I’m going to hold off on a traditional post-game report until tomorrow, because my first reaction to tonight’s game, a 110-105 loss to a now 20-4 Boston Celtics team, is to soak up how much I enjoyed it and to try to put it in a little perspective relative to the development of this team.
I care a lot about the success of the Grizzlies on and off the court, but I come at the team from the perspective of an NBA fan first and foremost, and it’s that perspective from which I loved this game. Tonight, a veteran title contender with the league’s best record, a 10-game winning streak, and a lineup built around three future hall-of-famers came into a road game with a day’s rest to face a suddenly surging but very young team on the second night of a back-to-back.
The lead never exceeded five points in either direction. The young team on the back-to-back was clearly fatigued in the second half, but mounted several mini-comebacks when it seemed like they were ready to fold, including a surprising six-point run just past the three-minute mark to pull within two points and force the veteran contenders to call a timeout. The rest of the way — fewer than 90 seconds to play — it took all three future hall-of-famers making clutch shots for the veteran team to take this game: A high-arcing 22-footer from Kevin Garnett. A fierce driving finish from Paul Pierce. And then the back-breaker: Down only two points with under 20 second the play, the Grizzlies broke up a Celtics play, forcing a long, off-balance three-pointer at the end of the shot clock. The shooter? Walter Ray Allen. Game over.