For the past decade, the Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks were strikingly similar. No matter what stood in their way, each team would find a way to make it to the postseason festivities. They also flirted with moving from “dark-horses” to “contenders.” They each had a fixated core that represented great basketball and stability.
Now, as these teams face off tonight, there’s a new dynamic. In Atlanta, there’s a full-blown rebuild around Dennis Schroder and rookie John Collins. In Memphis, things are going awry, and the idea of “tanking” is becoming a daily conversation.
Two teams that once represented stability and success are now free-falling down the standings and into the lottery.