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Memphis Grizzlies · Franchise era 4 of 6

Grit and Grind: the Memphis Grizzlies story

Franchise era

2010–11—2016–17

Grit and Grind

Memphis Grizzlies

The story in one sentence

The Core Four upset top-seeded San Antonio and made seven straight playoffs by turning every game into a physical test.

01

Defense, toughness and the 2013 West finals

02

Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Mike Conley and Tony Allen gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for the core four farewell.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Before 2010–11

    What came before

    Memphis turned toward youth, acquiring Marc Gasol and developing the players who would define its lasting identity.

  2. 2011

    Western Conference Semifinals: Memphis Grizzlies vs Oklahoma City Thunder

    Western ConferenceSemifinals
    2011
    MEMPHISGRIZZLIES
    OKLAHOMA CITYTHUNDER
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference Semifinals · 7 games

    Memphis Grizzlies vs Oklahoma City Thunder

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 7 · May 15, 2011Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder →Closest game · Game 3 · May 7, 2011Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies →

  3. 2013

    Western Conference Finals: Memphis Grizzlies vs San Antonio Spurs

    Western ConferenceFinals
    2013
    MEMPHISGRIZZLIES
    SAN ANTONIOSPURS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference Finals · 4 games

    Memphis Grizzlies vs San Antonio Spurs

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    Series finale · Game 4 · May 27, 2013San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies →Closest game · Game 2 · May 21, 2013Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs →

  4. 2015

    Western Conference Semifinals: Memphis Grizzlies vs Golden State Warriors

    Western ConferenceSemifinals
    2015
    MEMPHISGRIZZLIES
    GOLDEN STATEWARRIORS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference Semifinals · 6 games

    Memphis Grizzlies vs Golden State Warriors

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 6 · May 15, 2015Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies →Closest game · Game 2 · May 5, 2015Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors →

  5. After 2016–17

    What came next

    Memphis honored its veteran foundation while drafting Jackson and preparing a remarkably quick transition.

The core

Faces of the chapter

01Marc Gasol→02Zach Randolph→03Mike Conley→04Tony Allen→
← Previous eraThe rebuild takes shape2007–08—2009–10Next era →The Core Four farewell2017–18—2018–19