Ranking the best seasons in Grizzlies franchise history

The Memphis Grizzlies are among the unfortunate ten active NBA teams that have never won a championship.

However, Grizzlies basketball has always been eventful, and the franchise has had highly successful seasons since relocating from Vancouver to Memphis before the 2001-02 season.

With Grizzlies fans gearing up for another campaign full of hopes and aspirations, here is a ranking of the best seasons in franchise history, with the help of data collected by LandofBasketball.com .

Best season: 2012-2013

This season was all about defense. Those Grizzlies held opponents to 89.3 points per game and were the last NBA team to allow under 90 points per game in a season. The team was led by Marc Gasol at the peak of his powers. He won Defensive Player of the Year and dominated on offense as an effective anchor point for coach Lionel Hollins' system.

This young, defensive-minded squad, which included Mike Conley Jr., Tony Allen, and Zach Randolph, became known as the Grit and Grind Grizzlies. They raced through the regular season with 56 wins—the most in franchise history. But in the challenging West, that was only enough to secure fifth place.

In the 2012-13 season, Memphis made the conference finals for the first time in its history after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in six games in the first round and the top-seeded defending runner-up Oklahoma City Thunder in five games in the semifinals.

Overcoming the heavily favorite OKC to secure a spot in the West Finals was the most impressive series win the Grizzlies have ever had. However, they met an experienced San Antonio Spurs team in the West Finals. The series ended in a sweep for the Spurs, and Grizzlies coach Hollins was fired.

2nd best season: 2021-2022

This season marked the emergence of Ja Morant, who became a superstar in his third season in the league. It started on opening night when Ja scored 37 points in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and continued all the way to the playoffs. Along the way, Memphis won the Southwest division title for the first time.

One of the most memorable moments came on December 2 (2021), when the Grizzlies defeated the OKC Thunder by an NBA record-setting 73 points, still the largest margin of victory in the history of the NBA. The final score was 152–79, but the Grizzlies led by an even larger margin at one point (148–70).

In the postseason, the Grizzlies overcame the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round (4-2) but lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games in the West semis.

That series included a huge missed opportunity at the end of Game 1. Morant missed a layup, which would have won the game.

3rd best season: 2014-15

It's another version of the Grit and Grind Grizzlies, with Gasol, Zach Randolph, and Conley Jr. playing key roles. Vince Carter's addition increased the team's presence in highlight reels. Even though he was towards the end of his high-flying career, Carter had some memorable dunks, including a facial on Rudy Gobert.

Memphis led the Southwest Division for most of the season, but the Houston Rockets passed them in April, and the Grizzlies finished fifth in the West.

The Grizzlies defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in five games in the first round. But another season ended with a 2–4 West semis loss to the Warriors, who went on to win the first championship in the Steph Curry era.

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