Table of Contents COURTSIDE STORIES INTRODUCING Table of Contents CANADIAN BEGINNINGS 8 SEEKING GREENER PASTURES 16 WAKING FROM HIBERNATION 22 RAISING A NEW LITTER 30 POSTSEASON BREAKTHROUGH 40 INDEX 48 COURTSIDE STORIES THE BIRTH OF A BEAR 11 FEELING BLUE 21 MOVING TO MEMPHIS 24 THE COMEBACK KIDS 26 THE NEW DEN 32 KILLER CUBS 46 INTRODUCING BRYANT REEVES 13 SHAREEF ABDUR-RAHIM 15 MIKE BIBBY 19 PAU GASOL 29 HUBIE BROWN 35 RUDY GAY 43
CANADIAN BEGINNINGS FROM PRIVATE CRAFT TO BARGES THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TEEMS WITH TRAFFIC IN MEMPHIS CANADIAN BEGINNINGS 8
Perched upon a wooded bluff overlooking the mighty Mississippi River Memphis Tennessee was both beautiful and productive when it was founded in the early 1800s The humid subtropical climate was ideal for growing cotton and the river provided a means of transportation and distribution A century later the city reinvented itself as a musical mecca where artists such as Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash launched their careers For decades the musical culture of Memphis provided entertainment for locals and tourists alike and the University of Memphis Tigers athletic programs were a source of pride in the city But it was not until 2001 that a major professional sports franchise would call Memphis home The new arrivals were the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association NBA The name Grizzlies was not especially appropriate for a BRYANT REEVES 9
