game 4. It'll be a laugher because the Grizzlies won't even show up. It's hard enough to motivate an 0-3 team to avoid a sweep. But can Fratello convince his 0-11 team they have a shot at going 4-0 over the next 10 days? That's practically impossible. And if a team has lost any hope of advancing to the next round, then they have no chance of even winning one playoff game.
IMHO, of course.
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