It looked like Grizzlies turned corner
The gift of hindsight tells you it was a night to savour, but at the time, the fan base of the Vancouver Grizzlies was assuming quite simply that their team had finally turned a corner.
Twenty years ago today, with four ex-Milwaukee players on their roster, the expansion Grizzlies opened up their second major eastern road swing of the season by beating the host Bucks 100-92.
Ponder this: A team which in mid-December had finally snapped a 19-game losing streak, was suddenly sitting with a .500 record (5-5) over its last 10 games.
And in its latest win, just the team’s second on the road since its franchise opener Nov. 3 at Portland, the Milwaukee connection was a huge reason why.
Led by expansion draft pickup Blue Edwards’ 18 points, Vancouver’s quartet of former Bucks, which also included Eric Mobley, Eric Murdock and Anthony Avent, combined for 37 points.
And Bryant Reeves, who had become the team’s starter when Vancouver traded re-tread Benoit Benjamin to Milwaukee for Murdock and Mobley, had 22 points and 11 rebounds in the win.
Since Dec. 30, the Grizzlies had beaten Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, New York and Milwaukee and the team could look to finishing their first half of the season with its first game in Toronto on Jan. 25.
In a season full of lows, Vancouver was on a real high 20 years ago. Record: 9-30
Next game: Jan. 24 at Chicago
Howard Tsumura covered all six of the Vancouver Grizzlies’ NBA seasons, including its first, which he breaks down game-by-game in our season-long It Was 20 Years Ago Today series