The 2019–20 season had been underway for nearly a week, and in that time, countless unexpected things had happened.
After undergoing massive changes over the summer, teams made their appearances one after another, greatly satisfying the curiosity of fans.
But no team was as much of a hot topic as the Memphis Grizzlies.
As long as you opened any sports news website or app, you would find that at least eight out of every ten articles were related to the Grizzlies.
"The Grizzlies are looking to trade Mike Conley, but there are currently no offers."
"An inevitable fall from the altar? The Grizzlies' performance has been disappointing."
"Three straight games decided in the closing moments—the Grizzlies' dominance has hit rock bottom."
"Looking at it now, perhaps the Grizzlies' buzzer-beater against the Nets was just luck. Being pushed to the final second by the Nets also proves that the Grizzlies do not possess overwhelming strength."
The last time the Grizzlies had faced this much doubt probably dated back six or seven years.
Back then, although the Grizzlies had just won their first championship, they still had little connection to the term "contender" in most people's minds.
Therefore, most people gave a negative answer when asked whether the Grizzlies could defend their title.
But after that, the Grizzlies shut everyone up with a string of consecutive championships. Their unquestionable strength made the doubting voices grow quieter and quieter. Last season, not even reporters dared to criticize the Grizzlies.
Yet this year, after only three games, the Grizzlies had once again become the target of widespread doubt, with fans already sentencing them to "death."
Although the Grizzlies' 2–1 record was not exactly terrible, for a team accustomed to opening the season with ten, fifteen, even twenty straight wins, it certainly was not impressive.