Slightly better than .500, but a lot better than last season. That’s been your Grizzlies this year, and that’s how things went last week: 3-2.

The Bizzaro run of home losses and road wins is over, and although math still says the Grizzlies CAN make the playoffs, conventional wisdom, and coach Lionel Hollins, points to the Grizzlies just coming up short (because what does math know anyway?).

Saturday, March 13: Nuggets 125, Grizzlies 108
Just like in their previous game against the Knicks, the Grizzlies laid a big fat egg in the fourth quarter of this one. Unlike that game, the egg resulted in Memphis blowing a 12 point halftime lead to lose by 17.

J.R. Smith lead the Denver charge in a fourth quarter which saw the Nuggets outscore the Grizzlies 40-23. Smith was 11-16 from the field including 7-10 from three-point range and finished with 30 points.

Worst thing about this game? Chris Anderson. The excessively tattooed (and for this game mustachioed) Denver center is usually more famous for his obnoxious hair rather than his play, but he and Nuggets starting center Nene beat the Grizzlies at their own game, dominating the pain inside.

That’s not a typo. In addition to the embarrassing dunks and open lanes created and taken advantage of by the Denver big men, Chris Andersen came down butt first on Marc Gasol’s neck while grabbing a rebound in the third quarter. Gasol finished the game but hasn’t played since, subjecting Grizzlies fans to a string of starts from Hasheem Thabeet. More on Thabeet later.

Tuesday, March 16: Grizzlies beat some guys wearing Bulls jerseys, 104-97

O.J. Mayo scores on some guys the Bulls picked up at the park on Tillman before the game.
Chicago was missing four players for the game.
Photo by Chase Gustafson

For the Grizzlies, there wasn’t a better time for Hasheem Thabeet’s first start than against a Bulls team missing four key players. Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah all missed the game with injuries and Kirk Hinrich was still serving his league suspension for attending the University of Kansas ^{[citation needed]}.

While the Grizzlies were without Gasol, guard Ronnie Brewer returned to the lineup. Brewer had not played since injuring his hamstring in his first game with the Grizzlies after being traded from the Utah Jazz.

The Grizzlies fourth quarter woes continued in this one, as they were outscored 30-19 in the final period after leading by as much as 25 in the third. The trend wasn’t lost on the team.

“We build a good lead then seem to get lackadaisical sometimes,” guard Mike Conley said after the game. “It’s definitely something we have to improve on.”

Conley himself played well, scoring 19 and racking up 10 assists. Despite an off night against the Nuggets (only 6 points) Conley’s numbers have been up significantly in March.

Oh and Thabeet? He was pretty respectable in his first NBA start, matching his career highs in points and rebounds with 10 and 9 respectively. Coach Lionel Hollins praised the oft-maligned lottery pick after the game, but recognized that Thabeet still has a long way to go, particularly on offense where he still shies away from baskets.

“He’s different in that regard,” Hollins said. “When I see a deuce I’m going for it.”

Another highlight from this game was the improved demeanor of Hollins in his post game press conference. See the colorful quote above? That was just the start. When asked about his rationale for using a unique fourth quarter lineup which featured both Marcus Williams and Mike Conley, Hollins replied with a thoughtful answer concerning the advantages of having two ball handlers on the court in full court press situation.

Compare that to previous blowups about Mike Conely, describing the concurrent home losing and road winning streaks as “We’re playing better on the road than we are at home,” and the last answer to a matchup question, “Because I wanted to,” and blowups at people other than this reporter (after the first Houston game at home and the second Laker game), and there’s a BIG improvement.

Wednesday, March 17: Grizzlies fall to Rockets 107-94
Hard evidence that the Bizarro run has ended. The Grizzlies could not keep up with their nemesis, the Houston Rockets, dropping their third matchup against the team this season.

It had all the elements to predict a Grizzlies loss. Second night of a back-to-back, on the road against a team the Grizzlies just haven’t been able to figure out. During the Bizzaro run, this inexplicably would have resulted in a win. Not so in Houston.

Even a 30 point night from Zach Randolph wasn’t enough for the Grizzlies, partially because Aaron Brooks pulled a J.R. Smith (see above) and was perfect from long range - en route to a 31 point night.

Thabeet contributed again, with 8 points and 10 rebounds, but the rest of the team had an off night. O.J. Mayo only finished with 4 points on 1-6 shooting from the floor.

The Rockets win moved them past the Grizzlies into the ninth spot in the west, but while Houston is adept at beating Memphis, they aren’t so lucky with other teams. The Grizzlies would regain the ninth spot after two more games.

Saturday, March 20: Grizzlies overpower the Warriors 123 – 107

Randolph probably could have taken on Golden State by himself.
Photo by JD Meredith

The night after dropping 147 points to the Mavericks in regulation, the Warriors continued serving as a doormat to the Grizzlies, who outplayed Golden State in the very style the Warriors are used to running.

Darrell Arthur had his best game of the season despite his alma matter, the Kansas Jayhawks, losing to ninth seeded Northern Iowa in the NCAA tournament just moments before tipoff.

“I was sad,” Arthur said of the loss, “but I couldn’t let it affect me. Just had to stay focused.”

Arthur finished the game with a season high 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Zach Randolph finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds, nothing new to one of the NBA’s most consistent 20-10 players this season, but the night was special as it put Randolph just seven rebounds shy of the Grizzlies single season franchise record.

Lionel Hollins continued his improvement in dealing with the press, even staying polite to a group of student reporters who attended the press conference as part of the Don Poier annual journalism scholarship.

Hollins had already described how he felt about any playoff talk surrounding his team (“What playoff talk?”) when one of the students asked him the same question.

“You weren’t listening,” Hollins said. The room paused, waiting for a signature Hollins moment that talk radio hosts would repeat for weeks. But that was the old Lionel. The new Lionel is different. “That’s ok, you were writing," Hollins continued. "I’ll cut you a break because you were writing.”

Hollins proceeded to repeat the answer. It wasn’t word for word, but the meaning was the same – probably not going to happen, but it’s still been a good season for the team.

Yes. For the team and for Coach Hollins, who needs a new award created to be given to him at the end of the season - “Most Improved in Dealing with the Media.”

Monday, March 22: Grizzlies blow past Kings 102 – 85
Randolph broke the rebounding mark, and the Grizzlies showed a rare second half surge as they soundly beat the Kings last night in Sacramento. O.J. Mayo caught fire in the second half after shooting dismally for the first two quarters, scoring 10 points in less than 2 minutes and putting the Grizzlies ahead for good.

The Kings were without former University of Memphis star and rookie of the year favorite Tyreke Evans, who missed the game with an injury worthy of the NHL (mild concussion, bruised jaw, lacerated gums and chipped tooth).

Hasheem Thabeet and Mike Conley both reached double digits scoring in this one, notching 10 and 12 points respectively.

Final Shots
The Grizzlies are currently in the ninth spot in the Western Conference, four games behind Portland and five games behind San Antonio and Oklahoma City, who are tied for seventh. Of those teams, only Oklahoma City has shown signs of weakness down the stretch, as they have lost their last two games.

Memphis plays next tomorrow, March 24 at Golden State followed by a matinee road game at Milwaukee on March 28. The Grizzlies will not return to FedExForum until after the conclusion of the NCAA Women’s tournament. The next home game is March 31 against Dallas.

You can follow @douggillon on twitter for live updates and insight during the games.

It looked like a done deal at the end of the third quarter, but man did the Knicks make it interesting. The Grizzlies survived a 39 point fourth quarter from the Knicks last night and held on to win their third in a row, 119-112.

Just like their previous game in Boston, the Grizzlies jumped out to an early lead and held it for most of the game. They were up eight after the first, up 13 at half time, and led by as much as 29 in the third quarter. Then things started to break down.

The Grizz built the lead off dominant rebounding, smart shots and very tough defense. Going into half time the Knicks were shooting 36% from the floor, and the Grizzlies held a 15-2 fastbreak advantage. The Knicks just couldn’t do anything.

“Unbelievable defense in the first half. Unbelievable defense in the second half,” Lionel Hollins said after the game. “One was positive one was negative.”

The second half defensive breakdown resulted in the most second half points (70) scored by a Grizzlies’ opponent in FedExForum this season, and the most points given up by the Grizzlies in the fourth quarter (39).

But it was the big nights from Randolph (24), Mayo (22) Gay (20) and Mike Conley (18) that had the Grizz up big by the time the run started.

The Grizz did not finish as strongly as they did in Boston, but they started strong enough to hang on for the win.

The Grizzlies Sold Sam Young Jerseys Last night
Well, I would think so anyway. We definitely saw a guy with a custom Sam Young Jersey just after Young had scored 9 of his eventual 13 points. Young was everywhere during the first half, including one possession in which Young made a layup and drew a foul, missed his free throw, got the rebound off the free throw, passed the ball off, got the ball back on the wing, then charged at the basket for a dunk… which he missed. Oh well, nobody’s perfect.

Young, Marcus Williams and DaMarre Carroll were again productive off the bench, with the group scoring 23 points, grabbing 13 boards and adding 6 assists. Hasheem Thabeet played two minutes – finished with a block and a lot of zeroes.

Dunk of the Game
I’m going with Sam Young, who got another chance to jam the ball home in the second and didn’t miss this time. Honorable mention goes to Mike Conley, who didn’t dunk, but dished out two of his six assists on two of the Grizzlies’ four dunks of the night.

Dunk Count: 4; Young -1 Gasol – 1, Mayo -1, Gay -1,

You Had to Be There
A Grizzlies possession in the second quarter featured four consecutive offensive rebounds, three straight inside shots and no calls, until a foul was finally called after Marc Gasol was manhandled under the bucket. Despite the Grizz lead sitting at 23, the small crowd (announced at just over 12K) gave the team a standing ovation just before Gasol sank two free throws. Even in the blowout the fans were loving it.

Twitter Watch
Nothing after the game. Seriously. Nothing. Unless you follow Marcus Williams. His tweets are protected so you’ll have to get them for yourself.

Final Shots
Grizzlies PA announcer Rick Trotter was not with the team, and will miss the rest of the season for personal reasons. The Commercial Appeal reported that it is not a health issue. The Grizzlies radio pre-game and halftime host, Ken Kincaid, ran the PA last night and will continue to do so for the rest of the season. Rick Trotter had sung the National Anthem at the last Grizzlies’ home win against the Nets, now his last of the season. A five-year-old patient at St. Jude sang yesterday’s national anthem. Former Ole Miss and Saints star Deuce McAllister was in the house to shoot the “celebrity prize cannon.” Grizzlies’ MC Ashley referred to Mike Conley as “Sean Conley,” Conley responded by scoring 18. David Lee threw an inbounds pass directly at Lionel Hollins, causing the coach to nearly get run over by, again, Mike Conley, who was diving for the errant throw. Grizzlies have won eight of their last 10 games against eastern conference teams. The losses both came at home during the Grizz home losing streak of February.

The Grizzlies next game is tonight against Denver. Nuggets coach George Karl will not be with the team. Karl is battling throat cancer.

Follow Doug Gillon (that's me!) on twitter during the games for updates and insight.

Hasheem Thabeet left and the dominant Z-Bo came back. The end of February saw the Grizzlies trucking along in a way Memphis fans had unfortunately come to expect, losing at home. The unforeseen events of the past two weeks have been the Grizzlies success on the road, where the Blue Bears have now won a franchise record six games in a row when away from FedExForum. That and the Grizzlies playoffs hopes are still alive, if only slightly. Even though the team has improved significantly since last year, anything less than a playoff berth will, at this point, be a disappointment. Whether or not the team makes it there starts Saturday at home against San Antonio. If the Grizzlies are to make it, they will need to continue their success on the road and greatly improve their play at home in the final two months of the season. 

Wednesday, February 24: Grizzlies win in Washington, 99-94
This was the first of several hard-fought road wins that kept the Grizzlies from dipping below .500. Despite a weak first half, O.J. Mayo finished with another strong game while Z-Bo, Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol all added 20+ points in the Grizzlies winning road effort.

This was another example of the Bizzaro Grizzlies of February. The second game of a back-to-back, on the road was usually a surefire loss for the team that Memphis had gotten used to in the dog days of winter. Now, for the second time in a row, it was a win. 

Thursday, February 25: Grizzlies demote Hasheem Thabeet and Lester Hudson to d-league affiliate:
This wasn’t much of a surprise, and had been rumored for weeks. Even if you weren’t aware of the behind the scenes talk, Coach Hollins switch to Hamed Haddadi, as the go-to back up center and the fact that Thabeet hadn’t played more than 2 minutes in weeks should have been an easy clue. Thabeet’s demotion makes him the highest draft pick to ever get demoted within his first season. Does that make him the biggest bust ever? See what we had to say about it.

Friday, February 26: Grizzlies drop back to .500, lose to Charlotte at home

Basketball as interpreted by Larry Brown - ugly. Photo by Chase Gustafson.

This was embarrassing on almost any level. The Grizzlies lost their sixth straight at home, and their first all year to a team below .500. And it was ugly. The Bobcat’s defense first, Larry Brown style was all over the game, resulting in a low scoring game in which the Grizzlies shot better percentage-wise than in previous losses at home, but the game was so riddled with turnovers and slow possessions that the Grizzlies had trouble scoring any points. Z-Bo still clocked in a monster game with 24 and 10, but he and the Grizz couldn’t stop Stephen Jackson, who finished with 32

Again, by all accounts this game should have been a win for the Grizzlies. They were playing at home against a team they lost to on a buzzer tip in. The Bobcats had lost three straight and were on the end of a long road trip. But Bizzaro Grizz never win the games everyone thinks they will.

Biggest upside to the loss was Lionel Hollins improved demeanor in the post-game press conference. When asked why the Grizzlies allowed Charlotte to run a possession at the end of the game rather than fouling, Hollins was forthright and direct about his decision, and felt that the team still got the time and possessions he wanted, just were unable to convert the shots. 

Saturday, February 27: Grizzlies beat up the Knicks in the Garden
Again, the second night of a back-to-back, on the road. Crummy eastern conference team or not, this was supposed to spell L-O-S-S for the Grizzlies. But it didn’t.

The Grizzlies out muscled and overpowered the Knicks for a big win, and again just avoided dipping below .500. Z-Bo had another monster game, putting up 31 points and a ridiculous 25 rebounds. The Bizzaro run continued, but February was almost over. The Grizzlies were coming back – maybe... 

Monday, March 1: Grizzlies drop must-win again Blazers at home

The Blazers would not admit who their Haddadi was. Photo by Chase Gustafson.

Z-Bo hated this one as much or more than the Grizzlies fans. Down 3.5 games to the Blazers in the playoff hunt going into the game, it was a huge matchup for the Grizzlies. A win would have given them a 3-1 advantage in the season series, setting them up well for any situation in which the team’s tied for a playoff spot. Randolph was playing against another former team and wanted to give them the same thing he had given the Knicks earlier in the week.

Not so. The Blazers overcame a double-digit deficit with a 41 point fourth quarter to get the win.

Again the Grizzlies were playing at home against a team they could beat. Again that team was at the end of a long road trip. Again the Grizzlies couldn’t get the win.

Hollins continued his new trend of being nice after games… sort of. When asked why the team was lately getting wins on the road but unable to find them at home the coach responded, “We’re playing better on the road than we are at home.” Thanks for the insight Lionel. 

Wednesday, March 3: Grizzlies survive another third quarter scare, drop the Hornets in New Orleans
If you watched this and weren’t yelling Z-Boooooooooo! afterwards, then you must not like basketball. Mike Conley was the statistical hero, scoring a season-high 26 points in his revenge matchup against Darren Collison, but Zach Randolph’s bank-in three, made as the shot clock expired in the fourth quarter was the memorable play of the night.

Again the Grizzlies came off a tough home loss to win on the road and stay above .500. The next game was the next day, a full road trip back-to-back against another eastern team. I think at this point you can see where this is going… 

Thursday, March 4: Z-Bo dominates as Grizzlies drop Bulls in Chicago
Two games above .500 just took two road games – back-to-back. Makes sense right? It does for the Bizzaro Grizz.

And in true Bizzaro Grizz fashion, Memphis had to overcome a big first-half deficit to win (Bizzaro Grizz are better at losing after big first half leads).

Oh and Z-Bo? He scored 31 and had 18 boards, but his most memorable play of the night was getting dunked on by Derrick Rose. Hey – it’s Bizarro Grizz.

The back-to-back wins and particularly the win against New Orleans has the Grizzlies back up in the ninth spot in the west, one spot out of the playoffs. The aforementioned Blazers still hold the 8^th spot, 4 games ahead of the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies play the San Antonio Spurs Saturday night at FedExForum. We’ll see whether the February team or the January team shows up then.

 

 

 

 

 

Five straight losses – three at home. 1-7 over the last eight games. It was less than a month ago that Memphis fans were reveling in the glory of their home team which was unbeatable at home and a scary matchup on the road. Fans were flocking to FedExForum, the Grizzlies were getting national recognition, and the playoffs seemed a sure thing. Now they are treated to old school Grizzlies basketball, with eyes already starting to turn towards the college game and the draft.

Last night it was easy mistakes – missed layups and free throws, slopping positioning, lack of cohesiveness – that doomed the Grizzlies. This time it wasn’t lack of rest (the team had an entire week off for the all-star break) according to the coach it was rust.

Case of the Missing Layup
Or free throw, depending on the time of the game. It was one of the worst shooting performances of the season from the team, who shot a dismal 35.6% from the floor. The Grizzlies missed easy shots all night, with Mike Conley and Marc Gasol being the worst offenders (3-12 and 4-12 from the floor). Despite posting a double-double, Gasol was particularly off last night, also missing eight free throws, a strange night for the 71% career free throw shooter.

Super Sam
Sam Young was one of the lone bright spots for the Grizzlies (that’s excluding Zach Randolph, who put in his work with a solid 18-15 game) scoring 15 off the bench and making two three-point shots in three attempts. Young and Lester Hudson have been the Grizzlies only scoring options off the bench this season, with Young being the more consistent of the two.

Support WHAT movement?
Just before the Grizzlies went to training camp in Alabama, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo held a joint press conference to talk about the upcoming season. Both players talked about how hard they had been working in the offseason, often being the only two players in the gym. Halfway through this year, that work paid off. Mayo and Gay played vastly improved games while Marc Gasol continued to mature and Zach Randolph came in as the missing link. Then the team hit 25 wins.

It was one more win than the entire previous year, with more than 30 games left to play. The Grizzlies were six games above .500 – set up for a playoff spot if they maintained their pace. The whole town was thinking it and the Memphis Flyer put it on the cover, “Look! They Might Be Good!”

Yeah… go ahead and bring that back in. The start of the second half of the NBA season has treated the Grizzlies much like the first: 1-7. Coach Hollins is quick to dispute words like “unmotivated,” but when the team drops off this drastically, it’s hard to think that a lack of focus isn’t a factor.  Hollins admitted to “rust” affecting his players, and lamented that over the five day break there were “some guys that didn’t do anything.” No shoot around. No working out. No practice. Time off. “That’s unfortunate,” he said, “but that’s the way it goes.”

Not really. Not if Hollins goal is to “get respect around the league” as he told us last week. To accomplish that – to get into the playoffs, to win a playoff game, to be an elite team in professional sports, “that’s the way it goes” can’t ever be part of the equation. Even in Hollins voice – in the way he answers questions, the coach’s attitude shows a lack of fire. When asked the reason for a recent rotation change Hollins replied, “Because I wanted to,” and only went into rationale for the strategy of the decision when further pushed.

After spending the first half of the season pushing to break .500, then doing it, then exceeding it, Hollins and his team will have to regroup like they did after Allen Iverson left if they want this to be a season to remember, rather than a streak to remember.

You Had to Be There
The announced crowd of 11,508 was small but lively, bringing some excitement back into the forum after two dismal showings from the spectators in the Atlanta and Houston games.

A welcome addition was the group of guys in section 220, who brought their own flavor of rowdy to the contest, chanting "U-S-A!" at Steve Nash, and "Trade Bait" at A'mare Stoudamire. Also notable was Grizz coming out in an Olympic Uniform and giving flowers to Steve Nash.

Dunk of the Game
Nothing special last night. Just two and a block. Marc Gasol slammed in two equally forgettable dunks, on in the third and one in the fourth. The first came as the game was slipping away and the second after the game was out of reach. Rudy Gay had his only dunk attempt blocked in the first quarter. On a night when the team can’t even make layups though, it would be hard to expect much in this area.
Dunk Count: Gasol – 2

Twitter Watch

Rudy Gay
I got a random question. Who is my youngest follower? 10:58 Feb 16
I gotta watch what I say! 11:04 Feb 16

Hasheem Thabeet
Go Hash Its Ur BDAY… LOL Mane Thank God I’m Able to See Another Day!! It’s a Blessing To Be ME!! & i’m Grateful about this! Sagga Continues!

Sam Young
who knows how to work the skype

Final Shots
The NBA trade deadline is tomorrow at 2pm Central. So far the Grizzlies have not leaked or shown anything (despite the normal talk of considering several possible scenarios) that would lead us to think a trade is coming despite rampant speculation around town and the recent losing streak. If a trade were to occur it would likely be for Sergio Rodriguez of the Kings, Chris Douglas-Roberts of the Nets or Ronnie Brewer of the Utah Jazz. The trade that could have helped the Grizzlies the most last night, Phoenix dealing A’mare Stoudamire, didn’t happen, and the Grizzlies paid for it. Their recent losing streak has put them back in last place in the Southwest Division and four games out of the last playoff spot. That final spot is currently occupied by Portland, who just acquired Marcus Camby in a trade with the Clippers. Ronald McDonald is still coming out with the Black History Month honoree, but something even stranger is how he sits it the tunnel, in full costume, just relaxing, until the honoree is introduced. Zach Randolph became the first Grizzly to score in an NBA all-star game over the weekend.

The Grizzlies play the Toronto Raptors tonight at 6pm. Follow @douggillon or MSL editor @cerrito on Twitter for live updates and thoughts during games.

UPDATE: Trade rumours circling today include having the Grizzlies acquire Spurs shooter Roger Mason. ESPN.com reports that the Grizzlies have also put Mike Conley on the trading block.

If Lionel Hollins word is any indication, Grizzlies fans shouldn’t get too excited thinking about the postseason just yet. After another embarrassing home loss to the Atlanta Hawks last night, the Grizzlies enter the all-star break with a four game losing streak and a 1-4 record in February. Lakers win aside – February has been as bad to the Grizzlies as December and January were good.

While the second year coach admitted fatigue and matchup problems have been part of the recent skid, he also made a point to say that the team had “overachieved” during the 11 game home win streak that took the team above .500 and had many fans and Memphians expecting a playoff berth, and hoping to finally seal that playoff win.

Not so fast, says Hollins. “I’m excited about where we are at 26 and 25 versus where we were when I took over this team last year, and I’d like to keep that in perspective as we go forward. We’re a team that’s trying to overachieve and that’s trying to get some respect around the league, and we’ll continue to do that the second half of the seaon.”

They even let Z-Bo down…
The announced crowd of just over 10,400 was the lowest in months, despite Zach Randolph giving away 500 tickets to the game earlier in the day. In the early days of the Grizzlies 11 game home win streak, even a small crowd of about 11,000 could get loud and make the place hop a little bit (hell even the 1-2K that came back for the end of the water main game had some fire) but last night’s crowd had about as much life as a chia pet. It was the same story last week against Houston, even though that crowd was significantly larger. Interest from both the team and the fans seems to have waned following the win over Los Angeles.

Smaller, Faster, Stronger
Much like the loss to Houston, the Grizzlies found themselves outmuscled and outrun by a smaller, quicker, deeper team that got hot beyond the arc. The two teams are very similar in their lineups, style of play, and the fact that they have both destroyed the Grizzlies twice this season.

Time for a Trade?
Hollins and the Grizzlies wouldn’t say anything about a potential trade coming up before the February 18 trade deadline, but didn’t rule out a potential trade either. So there’s that.

But with Jamal Crawford’s 28 points off the bench outdoing the entire host of Grizzlies backups, talk of the Grizzlies needing to find a bench scorer continued.

Eventually Hollins said that he wants to see dramatic improvement from his younger players, and that if a trade does not happen, that will be key to a strong second half of the season.

“That’s life. Sometimes it’s like poker,” Hollins said. “You get a hand you gotta play it.”

You Had to Be There
But you weren’t. And it showed. Work on that.

Dunk of the Game
Dunks were a redeeming factor in this one.

There was a lot of this, but mostly from the Hawks.
Photo by Chase Gustafson

Atlanta was on the verge of attempting 3-point dunks, and although Rudy Gay can’t quite jump like Josh Smith, the Grizzlies still did post a few nice dunks, with the slam of the night being a flying one-hander from Rudy Gay.
Dunk Count: Gasol – 1 Gay – 1; Hawks – 4

Twitter Watch
I’ll spare you the details, but twitter watching indicates Rudy Gay, Mike Conely and DeMarre Carroll were all rooting for Peyton Manning and the Colts during the Super Bowl. Don’t expect any ‘who dat’ cheers from them I’m guessing.

Rudy Gay
Thanks for the love yall! I can’t wait to compete with the USA National team!
Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo were named to the National Team today.

Hasheem Thabeet
d[-_-]b

Sam Young
What time is the game...
This was about the Super Bowl, not the Hawks game.

Damarre Carroll
Damarre has either closed his account or amped up his privacy settings. Oh well.

Final Shots
Ronald McDonald coming out with the player honored for Black History Month isn’t getting any less strange. Between him and the Joker (“here we go” to fire up the crowd before the fourth quarter) there were at least two clowns in the arena unless you count Memphis Sport managing editor @cerrito. Then there’s three. Zach Randolph made a layup in the middle of a cartwheel – see top photo. O.J. Mayo had the play of the game with a reverse fast-break layup. Mike Conley was featured on the cover of the gameday program as a kind of backhanded compliment, the headline accompanying his picture said “Surrounded by Stars.” Coach Lionel Hollins told the team to enjoy themselves during the week long break.

The Grizzlies are on a one week break as part of NBA All-Star Weekend. Zach Randolph will be particiapating in the All-Star game, and O.J. Mayo and Marc Gasol will play in the Rookie-Sophomore game. The Grizzlies next game will be at FedExForum on February 16 against Phoenix.

I feel like I’ve watched this game at least six times this year. Mayo hit clutch threes. Rudy Gay was everywhere. Gasol and Randolph dominated scoring inside. The bench couldn’t score. The Grizzlies pulled out another close one in Detroit to exceed their win total from last year and continue to gain ground in what is shaping up to be a very interesting playoff race. Oh and the Commercial Appeal just reported that Zach Randolph WILL be an All-Star. How about that. Observations, Dunk of the Game, Twitter Watch and playoff picture after the jump.

Big Inside
Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph led the Grizzlies in scoring (24,25) and, just like Monday’s game against Orlando and several others this season, were the eventual reason for the win. Even with Ben Wallace and Jason Maxiell having a very good night under the glass, Detroit was unable to build any significant lead, and their inability to capitalize on mistakes by the Grizzlies had a lot to do with the big men from Memphis.

Show Dem What It Is!
Mike Conley’s play has been rapidly improving over the past few months, and last night was a standout for the often maligned Ohio State product. Conley scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half, and his assist to turnover ratio (6:2) was helpful. Oh and by the way, Conley shot an NBA best in three point percentage in January, and is on pace to break Mike Miller’s franchise record for three-point percentage in a season. Yeah, that Mike Miller.

Dunk of the Game
Marc Gasol put down a signature two-handed jam with 6:13 left in the second quarter to put the Grizzlies up 39-30, at the time their biggest lead of the night. The play was especially pretty due to the an O.J. Mayo bounce pass assist that would have made Pythagoras jealous.
Dunk Count: 2, both by Gasol.

Twitter Watch
I think this bit is catching on… we can now welcome DaMarre Carroll into the mix, and Mike Conley seems to be tweeting with a little more regularity. Clearly they are all just looking to get mentioned here.

DeMarre Carroll
thx for followin me and shwn me luv my 1st time on twitter. keepn me warm in cold detroit.

WOW Greg Oden thats all i got to say....then he tried to apologize.LMAO

Nude photos of Portland Center Greg Oden were leaked onto the internet yesterday. No I will not link them here… go find them yourself.

Rudy Gay
that boy greg oden is crazy

Its cold as hell in Detroit!

This was re-tweeted by Thabeet just moments later - didn’t both of them play college ball at UConn? Wouldn’t they be used to it?

Hasheem Thabeet
Good W tonight, Now heading to San Antonio.. #pissedoff

Mike Conley
Good win tonight , getting ready to get on the plane in a little bit.

Playoff Watch
The win against the Pistons put the Grizzlies a little more firmly in the 7th potential playoff spot, but also has them only one game out of the three way tie for 4th between Utah, San Antonio and Portland. The Grizzlies could make strides toward home court advantage in the playoffs with a win over San Antonio in Texas on Friday. Don't get too excited though, because just 1-1.5 games behind the Grizzlies are four teams: Phoenix, New Orleans, Houston and Oklahoma City. The Grizzlies have New Orleans at home on Saturday. If you're a Grizz fan, root for every team in the east, and against every team I just mentioned in addition to watching the Grizzlies.

Final Shots
NBA officiating is still terrible. Brian Hill, who used to be the head coach of the Vancouver Grizzlies, now works as an assistant coach in Detroit. Lionel Hollins used to be an assistant coach under Hill. According to the Commercial Appeal, Z-Bo is an All-Star – just in case you missed it up top. Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo were named to the sophomore team to play against the rookie team during all-star weekend. Pete Pranica is apparently very interested in the status of Z-Bo’s headband. And - again, Z-Bo is an All-Star!

It started as a lethargic showing from the team and the crowd. It ended as one of the signature wins of the season. Last night the Grizzlies proved, yet again, that they can take on and defeat any team in the league. They contained Superman. They withstood a barrage of threes. They won another defensive game. They beat the reigning champs of the East, and finally moved into that last playoff spot.

Superman Conquistó
Two Titans clashed last night in fashion worthy of a Japanese Monster flick, and it was Marc Gasol who won. While Dwight Howard’s stat line was better (27 pts, 15 boards, 6 blks), Gasol’s ability to keep Howard in check with mostly single coverage gave the Grizzlies extra opportunities on both sides of the ball. Gasol played a physical, but smart game, notching a career high four steals and hammering in a three point play that essentially sealed the game. So if this was a Monster Movie, Howard would be Gamera, the all-powerful super-dragon from outer space, and Gasol would be Godzilla, the hometown favorite who wins in the end.

The Best Win?
Last night’s win tied the Grizzlies with Cleveland and the Lakers for home win streaks this season. Between the water main, beating LeBron, Denver, Phoenix on MLK day, and even the blowout against Minnesota, it’s been an amazing streak. But last night’s victory may have been the most special. The team came out looking like they were still hungover from Saturday’s Grizz Gala, but overcame a 16 point second quarter deficit, and weathered 20 lead changes and 10 ties. Orlando wasn’t tired, unhealthy, or just having an off night. The Eastern Champs played the best they had, and the Grizzlies still came out ahead. It’s no wonder Lionel Hollins, when asked after the game which of the 11 wins stood out, said, “I can only remember this one.”

Full Court All-Star
Just in case his consistent 20-10 performances aren’t enough to convince All-Star voters to push him in before the selections are announced Thursday, Zach Randolph had an even better game than normal (23-19) and gave the voters a shot to remember, a 3/4 court shot at the buzzer to give the Grizz a two-point lead at the half. The shot hung in the air for at least a full second before draining the net and officially waking up the announced crowd of 12,273. Officials had to review the shot during halftime after it broke the box scorer’s awesome meter.

O.J. Wants You to Talk to Your Friends
We tried to tell you here after the last game, that this team needs to be seen. Last night when asked what he would say to those fans who haven’t come out to see this team yet, Mayo said, “They better ask somebody.”

You Had to Be There
Grizzlies MC Rick Trotter perfectly captured the moment after the final buzzer by adapting his usual “Grizzlies Win!” to “Grizzlies Win! Again!” Small adjustment - great for the crowd - and probably repeated about 12,273 times after the confetti fell.

Dunk of the Game
Only one for the Grizz! Mayo had one opportunity on a fast break, but was under tight guard from Rashard Lewis and chose to execute the safer layup instead. The only dunk came from Gasol with 1:35 left in the first, when the Conquistador beat Superman to the basket for a two-handed slam.
Dunk Count: 1 – Gasol

Post Game Twitter Watch
Rudy Gay
@DwightHoward lol. Good luck on the next one

@DwightHoward you mess with me your gonna get a TECH! Lol

Note: Howard received a technical foul with 7:16 left in the third after taunting Marc Gasol. Howard’s reply to Rudy’s twitter taunt: @rudygay22 next time imma say and one to the crowd. Good game though

Hasheem Thabeet Note: The dream must have been upset about something... he was tweeting up a storm. See his Twitter page for everything, a few selections here.

hhahaha the Critics.. WHere Ya'll At?? LOL I Love my life man.. there was haters.. Oh now.. They GONE!!!

ok tonight i just decide imma go off on ya haters and critics, i been quiet for a minute.. i been doin alot of stuff all over the wolrld..

Final Shots
The Grizzlies are 1-0 this season when Grizz cuts a woman in half during a timeout. Memphis Sport Managing Editor Kevin Cerrito has a massive man-crush on Jason Williams. Zach Randolph is 1-1 this season from the opposing three-point line. Dwight Howard smiles as much as O.J. Mayo does the stone face. Mike Conley is playing really well – doing point guard things and shooting .600 from beyond the arc in January. Howard came out to warm up early and spent about 10 minutes taking pictures and signing autographs for fans. Howard and  Magic point guard Jameer Nelson both gave their jerseys to fans after the loss. Patrick Ewing was in the house.

The Grizzlies play at Detroit on Wednesday and at San Antonio on Friday. They return to Memphis on Saturday against New Orleans. You can follow @douggillon and @cerrito for live updates and insight from the games.

The Memphis Grizzlies went for their eighth consecutive home win tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. Thanks to some clutch last second free throw shooting, the Grizz managed to top the Spurs as well as debunk several trends which had been working against them.  The San Antonio Spurs were 5-0 against Memphis in their previous five meetings. Many things worked against the squad tonight, yet Gay, Mayo and company still escaped with a ‘W’. It almost seems appropriate that Zumba, a new dance fitness group, performed before the game. While Zumba might be the hottest new thing in the exercise world, the Grizz are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They are now 20-10 since November 11^th, their last home loss, tying them with the team the Grizz lost to, the Celtics, for the best record since that time.

Let’s start with the obvious…

Eight for Eight

Obviously the big story of last night’s game is the Grizz setting a franchise record for most consecutive home victories. Over their last eight, the team has been holding their opponents to 101 points while picking up 110. The win also marks the first time Memphis has beaten San Antonio in the two teams’ last five meetings. This is the fifth “0-for” streak which the Grizzlies have broken this season. The others? Utah (0-11), Denver (0-8), Portland (0-7), Cleveland (0-7), and Phoenix (0-7).

Dunk of the Game

This one was easy. It was a choice between either a Rudy Gay slam early on, or an OJ Mayo crowd energizer with less than two minutes left in the third. Have to go with Mayo. As the Spurs broke up the court, Zach Randolph fully extended to pick off an errant pass in front of the Grizz bench. Mayo reacted to this and was well ahead of the pack before he received the pass to slam the ball home.

Total Dunk Count – 2. Gay, Mayo

Age v. Youth

Coming into the season, the Grizz were the NBA’s youngest team. They had only one player above 30 (Tinsley) and no one with more than 10 years worth of experience. San Antonio is on the opposite end of that spectrum, being the league’s oldest team with five players over 30, four of whom had 10 years of experience. This came into play last night as the Grizz ran the court against their older challengers and wore the Spurs down. Excluding the start of the game and second half, the Grizz visibly out hustled and out worked the Spurs.

Are Ya Feeling Me Memphis?!

Last night’s crowd was, again, insane. The FedEx Forum packed 14,000 in for the victory, though it often sounded like double or triple that. It was tweeted by the Grizz that the atmosphere was that of a “big game feel” and there can be little doubt about that. Several times San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was forced to use his timeouts to try and calm the crowd, while other times all he could do was sit and watch. At the close of the 2^nd half, after a DeMarre Carroll two, the building literally seemed to explode. This happened again after Mayo’s dunk, and a hustle play were the Memphis pressure did not allow the Spurs to grab an offensive rebound.

Quick Hitters

The Grizzlies last home loss was December 14^th against the Celtics. Since then they have defeated Indiana, Denver, Golden State, Washington, Utah, the Clippers, Minnesota, and San Antonio at home to break a franchise record for most consecutive home wins.

For whatever reason, the Grizzlies refuse to listen to Memphis Sport Live and change the Pepsi Ballroom Blast song from the Ballroom Blitz.

Tim Duncan averaged 1:37 for every call which he disagreed with.

Memphis is undefeated when Zumba performs before the game.

The Grizzlies play next on Monday at 4:30 against the Phoenix Suns.

It was like the Twilight Zone – everything was backwards. The Terrace Level, the top ring at FedExForum, was full. The lower levels were ghost towns. The Grizzlies hit 11 three-point shots. Z-Bo was kind of contained (he’s playing so well that 20 points and 12 rebounds in 29 minutes feels like kind of contained… so take that for what it’s worth). The starting five were able to keep their minutes low. The bench scored 44 points. Lionel Hollins didn’t get THAT upset, and even cracked a smile, when asked to talk about Mike Conley’s play.

Yeah everything was backwards except one – The Grizzlies got a W. Again. The win was arguably the best of the season for the Grizz, was a franchise record seventh straight home victory, and put the Grizz two games above .500 before facing San Antonio tonight.

Dunk of the Game:
It was the night of the alley-oop, with O.J. Mayo tossing two to Rudy Gay, and Gay returning the favor to Mayo in the third quarter, but the dunk of the game has to be Mayo’s underhanded side/reverse slam that pushed the Grizzlies point total to 106 in the THIRD QUARTER. Within minutes, the starters were out and the final period felt like a mere formality.
Total Dunk Count: 9. Gay – 3 (2 AO), Mayo – 3 (1 AO), Gasol – 2, Thabeet – 1

Mike CONLEY!
Last week when asked about Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley’s propensity to turn the ball over, head coach Lionel Hollins became irate before answering the question. Last night Mike Conley had one of his best games of the season, finishing with 18 points and 8 assists despite only playing 29 minutes. When asked about Conley after last night’s game, Hollins laughed before adding – “If you want to talk about Mike Conley, come to my office and talk about Mike Conley. This is my press conference.” So the first rule of Mike Conley is, you don’t talk about Mike Conley. But he did play lights out yesterday.

The Crowd from Earth 2 – or perhaps the Evac Game.
In an odd turnout of about 11,000, the Grizzlies managed to pack the top level of FedExForum while the lower two levels, particularly the Club Level were surprisingly empty. With a long weekend, three games, and one of the worst teams in the NBA visiting last night, perhaps the well-to-dos just figured they would wait for San Antonio or the MLK game. The top level was likely full of fans redeeming their tickets from Tuesday’s “Evac Game” against the Clippers. Regardless of the reason, it was a strange feeling as crowd noise came from very different places than usual.

Early to Bench – Ready to Roll
The Grizzlies starting five, who had been playing more minutes than any starting five in the league, sat the entire fourth quarter as the Grizzlies bench came in and EXPANDED the lead. Even Lester Hudson started to look comfortable, and finished with 9 points. Hollins did mention afterward that he thought Minnesota was tired following their triple overtime game against Houston a few nights ago, and almost appeared to feel sorry for the visitors. Regardless of coach’s possible empathy, the bench time works perfectly for the Grizzlies as they still have two more games in the next 3 days.

Record Setting
Last night’s win was the Grizzlies’ record seventh straight at home, and the 135 points scored was a season-high, and only nine short of the Grizzlies’ all time high.

The Grizzlies play San Antonio at FedExForum tonight and then host Phoenix on Monday for the MLK classic on TNT.

You can follow live MS game updates on twitter @memphissport, @douggillon - MS Grizzlies writer, and @cerrito – MS Managing Editor.

The Grizzlies gave Memphis fans a three-game win streak for the Holidays, and seem to be coming together quite nicely lately. Some observations from yesterday’s win over Golden State. 

First Quarter Trends Don’t Last
After Mike Conely sank a three pointer for the first score of the game, Golden State built a lead by shooting higher than 80% in the First Quarter. The Grizzlies didn’t make another three, and Golden State lost their lead in the second. 

Rookies say ‘Hey!’
Hasheem Thabeet had his best game of the year Sunday, almost getting into double digits scoring, and last night Sam Young and Damarre Carroll contributed more than usual with Rudy Gay in foul trouble. Young scored on two impressive alley-oops and Carroll was actually making jump shots.

Foul Swings
Rudy Gay got in foul trouble early and missed the second. O.J. Mayo and Marc Gasol also worked up to 3 fouls each by the third, but Jackson MS product Monta Ellis was the only player to foul out of the game.

Memphis Loves Z-Bo
Zach Randolph again could do no wrong (33 points, 18 boards) and the crowd was quick to remind the referees, booing heavily at offensive foul called in the fourth quarter.

O.J. May Smile One Day
O.J. Mayo came close to breaking his usual stony expression yesterday when, in the second quarter, Mayo was stripped while driving to the basket. The angle of the strip sent the ball skyward, and Mayo simply continued his momentum and finished the play with a layup.

Define “big…”
Lionel Hollins said the key to the Grizzlies taking the lead in the second quarter was sticking with a “big set” while Golden State “stayed small.” This seems like a strange description as Tinsley and Conley were on the floor together for most of the quarter, with Gasol and Rudy Gay mostly on the bench.

The Grizzlies break for Christmas before taking on the Mavericks in Dallas on Saturday. Next home game is Monday against Washington.