For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Memphis Grizzlies fan. I was there when they were swept in the first round three years in a row. I was there when we traded Pau Gasol. I was there when we drafted Kevin Love and traded him for O.J. Mayo. I was there when we selected Hasheem Thabeet with James Harden and Steph Curry still on the board. I was there for the stunning upset of the Spurs, and the subsequent near-upset of the Thunder in 2011. I was there when they blew a 24-point lead in Game 1 against the Clippers a year later. Okay, you get the picture. But here’s the thing; in spite of my Grizz love…..I want them to lose to the Warriors tonight.
I know, I know. I seem like an awful fan. Let me explain. The first year I followed basketball was ’95-’96, when the Bulls went 72-10. That was also the year I picked the (then-Vancouver) Grizzlies to be my team, mostly because the expansion Grizz were so bad, I felt sorry for them. But while I loved Big Country Reeves, I couldn’t help but be swept up by all the magic surrounding the Bulls. As a five-year-old, I actually cried when they lost to the Pacers in their second-to-last regular season game because I really wanted to see them finish the season with fewer than 10 losses. More importantly, I was always convinced the ’95-’96 Bulls were one of a kind, and that the greatest basketball team of all time happened when I was too young to really appreciate it. While the Warriors need to win a title for true immortality, it looks very likely that they will prove me wrong.
I’ve been rooting for 73-9 to happen all year. It killed me to watch the Dubs blow games to the likes of the Lakers and the Timberwolves, jeopardizing the record in the process. So, do I abandon the thing I’ve wanted to see for the past five months just because they happen to be playing my favorite team? Sure, I would be proud as a Grizz fan, but having the Warriors merely tie the Bulls record would be incredibly underwhelming, and we’d be heading into the playoffs on a rather disappointing note. Rooting for my favorite team to lose seems weird, but in all honesty, rooting against history when I’ve been rooting for it all season seems even weirder.
Plus, let’s be honest; this was a lost season for the Grizz. They may have kicked and scratched their way to a sixth-consecutive playoff spot, but without Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, they have no chance of getting past the first round, especially not when they’ll be playing either the Thunder or the Spurs. Injuries have rendered the Grizzlies irrelevant for the time being, and all I can really think about right now is hoping to God that Conley comes back. The Grizzlies toppling the Dubs would be a small victory for the team, but it wouldn’t make this season any less lost. Maybe it would be fun to have them go down as the team who kept the Dubs from beating the record, but when the Spurs sweep them a week later, it would be a cold comfort.
I’m guessing plenty of my fellow Grizz fans will disagree with me on this matter, and call me a turncoat. That’s fine! I’m glad the Grizz have developed such a passionate fan base. Still, when I think of how awesome it would be to see the Warriors break the Bulls’ mark, and how quickly the Grizz will be eliminated from the playoffs, I can’t help but root for the Dubs. I know I seem like a fair-weather fan, and I can only hope and pray that Grizz Nation will forgive me for this, but I’ve been rooting for 73-9 all year, and I can’t abandon the cause just because the schedule has put me in an unfortunate position.
I’ll love the Grizzlies forever, but for just one night, I’m rooting for them to lose.
