| Date | Game |
|---|---|
| 2/1 | vs. Milwaukee |
| 2/3 | @ Oklahoma City |
| 2/5 | vs. Dallas |
| 2/8 | @ Atlanta |
| 2/9 | @ Cleveland |
| 2/11 | vs. Washington |
| 2/12 | @ Orlando |
| 2/18 | vs. New York |
| 2/21 | vs. L.A. Clippers |
| 2/22 | @ Charlotte |
| 2/26 | vs. L.A. Lakers |
| 2/28 | @ Oklahoma City |
First, the numbers:
- Total games — 12
- Home games — 6
- Away games — 6
- Against 2013 playoff teams — 7
- Back-to-backs — 3
- FOGAFINIs — 1[1]
The month starts off rough with a home game against Milwaukee after three games in four nights in Portland, Sacramento (which is always a tough place for the Grizzlies to play, no matter how good or bad the Kings are), and Minnesota. After completing that FOGAFINI there’s only one day of rest before it’s off to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder on the road. A home game against Dallas sits in the middle of a few days off (cue Admiral Akbar saying "It’s a trap!") before it’s back out on another FOGAFINI, this one against mostly crappy teams (except the Hawks).
After the All Star break (that gap between 2/12 and 2/18, I’m assuming) the games are a little more spread out, but the competition is still tough: both L.A. teams come to FedEx Forum, there’s another road game against the Thunder, the Knicks come to Memphis, and the Grizzlies have a nasty habit of barely beating the Bobcats in Charlotte because they’re looking past them to the next game.
All in all, February is tough—but it could be worse. March packs the same kind of intensity, only against tougher teams most of the time. The season is long, and these January and February games can sometimes feel listless and weird, but that’s why we watch, right? The Grizzlies are going to have to play tough on these FOGAFINI’s even though it’s got to be hard to stay motivated when you’re on your fourth game in five nights on the road against the Orlando Magic. Every game counts this year.