Despite all the talk of parity in the NBA, I doubt many of us had the Memphis Grizzlies beating the San Antonio Spurs or the Atlanta Hawks besting the Orlando Magic. Now that both lower seeds, the Grizzlies and Hawks, have won their game openers in the Semifinals, which team, so far, has been the bigger Cinderella Story?
Atlanta Hawks:
Atlanta finished the season 44-38, earning them the fifth seed and a match-up with the Magic. Last season, the Magic humiliated the Hawks 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, winning by an average of 25.3 points per game. So, for the Hawks, it must have meant a great deal to dispatch the Magic in 6 games. Though, after the Arenas-Lewis-Richardson-Carter-etc. trades, the Magic have not been up to par.
Hawks v Magic, Game 6:
Memphis Grizzlies:
Unlike the Hawks who have been to the playoffs for 3 consecutive years, the Grizzlies had not been to the playoffs since 2006. The Grizzlies were a career 0-12 in the playoffs. Finishing this season 46-36, the Grizzlies matched up with the 1st seed Spurs in Round 1. And what a series it was. The Grizzlies were physically superior to the Spurs. They beat Spurs to loose balls, and really played a sharper, smarter series. This was shocking because these have been traits of Popovich’s Spurs teams. Becoming only the second eight seed to beat a number one seed, the Grizzlies beat a 61-21 Spurs team with 4 NBA titles.
The Hawks have been this good for a few seasons now. The Grizzlies have been almost this good for a few seasons now, but they have consistently underachieved and missed the playoffs. So, while the Hawks have been here before, the Grizzlies had never won a home playoff game before these playoffs.
See how the Memphis fans reacted as the team won their first home playoff game:
The historical impact of the moment makes the Grizzlies’ playoff run a little more impressive, for me. Which team do you think has been more impressive so far? Which team has been the bigger Cinderella Story?
Rob S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition living in Los Angeles. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. De France has played, coached, and officiated competitive high school basketball in California for many years. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
