Rudy Gay says the Grizzlies would beat the Heat in 2013 if it weren’t for trade
Former NBA player Rudy Gay believes the Memphis Grizzlies would have stopped LeBron James and Miami Heat from winning back-to-back titles in 2013, and Memphis never traded him.
Rudy Gay says Grizzlies will beat the Heat
Guy said during a appearance on the “Out the Mud” podcast that if the Grizzlies were not traded in the mid-2012-13 season, the Grizzlies would beat Heat in the 2013 NBA Finals.
“With the respect they deserve, they won the championship, but I don’t think they could beat us that year,” Guy said. “The year I was traded. I think it was a year. It was our year.”
Gay arrived in Memphis in 2006 after a one-day trade between the Grizzlies and the Houston Rockets. The 6-foot-8 wings have lifted the team from the Western Conference 500 squad to the 2012 championship contender.
The Grizzlies scored 41-25 with a 41-25 score in the 2011-12 season and won the fourth seed in the West. The Los Angeles Clippers will eliminate them in the first round of the playoffs in seven games.
Memphis can no longer afford gay
During the 2010 offseason, Memphis offered a five-year, $82 million contract for homosexuals. Gay turned down a $50 million offer last season for five years and became a restricted free agent.
Although it seemed like the perfect deal at the time, the contract ended up with his deal. Salary cuts are needed in 2013 to avoid the hit of luxury taxes, so homosexuality is strange.
Even after Rudy Gay traded on the deadline, that Grizzlies made WCF the WCF…thinking isn’t that crazy. They were a tough showdown for Miami. pic.twitter.com/6tl9i4m4e8
– Myke (@nbamyke) September 5, 2025
Gay made $16.5 million in 2012-13 and earned $37 million in deals over the next two years. That’s too much for new owner Robert Pera, who took over the series in October 2012.
Finally, the three teams with the Detroit Pistons traded with the Toronto Raptors.
In the trade, gays averaged 17.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
Rudy Gay Leads Grizzlies to Score
After the trade, Memphis was led by NBA defensive players of the year, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, who scored 15.4 points on 46% of the field shooting and 11.2 rebounds per game.
The Grizzlies’ leading scorer was not only gay, but Memphis was fourth in the West, with a record of 29-15. Without UConn products, Memphis completed the remaining route of the 56-26 season with a 27-11 record.
The Grizzlies are the fifth seed to enter the playoffs, and they defeated the Clippers in the first round, causing their 2012 series to lose.
Memphis never won four consecutive playoff games before this series. The Grizzlies became the 10th team in NBA history and then won four straight games after trailing 0-2, the first to win the four in double figures.
The Grizzlies then eliminated Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City Thunder in five games to have an interesting showdown with the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
Spurs swept the Grizzlies in Western Conference Finals
San Antonio lost to the Grizzlies in six games in the first round of 2011, but it swept them in 2013. The Spurs then continued to lose to the Heat in seven games in the NBA finals.
The Grizzlies also fired head coach Lionel Hollins at the end of the season.
It’s hard to determine whether the gay and the Grizzlies will beat Miami in the 2013 final. During his golden age, several teams failed to beat LeBron James-led team in seven games.
However, when Memphis dominated the first meeting between the two teams that season, it surprised many, on November 11, 2012 at FedExforum’s 104-86 rout.
Wayne Ellington led the Grizzlies with 25 points in the regular season, while Gay scored 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in 37 minutes of action.
Needless to say, the playoffs are completely different animals.
