The 2004-05 Memphis Grizzlies season marked the franchise’s fourth season in Memphis and its tenth overall in the NBA. Under the guidance of newly appointed head coach Mike Fratello, the Grizzlies aimed to build on their previous season’s success, where they secured their first playoff berth. The team’s core included Pau Gasol, who continued to be a dominant force, averaging 17.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Memphis finished the regular season with a 45-37 record, securing the 8th seed in the highly competitive Western Conference. The team showcased a balanced attack, with six players averaging double-digit points, including key contributions from Mike Miller and James Posey. The Grizzlies were noted for their defensive prowess, ranking among the top ten in the league for fewest points allowed per game.
However, the playoffs proved challenging as the Grizzlies faced the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round. Despite their efforts, Memphis was swept in four games, as the high-octane Suns, led by Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire, proved too formidable. The series highlighted the Grizzlies’ need for further development to compete with the elite teams in the conference.
Overall, the 2004-05 season was a step forward for the Grizzlies, as they demonstrated resilience and competitive spirit, laying the groundwork for future success. The continuity in their core lineup and Fratello’s experienced leadership were promising signs for the franchise’s growth in subsequent seasons.
- Regular Season Record: 45-37
- Playoff Result: Western Conference First Round: 0-4
Memphis Grizzlies Roster and Stats for 2004-05 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Pau Gasol | 56 | 17.8 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 16.7 | 4 | 21.3 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 100.0 |
| Mike Miller | 76 | 13.4 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 43.3 | 4 | 12.0 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 47.1 |
| Bonzi Wells | 69 | 10.4 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 34.6 | 2 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Jason Williams | 71 | 10.1 | 1.7 | 5.6 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 32.4 | 4 | 17.0 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 47.6 |
| Stromile Swift | 60 | 10.1 | 4.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 9.3 | 4.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Shane Battier | 80 | 9.9 | 5.2 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 39.5 | 4 | 7.3 | 6.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 14.3 |
| Lorenzen Wright | 80 | 9.6 | 7.7 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 4 | 8.3 | 5.0 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Brian Cardinal | 58 | 9.0 | 3.9 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 35.2 | 4 | 6.5 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| James Posey | 50 | 8.1 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 30.9 | 4 | 9.8 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 46.7 |
| Earl Watson | 80 | 7.7 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 31.9 | 4 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 11.1 |
| Dahntay Jones | 52 | 4.5 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 38.3 | 3 | 7.3 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 60.0 |
| Antonio Burks | 24 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 27.3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Ryan Humphrey | 35 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Jake Tsakalidis | 31 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Andre Emmett | 8 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
Memphis Grizzlies in the 2005 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs First Round vs. Phoenix Suns
In the 2005 NBA Playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies faced off against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round, ultimately getting swept in four games. Despite a solid regular season that secured them the eighth seed, the Grizzlies struggled to contain the Suns' high-octane offense led by Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. This series highlighted the gap between Memphis and the elite teams in the Western Conference, as they failed to win a playoff game for the second consecutive year.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 24, 2005 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 114-103 | |
| Apr 27, 2005 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 108-103 | |
| Apr 29, 2005 | vs. Phoenix Suns | L 110-90 | |
| May 01, 2005 | vs. Phoenix Suns | L 123-115 |
Memphis Grizzlies 2004-05 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 2004-05 season for the Memphis Grizzlies.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 03, 2004 | vs. Washington Wizards | L 103-91 | |
| Nov 05, 2004 | vs. Houston Rockets | L 89-81 | |
| Nov 06, 2004 | @ Dallas Mavericks | L 112-88 | |
| Nov 09, 2004 | @ Houston Rockets | L 90-87 | |
| Nov 10, 2004 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 110-87 | |
| Nov 12, 2004 | vs. Golden State Warriors | W 96-67 | |
| Nov 14, 2004 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 118-113 | |
| Nov 17, 2004 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 101-82 | |
| Nov 19, 2004 | @ Sacramento Kings | L 107-105 | |
| Nov 20, 2004 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 100-87 | |
| Nov 22, 2004 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | W 93-90 | |
| Nov 24, 2004 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | L 93-84 | |
| Nov 26, 2004 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | L 115-90 | |
| Nov 27, 2004 | vs. Dallas Mavericks | L 98-85 | |
| Nov 30, 2004 | vs. Sacramento Kings | L 98-93 | |
| Dec 01, 2004 | @ New York Knicks | L 90-82 | |
| Dec 03, 2004 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 94-86 | |
| Dec 04, 2004 | @ Orlando Magic | L 96-91 | |
| Dec 07, 2004 | vs. New York Knicks | W 96-88 | |
| Dec 08, 2004 | @ Atlanta Hawks | W 97-89 | |
| Dec 10, 2004 | @ Miami Heat | L 92-84 | |
| Dec 11, 2004 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 72-68 | |
| Dec 13, 2004 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | L 92-86 | |
| Dec 15, 2004 | vs. Chicago Bulls | L 96-88 | |
| Dec 17, 2004 | vs. New Jersey Nets | W 89-84 | |
| Dec 19, 2004 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | W 92-82 | |
| Dec 20, 2004 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | W 82-72 | |
| Dec 22, 2004 | @ Golden State Warriors | L 109-99 | |
| Dec 23, 2004 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 109-102 | |
| Dec 27, 2004 | vs. Los Angeles Clippers | W 96-76 | |
| Dec 29, 2004 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 117-109 | |
| Jan 01, 2005 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | W 104-95 | |
| Jan 03, 2005 | vs. Utah Jazz | W 92-82 | |
| Jan 06, 2005 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 101-79 | |
| Jan 07, 2005 | vs. New Orleans Hornets | W 84-76 | |
| Jan 11, 2005 | vs. Indiana Pacers | L 86-85 | |
| Jan 14, 2005 | @ Charlotte Bobcats | W 109-89 | |
| Jan 15, 2005 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 101-82 | |
| Jan 17, 2005 | vs. Houston Rockets | W 99-80 | |
| Jan 19, 2005 | @ Phoenix Suns | W 88-79 | |
| Jan 21, 2005 | @ Denver Nuggets | L 92-82 | |
| Jan 22, 2005 | @ Utah Jazz | W 110-94 | |
| Jan 25, 2005 | vs. Orlando Magic | W 95-83 | |
| Jan 26, 2005 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | L 114-111 | |
| Jan 29, 2005 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 84-83 | |
| Jan 31, 2005 | @ New Orleans Hornets | W 98-91 | |
| Feb 01, 2005 | vs. Phoenix Suns | W 108-97 | |
| Feb 03, 2005 | vs. Los Angeles Clippers | L 106-103 | |
| Feb 08, 2005 | vs. Minnesota Timberwolves | W 108-96 | |
| Feb 09, 2005 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 98-95 | |
| Feb 11, 2005 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 88-82 | |
| Feb 13, 2005 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 76-73 | |
| Feb 16, 2005 | @ Boston Celtics | L 90-88 | |
| Feb 23, 2005 | @ Washington Wizards | L 93-83 | |
| Feb 25, 2005 | vs. Denver Nuggets | L 97-94 | |
| Feb 26, 2005 | @ San Antonio Spurs | W 84-82 | |
| Mar 01, 2005 | vs. Golden State Warriors | W 99-97 | |
| Mar 04, 2005 | vs. Toronto Raptors | W 86-75 | |
| Mar 07, 2005 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | W 105-102 | |
| Mar 08, 2005 | @ Sacramento Kings | L 85-82 | |
| Mar 11, 2005 | @ Utah Jazz | W 94-82 | |
| Mar 12, 2005 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | L 80-66 | |
| Mar 14, 2005 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 104-83 | |
| Mar 16, 2005 | @ New Orleans Hornets | W 88-82 | |
| Mar 18, 2005 | vs. Minnesota Timberwolves | W 88-83 | |
| Mar 20, 2005 | vs. Phoenix Suns | L 97-91 | |
| Mar 24, 2005 | @ New Jersey Nets | W 105-96 | |
| Mar 26, 2005 | vs. New Orleans Hornets | L 96-85 | |
| Mar 28, 2005 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 94-86 | |
| Mar 29, 2005 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | L 102-99 | |
| Apr 01, 2005 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | W 93-82 | |
| Apr 03, 2005 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 102-82 | |
| Apr 05, 2005 | vs. Denver Nuggets | L 94-91 | |
| Apr 06, 2005 | @ Toronto Raptors | W 104-74 | |
| Apr 08, 2005 | vs. Miami Heat | W 97-81 | |
| Apr 10, 2005 | vs. Charlotte Bobcats | W 102-95 | |
| Apr 11, 2005 | @ Dallas Mavericks | L 110-89 | |
| Apr 13, 2005 | @ Houston Rockets | L 100-92 | |
| Apr 15, 2005 | @ Denver Nuggets | L 111-102 | |
| Apr 16, 2005 | @ San Antonio Spurs | L 97-75 | |
| Apr 18, 2005 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | W 94-92 | |
| Apr 20, 2005 | vs. Dallas Mavericks | L 108-88 |