Every NBA team’s greatest playoff moment

Memphis Grizzlies: 8 over 1 (2011 Western Conference First Round)

For whatever reason, it feels like the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs meet in the playoffs yearly. It’s almost an annual tradition at this point that you can book on your calendar at the start of the season. As of late, though, it’s also been a one-sided postseason rivalry in favor of the Spurs. Part of the reason for that might be that Gregg Popovich and his staff and team are motivated by one of the few black marks on their historic resume, courtesy of the Grizzlies in 2011.

Posting a 61-win regular season, the Spurs were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the 2011 postseason. As has been the case for many years, most looked to them as title contenders. Meanwhile, the then-young Grizzlies snuck in as the eighth seed in the West and, by all accounts, could’ve enjoyed the ride with a first-round exit and no one would’ve batted an eye. Instead, the heart of Grit-and-Grind was born.

As just a second-year player at the time, Marc Gasol was a relative nobody in the 2011 playoffs, but he showed his promise with a monster series against the Spurs. Meanwhile, a rejuvenated Zach Randolph led the way as an enforcer on both ends of the floor that San Antonio didn’t have an answer for. Put simply, Memphis’ now-signature mentality hit the Spurs right in the mouth and they were too dazed to recover in time. The Grizzlies advanced in six games and then even pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in the next round. Memphis hopes more moments keep coming, but the arrival of the Grit-and-Grind era really started with this 8-1 upset.