“It’s time for Tennessee!” Said no one ever—except us, here and now, on this NBA Tuesday miniseries that explores the best teams in individual franchise histories. The Memphis Grizzlies started out in Vancouver, Canada, before moving to the Volunteer State in 2001. In 28 seasons, overall, the Grizz have made 13 postseason appearances without ever reaching the NBA Finals. That’s kind of a drag, wouldn’t you say?

No. 5: 2003-04 Memphis Grizzlies

With a 50-32 record, these Grizzlies finished fourth in the Midwest Division. It was the first team to win 50 games in franchise history; Memphis also rated the No. 7 offense, the No. 15 defense, and the No. 8 SRS ranking overall. Unfortunately, the playoff matchup in the opening round was against the San Antonio Spurs—the defending champions. The young Grizzlies were no match for the veteran Spurs, getting swept.

Shooting guard James Posey (10.0 Win Shares) and power forward Pau Gasol (8.1) were the team leaders—Posey would go on to win NBA titles with Miami (2006) and Boston (2008), while Gasol would win with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010. In the postseason, though, San Antonio dominated, winning by 14 ppg. Only Game 3 was close: Memphis lost on its home floor by just 2 points to drop all its fighting spirit.

No. 4: 2014-15 Memphis Grizzlies

A 55-27 record netted the Grizz second place in the Southwest Division, built on the No. 20 offense and the No. 2 defense. That put Memphis at No. 8 in the overall SRS rankings. In the first round of the playoffs, the Grizzlies needed just five games to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers, but the second-round foe was more daunting: the eventual champion Golden State Warriors. Still, Memphis pushed the Warriors to six games.

This time, it was center Marc Gasol (10.2 WS)—the little brother o’ Pau—who was the dominant force on the Grizzlies roster. Memphis outscored Portland by an average of 6.8 points, losing only Game 4 on the road by 7 points. And while Golden State outscored Memphis by 8 ppg overall, the Grizzlies took a 2-1 series lead before losing the last three games straight—by a combined 50 points. Impressive showing, still.

No. 3: 2005-06 Memphis Grizzlies

Finishing third in the Southwest Division with a 49-33 record, these Grizzlies posted the No. 27 offense and the No. 1 defense—giving them a No. 5 SRS ranking overall. However, Memphis was outclassed, significantly, by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the postseason, getting swept. The Mavs would go on to win the Western Conference and reach the NBA Finals, so maybe there was no shame in this loss.

Pau was the main man for this team, with 12.0 WS, joined by small forward Shane Battier (9.1). But the Grizzlies could not keep up with Dallas at all, losing each game by an average of 14 points. The closest game was again Game 3 at home, where the Mavericks only won by 5 points. Game 4 was a 26-point loss at home, which was pretty embarrassing for Memphis. Gasol would end up getting traded a year and a half later.

No. 2: 2012-13 Memphis Grizzlies

With a 56-26 record, this Grizzlies team finished second again in the Southwest Division. With the No. 27 offense and the No. 1 defense, Memphis made a run to the Western Conference Finals as the No. 6 team in the SRS rankings. The Grizz beat the Los Angeles Clippers in six games to open the postseason before beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games. However, the Spurs then once again swept Memphis.

Marc Gasol again topped the team in value (11.5 WS), and he was supported ably by point guard Mike Conley (9.9) and PF Zach Randolph (7.9). Against the Clippers, the Grizz fell behind 0-2 before winning four straight games. Against the Thunder, Memphis lost Game 1 on the road and then won four straight games. The mojo, though, ran out against San Antonio: the Spurs won each game by an average of 11 points.

No. 1: 2021-22 Memphis Grizzlies

This was the first Grizzlies team to win its division ever: a 56-26 record won the Southwest. With the No. 2 offense and the No. 12 defense, Memphis also finished No. 5 in the SRS rankings overall. The Grizz needed six games to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, and then again, it was time to face Golden State—the eventual champions. Despite having home-court advantage, Memphis lost in six games.

Ten players on this team posted at least 2.2 WS, although no single player topped 7.2 WS. That is some concentrated depth, led by SG Desmond Bane (7.2), C Steven Adams (6.8), PG Ja Morant (6.7), and PF Brandon Clarke (6.3). The last four games against Minnesota were all single-digit battles, with the Grizz winning three of them. Against the Warriors, Memphis lost Game 1 by one point—and that was the series.