For a brief moment at Noble’s Beer Hall on Saturday afternoon, the 200-mile distance between Nashville and Memphis was nonexistent.
Nashville-area Memphis Grizzlies fans piled into the outdoor seating area at Noble’s to watch the No. 2-seed Grizzlies in their playoff opener against the No. 7-seed Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite a 130-117 loss in game one, spirits were still high.
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