It was the enthralling story from Thursday’s slate of NBA games. As a Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies squad continued to pummel the helpless Oklahoma City Thunder, the question remained on how far into NBA folklore things would get.
At the conclusion of 48 minutes, the game had well and truly etched itself into NBA history. The Grizzlies 152-79 victory set social media alight, succumbing the Thunder to the biggest loss in NBA history.
The Grizzlies’ mauling of the Thunder means absolutely nothing
But outside of its place in history, and the collective discussion that emanated across platforms was, how much did Thursday’s result actually matter in the grand scheme of things?
As an isolated game, the only difference-making outcome would have been if the Thunder had caused an upset win, thus affecting the Grizzlies playoff chances.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey sidelined for Oklahoma City, this was an expected win for Memphis, even without their star point guard. Although the 73-point win was a remarkable and memorable outcome, it shouldn’t change the way we view either team moving forward.
We all understand the process the Thunder are undertaking, one that’s not solely based on the next game nor even next season. This is a young team constructed by a patient front office, a stash of first-round picks signifying desired success in three to five years.
They won’t, and shouldn’t, be deterred by any loss this season, especially not one where Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey are absent. The latter’s selection as Western Conference Rookie of the Month means infinitely more than the result of last night’s game.
Even outside the inexperienced Thunder, isolated regular-season games usually mean very little. Instead, most delve into a string of data analysis that helps produce clear trends, allowing an evaluation of team performance outside the simple win-loss record.
Seven months ago, the Golden State Warriors found themselves down by 61 points to the Toronto Raptors, eventually falling by 53. Now, dating back to last season, the Warriors have won 33 of their past 41 regular season games.
Although the Thunder won’t produce that kind of turnaround, it does emphasise the relative unimportance of one game, as well as the rapid transition that NBA teams can make.
For the Grizzlies, now 12-10 and fifth in the west, they carry the same stature as they did prior to the game. Regardless of a one or 73-point win, they’re still the talented team likely to be in the play-in battle come season’s end.