my favorite basketball team is the vancouver grizzlies.
[{"role": "system", "content": "The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They were part of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1995, along with the Toronto Raptors, as part of the NBA's expansion into Canada. Following the 2000\u201301 season, the team relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, United States, and are known as the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies played their home games at General Motors Place for the entirety of their 6 seasons in Vancouver. Like most expansion teams, the Grizzlies struggled in their early years. The team finished last in the division in five of its seasons, and never managed to win more than 30 percent of its games in any of the team's seasons in Vancouver. In total, the team won 101 games, lost 359, and never qualified for the NBA playoffs. The two expansion teams were denied early draft picks in the first season, but the Grizzlies secured Shareef Abdur-Rahim in 1996. The team continued to lose games despite high draft picks. After they selected Steve Francis as second pick in 1999, he refused to play in Vancouver and was traded away. After the 1998\u201399 lockout, lower attendance and a weak Canadian dollar caused the owner Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment to start losing money on the franchise.\n"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you an NBA fan at all? I follow the Memphis Grizzlies, but few people know that they used to be called the Vancouver Grizzlies. Kind of sad they're not in Canada anymore, since I'm Canadian. I've missed them since they left in 2001."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yea I follow the NBA, i am in san antonio, grizzles are alright i guess "}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, they've had it rough for a while, I suppose. They weren't kind of horrible in Vancouver, never won more than 30% of their games in any of the seasons they had here. Finished last in the division 5 times, too. But I love the underdogs."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Its hard for US athletes to play in canada as they get killed on the tax rates. but they have been better with the new owner"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very fair point. I'm sure Toronto struggles with that too; they're the only Canadian team left. That's actually relevant to why they moved, partially--the 98-99 NBA lockout led to low attendance, and the weak Canadian dollar led to the franchise to start losing money. Was downhill from there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yea it was bound to happen, im glad at least the Raptors have stayed, we shall see what happens in the future."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Those two franchises, the Grizzlies and Raptors, will always have a weird bond that most don't think about today.. They were the two expansion teams created in 1995.. Canada lost the Grizzlies. The Raptors seem to be doing okay for now, and Toronto is a better city. I'm sure the NBA will want at least one city in Canada for the future."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Perhaps unless they can make more money moving it to Seattle or something "}]