The Grizzlies clinch a playoff spot agaisnt the Kings on 4/8/2011
The Grizzlies finallyclinched a spot in the 2011 playoffs on Friday night in a heart attack worthy game against the Sacramento Kings.
Fans celebrate another Grizzlies home victory!
Fans couldn’t exhale for good until Zach Randolph broke the Grizzlies streak of going 1 for 2 from the free throw line and made two. With those two makes the Grizzlies went up by five with 4.8 seconds to go, and the party begun.
A win for a team whose franchise player went down the game before the All-Star break and never came back. A win for players many other NBA teams wouldn’t have taken a chance on like Randolph, Tony Allen, and Pau Gasol’s once chubby younger brother.
ESPN reporter Bill Simmons writes that the Grizzlies are the team that shouldn’t work but for some reason they do. I would argue that reason is simple, the Grizzlies are focused every night, trust each other, don’t take anything for granted, and play with a team mentality.
Simmons writes: “Sometimes you just have to shrug your shoulders and enjoy the ride. I would not want to play Memphis in Round 1.
At all.”
It’s nice to see a team that plays together and plays to win. It’s even nicer when it is your local team.
The Grizzlies don’t have any superstar players (although they should have had an All-Star), and each player is accepting of his shifting role in each game.
For example, there have been several recent games when Marc Gasol has been on the bench for the majority of the fourth quarter. And what does he do? He cheers his teammates on.
It was bye-bye beard for Shane Battier, after the Grizzlies clinched a spot in the playoffs Friday night.
The Grizzlies are a team that is enjoyable and heartwarming to watch and after so many years of 20-win season and playoff losses, fans and players deserve a team like this.
After watching the team gathered at center court after the final horn sounded on Friday, in a moment that rivals some of my favorite over the last 10 years as a Grizzlies fan, I thought this team has made its 10th season an unforgettable one.
For more reasons to love the Grizzlies and the Grizzlies games see this top ten list from Kerry at I Love Memphis. My personal favorite: “They [The Grizzlies] may not be the biggest team in the NBA. They may not be the best. But they are your team. I have to believe that if they’ve got a ton of fan support, the team will be more motivated to reward those fans with an incredible season.”
The Grizzlies are in the midst of seven straight games against teams destined for the playoffs. This stretch includes games against, the Spurs (twice), Hornets, Knicks, Thunder, and Dallas. The Grizzlies are 3-3 during this stretch.
The final game of the seven game stretch occurs Saturday against the Miami; the Grizzlies will battle for a season sweep against the Heat and a winning record during these seven games.
The Grizzlies’ intensity and gutty play against some of the best teams in the NBA has in general reassured fans that the Grizzlies can make some noise in the playoffs.
The Grizzlies have had many highs and lows during this stretch. Here is a recap:
Zach Randolph makes two critical free throws as the Grizzlies hold off the Thunder
The Good The Grizzlies overcame a 17-point halftime deficit in Dallas to beat the Mavericks on a last second Zach Randolph buzzer beater. The Mavericks dominated the Grizzlies in the first half, until they scored 41 points in the third quarter.
The Grizzlies are now the only team in the NBA to have three wins against the Mavericks, with two victories in Dallas.
The Grizzlies’ ability to play with the best teams in the NBA will be important in the playoffs, when the Grizzlies will face the Spurs, Mavericks or Lakers in the first round.
Here are the Grizzlies records against the top teams in the West:
Spurs (1-2): One loss was in overtime and the other was not decided until the last minute Lakers (2-2): Three of the four games were close until the end Mavericks (3-1): The Grizzlies have two victories by a combined two points in Dallas Thunder (3-1): The Grizzlies have three hard fought wins against the Thunder (one in Oklahoma City without Rudy Gay)
The Grizzlies are 9-6 against the best four teams in the West. In Miami, the Heat fans would take that record any day.
The Bad The Grizzlies have a couple of ugly losses including games against the Hornets and Knicks. In both games the Grizzlies started slowly and their offensive was not in sync until it was too late.
The Hornets maintained a comfortable lead for most of the game, until the Grizzlies made a run in the fourth quarter. However after Marc Gasol missed two free throws in the final minute, the Hornets had a comfortable four point lead.
The Grizzlies have had their issues with the Hornets and will face them two more times before the end of the season.
The Grizzlies must translate the intensity they bring against the best teams in the NBA into their games against teams they are battling with for playoff position.
The game versus the Knicks mirrored the Hornets game in many ways. Although the Grizzlies started slowly, the Knicks were on fire offensively. At one point in the first quarter the Knicks had a shooting percentage of over 80 percent.
The Grizzlies stormed back from 10 down in the last three minutes to tie the game. However following Carmelo Anthony’s heartbreaking jumper shot over Tony Allen, fans had to wonder if the Grizzlies started their push too late in the game.
Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur battles Amare Stoudemire for positioning, the Grizzlies lost on a last second shot by Carmelo Anthony
The Good The Grizzlies are winning against some of the best teams in the NBA without second leading scorer and “Mr. Clutch” Rudy Gay. This is a comforting fact to many Grizzlies fans that see a team growing by the day without its franchise star.
Each player has stepped up in different ways, Zach Randolph has become the clutch scorer and Gasol has become a skilled first half offensive machine.
Other Grizzlies players have become more comfortable in their roles. Allen and Shane Battier have transformed the Grizzlies into a tough defensive team.
The Bad The Grizzlies schedule does not get any easier as the season ends and Phoenix, Houston and Utah are too close for comfort.
The Grizzlies still have to play the Spurs, Knicks, Celtics, Bulls, Hornets (twice) and Jazz in the next month. The Grizzlies have yet to record a win against the Bulls, Celtics or the Hornets.
The Best The Grizzlies will also face the Clippers three times and other winnable games including the Kings, Timberwolves, Pacers, and the Warriors.
Gay will be reevaluated this week and will hopefully return to the court in the next week or two.
If the Grizzlies continue their rugged, intense play, they will have a good chance to record a winning record for the rest of the season and reach the playoffs for the first time in the last five years.
Shane Battier shows off his toughness in this NBA promo, while playing with the Houston Rockets.
There is never a dull week in my old position as a die-hard Grizzlies fan and my new position as a Grizzlies blogger.
Grizzlies Versus Nuggets B-Team
The Grizzlies started the week with a dreadful game against the Denver Nuggets minus Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. The Nuggets only had nine players available for the game because of the blockbuster trade the night before. The Grizzlies only had one player who wasn’t dealing with the effects of an all-star hangover, Tony Allen.
Allen had 26 points and appeared to be the only Grizzlies who realized the All-Star break was over and Blake Griffin was back to dunking over people, instead of cars.
This game will go into the “another game the Grizzlies should have won” category. However I am willing to give the Grizzlies a pass for three reasons.
It was the first game of this long stretch without the Grizzlies second-leading scorer, Rudy Gay. Yes, the Grizzlies have played some inspired basketball games without him, including the win at Oklahoma City and the overtime loss at San Antonio (who have a 26-2 record).
But this isn’t a one-game incident, the Grizzlies have learned how to adapt and play without one of their two most critical players (Zach Randolph being the other one) for an extended period of time. So they needed this game to work it out.
The New Look Nuggets
Also Denver looked like a completely different team then the one the Grizzlies destroyed over the last quarter and a half in Memphis, two-weeks ago.
As the Grizzlies came back from 18 points back to eventually win by eight, Denver players looked demoralized and exhausted. And who won’t be exhausted from season-long trade drama and uncertainty.
So, Tuesday night the Grizzlies played a Nuggets team with something to play for, pride. Every NBA player is aware of the LeBron James fiasco of the summer and the current state of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Denver has to prove they can win without their best player. Hmm that sounds familiar, it’s the same thing the Grizzlies have to prove.
If either team is going to play a competitive playoff series against the best Western Conference teams (the Spurs, Lakers, and Mavericks), they will need plenty of fortitude.
Grizz Challenges
This season has provided the Grizzlies with plenty of tests and challenges: the fight on the team plane, the early season injuries to Marc Gasol and Randolph, OJ Mayo’s 10-game suspension, and Gay’s injured shoulder.
After each test, the Grizzlies have responded. Following the fight with OJ Mayo, Allen started playing inspired defense that has become contagious in the locker room (the Grizzlies are now the 10th best defensive team in the NBA).
Gasol and Randolph both have avoided further injuries and Randolph has played above all fans expectations. The Grizzlies tallied an amazing 8-2 record during Mayo’s suspension with wins against the Orlando, Oklahoma City and an overtime loss at Houston.
So my question after the Denver loss was, how will the Grizzlies (and specifically Zach Randolph) respond?
Grizzlies Versus Kevin Love (aka the Timberwolves)
A loss to the Timberwolves (as one of only three under .500 teams the Grizzlies will play in the next month) would be a crushing blow to the Grizzlies playoff hopes.
But they didn’t lose. Instead the Grizzlies dominated the game and the Timberwolves didn’t lead again after they were up 2-0 in the opening minutes. This is not the same early season Grizzlies who balanced winning streaks with longer losing streaks.
Randolph dominated Kevin Love for the second straight game and reinforced what all Grizzlies fans already know, the wrong player went to the All-Star game.
Randolph’s double-doubles (24 points, 10 rebounds) help the Grizzlies win games. Love’s double-doubles have no effect on the team’s performance (their record is 13-45). Playoffs are more important than individual streaks.
So Love got this tenth rebound with three minutes left in the game. In return, Randolph received a win for the Grizzlies and the understanding of his dominance in the match-up with Love.
For Grizzlies fans this game serves as an example of how far this team has come. Watching Timberwolves fans cheer wildly when Love got his tenth rebound was a sobering reminder of those 20-win Grizzlies seasons.
Those seasons are a distant memory, the Grizzlies are currently in eight seed in the Western conference and most players have bought into the importance of playing team-basketball.
But the Grizzlies cannot be complacent, in the Western conference one day you’re a playoff team and the next you headed for the draft. If anything the last two games, the failure in Denver and the success in Minnesota, shows the players what works and what doesn’t.
What works: playing team basketball and assertive defense, posting up Randolph and Gasol first and then passing out to the jump shooters. What doesn’t work: setting up isolation plays (for anyone other than Gay) and playing individual, lazy basketball.
Battier is Back!
Anyways on to the elephant in the room, the Grizzlies trade deadline moves. In general, the Grizzlies were successful for two reasons. The Shane Battier for Hasheem Thabeet trade was completed and the Mayo for Josh McRoberts trade was not completed.
The Grizzlies traded Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll, and a future first round pick to the Rockets for Battier and Ishmael Smith. For the sake of full disclosure, I am and always have been (like the rest of Memphis) a huge Battier fan. He brings a special quality to every team he plays for.
This is also a smart basketball trade. Battier can fill the void left by Gay and help steady the sometime turbulent locker-room. The Grizzlies are making moves to help make the playoffs (this year) and fans appreciate the effort.
I would be surprised if Thabeet ever matured into a successful NBA center. After over a season and a half in a Grizzlies uniform he still struggled to rebound and catch simple passes.
The Grizzlies cannot re-do their number two pick in the NBA draft, but it indirectly resulted in the return of a fan-favorite, and more importantly a player who knows how to win.
Battier can still make his trademarked corner three-point shots and plays gutsy hard-nosed defense that will give Allen a run for his money as the best defensive stopper on the team.
Grizzlies Can’t Hold the Mayo
As for the potential Mayo trade, Memphians breathed a sigh of relief when ESPN reported it was not submitted before the 3 p.m. deadline. Yes, Mayo has been a massive disappointment this year, but most fans think he can return to his rookie year form.
Mayo is worth more than McRoberts who averages around seven points and five rebounds per game and a draft pick. If the Grizzlies were determined to trade him, it is hard to believe no team offered a better package.
But the Grizzlies are substantially better than they were 24-hours ago and have merged some of the players from the last playoff team with the next playoff team.
All Grizzlies fans should come out Saturday night and welcome past and present Grizzly, Shane Battier, back to the team and back to the city.
Other national and local responses to the Grizzlies, Rockets trade (mostly positive for the Grizzlies and negative for the Rockets): Finally some positive national press for the hometown team!
The up came with the Grizzlies winning their fourth straight game going into the All-Star break. They are 8-2 in the last 10 games and have won 12 of their last 15. In comparison the Grizzlies of last year lost six of seven going into the break.
The Grizzlies dominated 90% of the game, beginning with a 16-point lead after one-quarter and harassing defense that forced the Sixers into eight first quarter turnovers and 17 for the game.
But after Rudy Gay went down with a shoulder injury, the Grizzlies struggled to maintain their large lead.
The Sixers got within one point in the third quarter behind a valiant effort from their bench and former Memphian, Thaddeus Young. But the Grizzlies never relinquished the lead.
Conley Can Be Clutch
With the game now hanging in the balance, whom would the Grizzlies turn to….Mike Conley.
After my last post (see below, “Conley isn’t Clutch”) Conley went out and proved me wrong, with an inspired and clutch performance.
Conley scored all of his 22 points in the second half including four three-pointers in the fourth quarter that decided the game.
I will admit, I was screaming at my TV when Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins put Conley in for Jason Williams just one minute into the fourth.
That is why I am not a NBA coach and Hollins is. He can read his players well and knew Conley was poised for an offensive outburst.
Two minutes later the Grizzlies were up by 10 and went up by as many as 17 in the final quarter.
The 2011 Grizzlies
That’s why this Grizzlies team is so endearing and remind me of the last Grizzlies playoff team. The players are unselfish, play hard and believe in winning.
Maybe it’s fitting that the Grizzlies don’t have a representative at the All-Star festivities in Los Angeles (although they should, cough Zach Randolph). Because this season hasn’t been about individual players, it’s about the team.
As Thaddeus Young described the Grizzlies to Commercial Appeal reporter Ron Tillery, “They try to outmuscle you and outquick you to everything. Those guys just outhustled us.”
When was the last time, the Grizzlies were the team that outhustled its opponent. Well its happens nearly every game now.
But it doesn’t get any easier for the rollercoaster Grizzlies after the break. The Grizzlies play Denver, Miami, New Orleans, Dallas, Oklahoma City, and San Antonio (twice) and only play three times outside the playoff hunt in the next 13 games.
What Gay’s Injury Means for the Grizz
But the down is for the next 13 games and possibly longer the Grizzlies will be without their second leading scorer, Rudy Gay. The next 13 games will show how much hustle and heart this team has.
The injury to Gay means several important things for this Grizzlies team
1) Randolph has to continue his dominance in the post and cannot afford to have an off game. He is now the Grizzlies number one scoring option.
2) Marc Gasol has to be more active in the Grizzlies offense. He is already a skilled passer but he needs to command the ball when teams are double-teaming Randolph.
3) OJ Mayo does not have time to reintegrate himself into the Grizzlies offense slowly. He has to be a consistent outside shooting threat in order to open up the paint for Gasol, Randolph, and Darrell Arthur.
4) Conley has to continue his quality play during crunch time and needs to practice high-stress free throw shooting.
5) The bench has to step it up. Arthur and Allen have been the only consistent options off the bench. Xavier Henry needs to return to his early season form and Greivis Vasquez has to reduce his turnovers.
6) Veteran players like Allen and Williams have to provide a calming presence in the Grizzlies locker room. Williams has to continue his productive play and look for the in-rhythm three-point shot more often.
Playoff Possibilities
Now for the positives, the Grizzlies are only a half game back from Utah and Denver for the final two playoff seeds, and one and a half games back from Portland at the six seed.
The Jazz just lost their coach, Jerry Sloan, and are dealing with an unhappy all-star, Deron Williams. The Nuggets are continuing the Carmelo Anthony-saga up to the last hours of the trade deadline (Feb. 24, 3 p.m.).
Both teams, like the Grizzlies are undergoing turmoil, the question becomes which team will rise above it and play the best basketball.
My money is on the Grizzlies for two reasons.
Their style has never been anything by heartbreaking and heartwarming. The more the obstacles, the better the Grizzlies play. The more difficult the opponent or trying the circumstances are the harder the Grizzlies play.
They beat great teams with defense and heart. They beat they Thunder in Oklahoma City without Gay, they beat the Mavericks in Dallas without Randolph.
The list of improbable wins goes on and on and hopefully we can add more wins to that list.
The second reason is the Grizzlies are a team first. There is a sense of camaraderie that has been absent from past Grizzlies teams. If this team can rebound from a teammate fight on a team plane ride, what can’t they overcome.
There was a sequence during Tuesday’s night game that says a lot about the players and this team. With less than two minutes in the first half Mayo entered the game with his warm-up shirt still on. The bench laughed while the crowd applauded.
Less than a minute later, Mayo made his first shot, a three-point basket (his only points of the game) to an ovation from the Grizzlies bench and more crowd applause.
The injury to Gay is a huge blow to this Grizzlies team and all of its players will have to make up Gay’s 20 points per game average, along with his rebounds, assists, and defensive intensity.
Gay tweeted Wednesday, “I hate being off the court this long but my teammate(s) will hold it down.”
The Grizzlies and its fans are not willing to give up on this team and their playoff aspirations.
Now former Nugget, Carmelo Anthony, at the free-throw line during Grizzlies victory
I learned several important things about the Grizzlies during the two games I attended on Friday and Sunday, this weekend.
Randolph is Most Important Grizzly
First, and most importantly I have to echo the pleas of all Grizzlies fans to Michael Heisley. Resign Zach Randolph, give him the largest contract possible and do it TODAY! See this for scary trade talk about Randolph.
Although the Grizzlies defeated the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night 89-86, they were lucky to get the win. The offense struggled without its anchor Z-Bo, especially Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol who play the most two-man game with Randolph.
The Grizzlies were able to crank up the defense in the third and fourth quarters and score enough points to get the win. It wasn’t a glamorous win by any means, but the Grizzlies calmly sank six straight free throws to cement the win.
But the fact remains; the Grizzlies are not the same team without Zach Randolph. I won’t get on my Zach Randolph should be an All-Star soapbox, but there isn’t any player more important to his team then Randolph is to the Grizzlies.
Randolph had one point going to the fourth quarter Sunday against Denver. He finished with 14 points and 16 rebounds.
He is the epitome of a clutch player. He doesn’t shoot the last second shots like Gay, but he finds a way to win games.
The Grizzlies won back-to-back games without each of their two top-scores, and in the NBA a win by twenty points or a win by one point, is still a win.
As Darrell Arthur said to Commercial Appeal sports writer Ron Tillery, “If you want to make the playoffs you’ve got to win games like this.”
Conley Isn’t Clutch
Secondly, Mike Conley continues to dazzle and infuriate fans during clutch time. Yes, he had two of the most important offensive plays of the night against the Bucks (the assist to Tony Allen’s for a dunk and a three-point shot with 1:12 to go).
However Conley is the player whose free-throwing shooting fans trust the least. He missed two against the Bucks and nearly cost the Grizzlies the game in Oklahoma City.
But I refuse to be a Conley-hater and believe in general he has played up to the expectations of his new contract.The New York Times NBA blogger agrees with me. But if Conley is worth forty million, Randolph has to be worth much, much more.
Defense Reminiscent of Playoff Grizzlies of Past
Thirdly, the Grizzlies defense (when they play defense) is absolutely unbelievable. The Grizzlies shut down the Nuggets and Carmelo Anthony in the fourth quarter Sunday night in dominating fashion.
This level of defensive intensity has been absent from the Grizzlies since its playoff bound team in 2005, which included defensive stoppers, Shane Battier and James Posey.
Last year’s Grizzlies team has one essential problem, they couldn’t play defense. This years’ team is a completely different animal (or bear). For one reason and one reason alone.
His name is Tony Allen. He is the second NBA player in history to average 1.7 steals when playing fewer then 16.6 minutes. The team has three players averaging 1.7 steals per game, Allen, Gay and Conley. The Grizzlies have been the fifth best defensive team in the league since Christmas, according to NBA.com.
Defense is what wins championships; defense is what gets fans in the seats. The crowd yesterday was waiting for something to cheer about and Allen gave it to them.
Once the Grizzlies started playing their own game in the middle of the third quarter, the momentum shifted and Denver never got it back. The Grizzlies outscored the Nuggets 47-22 to end the game.
Grizzlies Win!!
Unanswered Questions
And yes, there are still many unanswered questions about this team. How will OJ Mayo fit in? The Grizzlies are 8-2 without him, which seems like a sign that his time in Memphis is over.
The onus is on Mayo now, to adapt to the current Grizzlies team and find a niche that is helpful to the team. He cannot be a disruption anymore.
Also the J-Will experiment is two-games in and so far, so good. J-Will provided invaluable minutes in the third quarter on Sunday. The Grizzlies were plus 10 when he was on the court. He also has yet to jack up an out-of-rhythm three-point shot.
Probably even more encouraging is his presence on the bench. He is cheering teammates on and seems engaged in helping this team’s win despite his lack of minutes.
After this weekend, the team and its fans have plenty to be happy about. Since Christmas, the Spurs and the Lakers are the only Western conference teams with better records than the Grizzlies (18-9).
Final Thoughts
The Grizzlies are also ninth on both the ESPN and NBA power rankings as of Monday, their highest ranking of the season. ESPN writer Mark Stein confirms that the current Grizzlies look like a playoff team. National sports analysts are finally giving the team a modicum of respect. After this preseason prediction.
The Grizzlies are 14-5 when Sam Young is in the starting lineup. The team is composed of players ready to step up and players who accept their role within the team.
Arthur scored a career-high 24 points against Denver, his second career 20-point game, while Gasol sat on the bench for much of the second half. But there were no complaints from Gasol or any of these Grizzlies because of one little thing.
They won the game. They came back from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter and beat Denver, the highest scoring team in the league, 116-108.
Denver Post reporter, Chris Dempsey writes: “The Grizzlies (30-26) are just 1 ½ games behind the Nuggets (31-24) in the Western Conference. Yes, those Memphis Grizzlies.”
Those Memphis Grizzlies are a different team from the Memphis Grizzlies of the last five years. Those Memphis Grizzlies can win without Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph by playing an inspired form of defense.
Dempsey says, “Memphis is perhaps the best-kept secret in the NBA.” Well the Grizzlies are not a secret in Denver anymore.
And the rest of the NBA should start to beware the bear.
Last note: This is my favorite quote from The Commercial Appealfan comments. One fan says, “Swagger is just Grizz spelled backwards.” Nonsensical but hilarious.
Preseason Grizzlies commercial comes true as team leads the league in steals and forced turnovers.
iheartgrizz 