The Grizzlies Are Running a Marathon and a Sprint; Is It Sustainable?

Memphis is making history while doing its best Sonic the Hedgehog impression

People often say that life is like a marathon, not a sprint. The same, technically could be said for an NBA game. Players need to know when to pick their spots, so as to not burn themselves out on every single possession. The video game NBA2K simulates this via a stat called stamina, which prevents players from simply hitting the turbo button all game long. If you do, your stats drop, and you’re less likely to make shots. In theory, that’s how it works in the real NBA, too. Except for one team, it seems.

The Memphis Grizzlies have been a strange case this season. Full of “Who He Play For” role players and an only sometimes-available group of stars who can’t permanently stay off the injured reserve list, the Grizzlies find themselves as a top 3 team in the very tough Western Conference. Much has been made of the role player factor, but there’s something else going on beneath the surface that I haven’t seen anyone else talk about: the Grizzlies are running a marathon and a sprint at a speed that we’ve never seen in the NBA.

Don’t understand what I mean? Let’s dig into the data.