Schedule and 2004-05 Results
Regular Season Records: Phoenix 62-20, Memphis 45-37
Game 1 on Sunday, 24 April: Memphis loses at Phoenix, 114-pts-103
Game 2 on Wednesday, 27 April: Memphis loses at Phoenix, 108-pts-103
Game 3 on Friday, 29 April: Phoenix wins at Memphis, 110-pts-90
Game 4 on Sunday, 01 May: Phoenix wins at Memphis, 123-pts-115

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 4: As a result of a 123-pts-115 MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 943 Game 4 win in Memphis, the Phoenix Suns have completed a four-game sweep of the Grizzlies to win series 943. The four-game sweep is the first accomplished by the Phoenix Suns, and is the second suffered by the Memphis Grizzlies. Through achieving the series 943 sweep, Phoenix improves its best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 9-15 overall, and 1-1 in the Preliminary round. Through suffering the series 943 sweep, Memphis has its best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 0-2 overall, and 0-2 in the Preliminary round. The Memphis Grizzlies' best-of-7 NBA playoff games record is now an MLB/NBA/NHL-worst 0-8. The series 943 sweep, completed mere hours after the series 939 sweep by the Miami Heat over the New Jersey Nets, is the fifth in best-of-7 NBA Preliminary-round history, the 44th in best-of-7 NBA history (all rounds), and the 159th in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL history (all rounds). In series 939, the Miami Heat set four-game NBA Preliminary-round sweep records for most points at home (220), most points on the road (218), and most points overall (438). Hours later, the Phoenix Suns broke those records for most points at home (222), most points on the road (233), and most points overall (455).

After Game 3: The Phoenix Suns defeated the Grizzlies in Memphis 110-pts-90 to take a 3-games-nil MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 943 lead. The Phoenix Suns are now leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-nil for the first time ever. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-nil, the Memphis Grizzlies have a 0-1 series record and a 0-1 Game 4 record. With their series 943 Game 3 loss, the all-time best-of-7 format playoff game record for the Memphis Grizzlies falls to 0-7 ... an MLB/NBA/NHL-worst, just below the old NHL Atlanta Flames at 0-4. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series, teams leading 2-games-nil which win Game 3 by 20 or more points have a series record of 11-0, and a Game 4 record of 6-5 with an active four-Game-4 winning streak.

After Game 2: The Phoenix Suns again hosted and defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, this time by a score of 108-pts-103. Phoenix takes a 2-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 943 by doing so. When leading an NBA best-of-7 playoff series 2-games-nil, Phoenix has a 1-2 series record and a perfect 0-3 Game 3 record. When trailing such a series 2-games-nil, Memphis has a 0-1 series record and a 0-1 Game 3 record. The Memphis Grizzlies became only the 13th team in NBA history to tally the same number of points (103) in both Games 1 and 2 of a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, but the second to do so in the 2005 NBA Preliminary round (the Indiana Pacers have also done so, in series 941 vs. the Boston Celtics). The only other team to do so in losing efforts was the second incarnation of the Baltimore Bullets (115 points in each of Games 1 and 2) in series 170 (a 1965 NBA Semifinals series vs. the Los Angeles Lakers; Baltimore lost in six games). The only NBA team to score the same number of points in each of Games 1-3 of a best-of-7 playoff series was the Philadelphia 76ers (107 points each) in series 335 (the 1977 NBA Finals, which the 76ers lost to the Portland Trailblazers in six games). Through six best-of-7 format NBA playoff games, the Memphis Grizzlies now have a perfect 0-6 game record -- an NBA worst for entities in their first six such games.

After Game 1: The Phoenix Suns hosted and defeated the Memphis Grizzlies by a score of 114-pts-103, thus taking a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 943. When leading an NBA best-of-7 playoff series 1-game-nil, Phoenix has a 5-4 series record and a 3-6 Game 2 record. When trailing such a series 1-game-nil, Memphis has a 0-1 series record and a 0-1 Game 2 record. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series from 1947 through 2004, teams winning Game 1 at home with an eleven-point victory margin had a 14-3 series record.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2004-05 regular season, Phoenix finished 17 games ahead of Memphis. From 1947 through 2004, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 17 regular-season games, they have posted a 6-2 (.750) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 943 is the second best-of-7 NBA playoff series for Memphis, and the 24th for Phoenix. In best-of-7 playoff series, Memphis has an 0-1 series record, an 0-1 Preliminary-round series record, and an 0-1 Game 1 record, while Phoenix has an 8-15 series record (with a current five-series losing streak), an 0-1 Preliminary-round record, and a 9-14 Game 1 record. Series 943 is the first best-of-7 meeting between Memphis and Phoenix.