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When you think of the NBA, you might think of Lebron James or Kobe Bryant as current players. You may even think of the dominant Chicago Bulls of the ’80s lead by Michael Jordan. But one thing not many think of first is the Memphis Grizzlies. A small market team that is just now growing roots in a loyal community in Tennessee. The Grizzlies moved from Vancouver just 12 years ago, and were most definitely are not considered an NBA powerhouse, or are they? Check out this graph, this shows the top 10 teams in total wins through the last four seasons.

ESPN releases a franchise ranking of every professional sports team in the United States every year, ranking franchises on a number categories. Memphis celebrated the ranking of the #4 best franchise in America to date, the second best NBA franchise behind the San Antonio Spurs. This season the Grizz have fluctuated between the the number one and two team in the NBA, based on wins, shocking most analyst. The Golden State Warriors, who play a style of play on the exact opposite of the spectrum that the Grizzlies, are the team that the Grizzare fighting with. Kevin Yeung, writer for SB Nation blog “Grizzly Bear Blues“, compared the two teams. “Three-point shooting is fun to watch, and a streak of hot shooting can ignite a special kind of spirit in fans,” he said. “But the Grizzlies, in their own way, make ugly basketball fun to watch. In their own ‘some men just want to watch the world burn’ way.”

So what makes the Grizzles so affective? For one, they have an MVP candidate in Marc Gasol, that always helps. They also have done a great job as a franchise to keep their core players together, which is a quality many NBA teams lack. Strategy and gameplay-wise: the Grizzlies play defensive minded. Defense wins championships right? Not in the NBA. Scoring, and out scoring your opponent, is what the NBA has evolved into in this day and age. The Grizzlies have learned to counter that approach with fundamental defense while playing to their offensive strengths. Andrew Howell, another writer for the Grizzlies SB Nation blog “Grizzly Bear Blues”, said “The Memphis Grizzlies are the embodiment to what basketball should be; they do everything the right way…yea on paper or at first glance the Grizzlies aren’t the prettiest team, but if you look closer you might just see their beauty.”

When you doubt the Grizz and #GrizzNation reacts like this….https://t.co/x1SS6LsElI

— 3 Shades of Blue (@3Shadesofblue) December 14, 2014

#GrizzNation has really come to define the Memphis, Tennessee community as whole. Avid follower of the Grizzlies, Charlie Politi, says “I am proud to be a fan of the Grizzlies. We are the underdogs, yet we wins games. We aren’t glamorous, but the whole state of Tennessee loves our team.” Zach Randolph, the starting power forward for the team has grown to love the city and the heart of the people who live there. “Nothing comes easy for us, … we get it out of the mud, we grind and we’re underdogs,” he said about his team and city. “It’s what we do.” Another starter, Tony Allen, has developed into the coined “GrindFather” because of his tenacious defense and connection to fans during games. He has repeated through the Grizzlies success that it’s “All heart. Grit. Grind.”

Great Win Grizz! #GNG #GrizzNation

A video posted by Mitch Davis (@kentuckyboy183) on Dec 12, 2014 at 8:22pm PST

Is Tony Allen (@aa000G9) The @NBA's best defender? Let's take a look – http://t.co/VVx5Wrwe6M. @memgrizz #GoGrizz

— Beale Street Bears (@BealeStBearsFS) December 13, 2014

Think of what “small market” actually means. In reference to sports teams, SportsMediaWatch.com defines “small market” teams based on the population of the city they are located in. Of course, population totals are subjective and can’t always be trusted 100%.

The NBA has 30 teams, located across the country. The success of teams is not based on the population of their home city, but the talent of their respective players. At least that is supposed to be true. Small market teams, meaning the bottom 15 teams based on population, have only won 3 out of the last 10 NBA Championships, and those three titles are held by one team: the San Antonio Spurs. So who are these teams? And are they successful? The bottom 15 markets in the NBA are: (From largest to smallest)

• Minnesota Timberwolves (Minneapolis)
• Houston Rockets
• Atlanta Braves
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Indiana Pacers (Indianapolis)
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Charlotte Hornets
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Portland Trailblazers
• Utah Jazz (Salt Lake City)
• Orlando Magic
• San Antonio Spurs
• Sacramento Kings
• Oklahoma City Thunder
• Memphis Grizzlies

Success is tough to define, simply because for some teams, reaching the NBA Finals is absurd to even consider. So total wins in the 2013-2014 season is a good start. The Spurs were number one in wins and went on to win the NBA Championship this past season. The OKC Thunder were close behind at number two. Of the top 10 teams in total wins, 6 of them were considered small market teams. Also, of the 16 teams that made the playoffs last year, 50% of the were small market teams.

  Small market teams are called such because of the city they reside in. Naturally, with more people on the city, more people will come to games. NBA teams are a profitable business, and no matter how many wins they earn, if there aren’t people in the stands, the team can’t sustain itself. Attendance. That is where the small market teams struggle. 10 of the 15 worst average attendances for NBA teams are small market cities. An article written by Time magazine discussed the problems with attendance for NBA teams. Perhaps this is why you don’t see the Sacramento Kings on television as much as you see the Los Angeles Clippers. (Team success also has something to do with that.)  

ESPN, “the world wide leader in sports,” releases it’s take on the top professional sports franchises in the United States every year. They rank each franchise on a number of different categories to see which teams are the most valuable. The teams are analyzed in eight different categories: Bang for the Buck, Fan Relations, Ownership, Affordability, Stadium Experience, Players, Coaching, Title Track. There are 122 sports team franchises in the country (from the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL) that are ranked, and the number on franchise is the San Antonio Spurs, a small market NBA team. The top 5 NBA franchises are: the Spurs, Grizzlies, Thunder, Mavericks, Pacers; four of the five are small market teams. So if the NBA Finals have been dominated by large market teams, and the Spurs, then the total playoff wins have to be dominated by those teams as well right? Not true. This graph shows the top 10 NBA teams with most playoff wins in the last 5 seasons, 50% being small market teams.

When you think of small market teams, consider the value they bring to the NBA as a whole. The size of the city, the budget of the team, and the money from televised games may be smaller than most, but the success of small market teams can’t be disregarded. The “Napoleon Complex” of these teams has proven to be a recipe for success will continue to improve the NBA for years to come.