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.

Teflon Don said it. In both performances of his M.E.M.P.H.I.S Grizzlies song last night, the lyric “We can’t miss! We on fire!” came out. And he was right.

The Grizzlies shot 55 percent from the floor in an impressive beat down of the Boston Celtics in Boston. The win extends the Grizzlies franchise record road winning streak to seven games and has Memphis fans starting to whisper the p word again.

Dominant from the Start
The Grizzlies came out firing on all cylinders, leading by 16 after the first quarter, 22 at the half, 19 after the third quarter and winning by a 20 point margin. The margin matches Boston’s worse loss of the season and is the first Memphis win against Boston since 2006.

Don’t think the Grizzlies sluggish third quarter woes are entirely gone though. The Grizzlies were outscored in that quarter 30-27, but were so dominant throughout the rest of the game that it was a non-issue.

Rudy Gay led the team in scoring with 28 points, with O.J. Mayo adding 17. Next in line was, surprisingly, backup point guard Marcus Williams with 16, and Zach Randolph with 13.

Other bench players followed Williams’ lead, as Sam Young added 10 points and Hasheem Thabeet finished with 7.

Thabeet was playing in his first game since being recalled from the d-league Dakota Wizards, and as Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley promised the Commercial Appeal earlier this week, he logged more than 25 minutes. Thabeet was only in the d-league for about a week, but he seems to have learned something. His final line (the 7 points mentioned above plus 6 boards and a block) was one of the best of the season and a huge improvement from his usual performances.

Bizzaro?
So despite the home losing streak being over, the Grizzlies are still acting somewhat like the Bizzaro team that’s impossible to predict, although some of these things are turning into trends.

The road streak continues – that’s one Bizzaro Grizz point still in effect, but again with a few more it will become expected.

Again the backups played well and this is the second game in a row with solid production from the bench. If this continues up until Ronnie Brewer returns, I’ll take it out of the Bizarro category, but for now it’s still an anomaly.

A big test comes over the next seven days. The Grizzlies have back-to-back games at home, followed by a home-road back-to-back in the middle of the week. The Grizzlies swept their only other home back-to-back in January, and have not lost on the second night of a back-to-back since February 6.

If the Grizzlies win at least 2 out of the three home games AND continue their road streak against Houston, we’ll have to dump this Bizzaro talk for a while and just say they’re playing very well again. But will it be good enough for…

Playoffs?
There are 17 games left in the season, and the Grizzlies are currently 3.5 games behind Portland for the eighth and final spot. Portland is currently on pace to win 47 games. In order for the Grizzlies to beat that record and win 48, they will have to go 14-3 over the final stretch. It’s a tall order considering the Grizzlies have two games each against division leaders Dallas and Denver, two games against a Houston team that has pounded the Grizzlies in each of the previous meetings, and road games against Orlando and San Antonio. The Grizzlies aren’t out yet, but they’re hanging on by a thread.

Big Love from the Hometown
Last night’s Memphis Sport watch party featured a full house of Grizzlies fans at the Poplar Lounge – with cheers and free stuff to go around. Fans won MS O.J. Mayo t-shirts, Grizzlies flags and hats, some of Jack Eaton’s books and even some premium tickets to Saturday’s game against Denver.

Everyone also enjoyed free Red Bull from the Red Bull girls, and two performances by Teflon Don. Also a HUGE Grizzlies win.

The Grizzlies are now 1-0 with a +20 point differential when Memphis Sport throws a party to watch the game.

The Grizzlies next game is against the Knicks Friday night at 7 p.m. CST at FedExForum. You can follow @douggillon on Twitter for live updates and insight during games.

So is the Bizzaro run over? Maybe. At least the agonizing home defeats are. Last night the Grizzlies used solid production from their bench and the terrible play of the New Jersey Nets to end an eight game losing streak at home and finally hear Rick Trotter yell “Grizzlies Win!” as the confetti fell for at FedExForum for the first time since Feb. 1.

It wasn’t exactly pretty…
The Grizzlies third quarter woes continued in this one, as they were outscored 26 to 14 there. Despite the miserable quarter, the Grizzlies never trailed after the first, as they had built a 20 point lead in the second quarter, and went into the half up 16. The closest the Nets got was two points.

Coach Hollins said after the game that the lackadaisical play in the third quarter was perhaps his team not realizing how important it was for them to snap their losing streak at home, but was happy with the win.

No Z-Bo, no problem?
Well not exactly. While the Grizzlies rebounding numbers were still ok (52 compared to 45 from the Nets), Grizzlies big men Marc Gasol and Hamed Haddadi were stretched defensively, picking up fouls more quickly than usual without Randolph to help on the defensive end. Gasol and Haddadi both finished with 5 fouls.

The team did not discuss Randolph’s absence before the game, staying focused on playing with who they had. Hollins said the real detriment to having Randolph out was missing “that dominant post player who always draws a double-team,” but added that they were still able to win because of the bench players stepping up.

Big Night for the Bench
When asked about how Randolph’s absence affected their game, center Marc Gasol looked irritated.

“We’ve got a lot of good guys here,” he said. “We’ve got enough good guys that we should be able to win without him for a few games.”

At least last night he was right. Sam Young continued his solid production with 10 points, Marcus Wliams had 8, Hamed Haddadi added 3 points and 2 rebounds, and Darrell Arthur had 7 points and 3 rebounds in his first start of the season. The bench star of the night however, was DaMarre Carroll, who finished with a season high 10 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals.

Benefiting from a small New Jersey lineup that allowed Hollins to play him at power forward rather than small forward, Carroll got most of his points the same way he did in college, from offensive rebounds and putbacks, but he even added a jump shot for the first time in a while. Carroll clocked 24 minutes and almost hit his first NBA double-double.

Carroll had not been playing much in February or March, and saw Randolph’s absence as an opportunity.

“I’ve just been sitting at the end of the bench, patiently waiting, lifting weights and coming in at night to get in extra shots, and tonight I just tried to come out and stay true to myself,” Carroll said.

But Carroll also said that Lionel Hollins gets on him more than any other rookie, which is odd considering Carroll wasn’t demoted to the d-league.

You had to be there
The crowd was tiny - announced at over 10,000 but appeared to be about half that in reality. First signs of life from the crowd came when Tiger favorite Chris Douglas-Roberts checked in. The crowd responded with a big applause even before Grizzlies announcer Rick Trotter said his name.

Really he should just add the Chris to make a complete circle.
Photo by Chase Gustafson

Although small, the crowd was excited the entire game, cheering loudly during the first half, booing even louder during the third quarter, and enjoying the win at the end. They even paid enough attention to boo a botched game of Grizzlies Tic-Tac-Toe during a timeout in the second.

Dunk of the Game
There were a bunch in this one, especially in the first half. Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo kept in simple with their dunks, preferring to just get the ball in the basket, rather than show off (which is probably good when you’re on an eight game losing streak). His dunks still looked good, but we’ll have to give this one to DaMarre Carroll, who found a wide open back door late in the fourth and pounded home a two handed jam to put the Grizzlies one point shy of 100 and essentially put the game out of reach for the Nets.
Dunk Count: 5, Carroll - 1 Gay – 1, Gasol -2, Mayo -1,

Twitter Watch
Hasheem Thabeet
GoodMornin Wonderful World!!!!! I’m Back.. Ya’ll Have a nice and Blessed Day!!!

Rudy Gay
No disrespect to Hurt Locker! But Avatar was the greatest of all time! (Kanye shrug) lol

Grizz
Well it’s the end of my b day weekend, thx to all my furry homies for coming out and hangin with me. Best b day game yet!!

Final Shots
Hasheem Thabeet was back in Memphis after being recalled from the D-League (See tweet above). He sported a new, shorter haircut and sat the bench. New Jersey guards Courtney Lee and Devin Harris lit up the Grizzlies for a combined 58 points. Games are much more comfortable without Ronald McDonald ruining Black History Month. The Grizz should keep honoring players through March without the clown just to make up for February.

The Grizzlies next game is on the road at Boston Tomorrow at 6:30 pm. You can follow @douggillon and @cerrito for tweets during the games, or come watch the game with the entire Memphis Sport crew and rapper Teflon Don tomorrow night at the Poplar Lounge.

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.

Grizzlies Coach Lionel Hollins tried to tell his young team about being a winning team in the NBA. “It’s not like college,” he said Monday night. “You can’t go play Sacred Heart tomorrow.”

Maybe the team hasn’t quite gotten that idea yet. In last night’s embarrassing 105 – 89 road loss to the current best in the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers, the Grizzlies starters underperformed and were almost completely yanked in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach. The Grizzlies now have a two day rest to regroup before taking on the Houston Rockets at FedExForum on Friday.

Back-to-Back
Granted this was about as difficult of a back-to-back set of games as any team could have, and came on the end of a four game in five day set that featured another back-to-back, but this team is good enough that excuses should not be made.

The Grizzlies have only won both games of a back-to-back schedule once this year, on Friday and Saturday of Martin Luther King Jr. weekend against the Timberwolves and Spurs. Those wins came during the 11-game home win streak, and were part of the only home back-to-back this season. The Grizzlies have nine more back-to-back games this season. Only one has both games at home (March 12 & 13 against the Knicks and Nuggets) and the final back-to-back ends with the last home game of the season against Philadelphia. The Grizzlies will need to find a way to win on the second night of those kinds of games if they want to make Allen Iverson’s first on-court appearance at FedExForum this season a win.

Dunk of the Game
Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies in scoring with 15 points, and started strong – slamming home a one handed jam through a no-call foul off a Marc Gasol assist. Runner-up goes to Stephen Hunter for his driving dunk at the end of the game, mostly because it came off a rare assist from Hamed Haddadi.
Dunk Count, 3: Gay – 1, Gasol – 1, Hunter – 1.

Twitter Watch
It kills me sometimes that I cannot put Marcus Williams up here because he is equal parts random, humor and confusion. He has his tweets protected so you’ll have to go see them for yourself. Last night he was giving reasons to end dates. You can request to follow him at http://twitter.com/mw1II

Rudy Gay
Tough loss but we have another one coming up!

I mean we have another game coming not another loss.

Hasheem Thabeet
Just Got in from Cleveland… Tough One last night!! Oh Well #ontothenextone… Goodnight World!!

Sam Young
On the way to memohis

Hamed Haddadi
Admin: Hamed provided a defensive spark off the bench, tallying 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 10 minutes of action,… http://bit.ly/dyXXF1

These have been going on for a few days now, coming in from Haddadi’s facebook page – or whoever is running it. They are lame...

DaMarre Carroll
Tough lost! We couldn’t find the energy but we will bounce back. Bout to fly back to Memphis!

Final Shots
The rescheduled Grizzlies watch party featured 3 members of the Claw Crew, the usual midtown lushes and a handful of Grizzly fans. Young Avenue Deli’s Sam I Am wrap is pretty awesome, but remember to take off the paper before you bite into it. It’s kinda dark in there – you might forget. The loss put Memphis in a three way tie with New Orleans and Houston for ninth in the West (one spot out of the playoffs). Oklahoma City is currently in the last spot. The Grizzlies are only two games behind San Antonio, the current fifth seed.

On the two year anniversary of the Pau Gasol trade that some called one of the most lopsided in NBA history, the Grizzlies defeated the trade’s “winners” on the back of the trade’s initial non-entity and moved back into playoff contention.

Despite the three to four thousand Faker fans, a 44-point night from Kobe and a two game losing streak, the Grizzlies once again adapted their game plan to the situation and took down another division leader. Thoughts, Twitter Watch, Dunk of the Game and more after the jump.

Gasol on Gasol
Two years ago Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace was maligned for trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers for what, as most at the time decided, was a whole lot of nothing. Part of that nothing? Pau’s brother Marc, now arguably one of the top 4 centers in the league in only his second season. Baby Gasol outscored, outblocked, outrebounded, and all-around outplayed his elder All-Star Brother in a bearded Spanish blood-duel that was the definite highlight of the night, with the possible exception of…

Yes, Kobe Broke the Damn Record
Kobe Bryant’s 44 points allowed him to pass Jerry West and become the top scorer in Laker’s history, but it didn’t matter now did it? The Grizzlies still won. Kobe didn’t look like he would break the record at the start, missing his first four attempts and first two free throws, but quickly turned that streak around in the second quarter and started drawing a lot of fouls to go with his points. In the second half Bryant scored more frequently but with fewer fouls as the team shifted their focus to stopping every other Laker scorer, and Kobe shifted his focus to winning the game. To bad for the MVP, it wasn’t enough.

Bizarro Bench
The minute we noticed Sam Young was out for the night (allergic reaction to mid-southerners cheering for a team from 1000 miles away for no good reason) the Grizzlies seemed doomed. He was the only bench player consistently scoring, and with the fatigue woes apparent in Saturday’s game against New Orleans, it seemed unlikely the Grizzlies could compete with Los Angeles’ bench. Trend was justified for about 5 minutes after the starters went out, when two different lineups featured only one starter and that starter (first Rudy, then Randolph) was the only one with any points. Then Lester Hudson happened.

Hudson drained two three pointers as part of his 11 second quarter points (13 for the game), leading a bench squad that actually expanded the lead. Even a rare Haddadi sighting produced two points as the Grizzlies' reserves outscored the Laker’s bench 21 – 14.

Rudy Blue No More
If Rudy Gay was in a funk because of his perceived all-star snub, consider it over. Gay led the Grizzlies in scoring with 25 points – and he did it while being guarded by Ron Artest, one of the best defenders in the league. Oh and that game losing miss by Artest? Credit that to Rudy as well. With the whole team focusing on Kobe to try the game winning three, Artest was left open in the corner for a clear shot, but Rudy Gay closed on him like lightning, forcing him to adjust the angle and push the shot far enough for a Grizzlies’ win.

Home Court Advantage
The faker fans tried their best to give LA some kind of edge, but in the end were a non-factor.

Although not all the Purple and Gold in the house was worn by Faker Fans.

Coach Lionel Hollins said the fans can cheer for whoever they want, but he hopes the Grizzlies won some of them over with the victory. Center Marc Gasol had a different take, saying he felt sorry for locals in purple and gold. Who knows, maybe all those Faker fans gave Gasol even more motivation than normal.

Be on the lookout for any fourth quarter timeout performance by the Beale Street Flippers. The flippers sometimes perform at halftime, but for this game and the Phoenix game, the flippers were a significant distraction for the opposing team, who can’t help but be enthralled by the Memphis acrobatics. Grizzlies get to strategize while the visitors are forced to idolize – and it’s working so far.

You Had to Be There
FedExForum’s second sellout of the season was significantly more intense than the first (MLK day vs. Phoenix) and the amount and volume of the Faker fans made the contest at times seem like a big High School game, with every play garnering significant positive and negative reactions from the crowd of over 18,000.

The big feeling wasn’t just coming from the fans though. O.J. Mayo was so intense he got himself a technical for arguing his third foul. The guy really wanted to guard Kobe, but forgot the unspoken NBA rule that looking #24 in the eyes is an automatic foul. Marc and Pau Gasol were going after each other under the basket, and often shooting glances at their parents, who were in attendance. Rudy Gay and Kobe Bryant were exchanging big three point attempts, the first before the half when Rudy made a desperation heave way too early, after which the Lakers quickly shot the ball back up Kobe in the corner, who drained one to give the Lakers a halftime lead. Later Rudy nailed a three-pointer to put the Grizzlies up 5 with 29.5 second left, followed by Kobe needing all of 4 seconds to put one down on the other side to cut the lead back to 2. With the score 90-88 and Zach Randolph shooting the first of two free throws to extend the lead, Marc Gasol couldn’t even watch - staring up at the rafters until the ball had fallen in.

Dunk of the Game

Bench Scoring: Photographic Evidence from JD Meredith.

Mizzou alum DaMarre Carroll. The junkyard dog had a sick two-fisted jam off a sick Jamaal Tinsely assist as part of the Bizarro Bench’s second quarter run. Perhaps this is the beginning of a trend. Rudy Gay’s rebound/dunk might have been cooler – but we have to give some love to the subs stepping up.
Dunk Count, 2: 1 Carroll, 1 Gay

Twitter Watch

Rudy Gay

O yea IM BACK!!!!

Sam Young

Great win… Now off to the next one…

DaMarre Carroll

Big Big Big Win tonight. Now off to Cleveland for our next game. Congrats to Kobe!

Hasheem Thabeet

Watchin the Grammy’s!!!!!

Granted this was a few days ago.

Final Shots
Former Memphis Tiger and Grizzlies minority owner Elliot Perry was honored as part of a black history month celebration. He was joined by the President of the Grizzlies, a local McDonald’s franchise owner, and Ronald McDonald. Another former Memphis Tiger and current New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski was in the house to kick a field goal on the floor to win free tater tots for the crowd. He missed both attempts but tots were given anyway. Z-Bo was given a technical for throwing his headband in an effort to communicate to Grizzlies play-by-play man Pete Pranica that things were not going well. The win put the Grizzlies back into playoff contention, at the eighth spot.

The Grizzlies play tonight at Cleveland in the second game of a back to back scheduled by a prankster at the league office. You can follow @douggillon and @cerrito for live updates and analysis from the games.

The Winter storm may be over in Memphis, but tough times for the Grizzlies may not stop until after the All-Star Break. The Grizzlies blew a 21 point lead last night, lost 2 games in a row for the first time since December, snapped their 11 game home win streak, and fell just out of the playoff picture with last night's disappointing loss to the New Orleans Hornets.

The loss wasted a 25 point, 16 rebound night from Marc Gasol and dropped the Grizzlies into a three-way tie with Houston and Oklahoma City for ninth place in the West. New Orleans moved into the eighth spot with the win. The difference in the Grizzlies past two losses was six spots in the playoff standings. Now the Grizzlies are sitting at the bottom of a very tight pile with the Lakers coming to FedExForum on Monday and the Grizzlies having to play at Cleveland the following day.

Tired Much?
It is starting to appear that the heavy minutes being played by the Grizzlies starting five is taking a toll. Last night the Grizzlies came out strong, looking like they would keep their win streak alive and just obliterate the Chris Paul-less Hornets, going up by as many as 21 before the half. But the team slowed considerably in the second half, and eventually the Hornets got the win in overtime. The All-Star Break can't come soon enough for this team.

On the Other Foot
The Grizzlies have had every kind of amazing win during their now-over home streak, and it seemed every element of those wins that had been bouncing Memphis' way bounced against them last night. The Hornets were not at full strength, they went down big early, and did everything right in the end. 

22 – Blues?
Just before the all-star announcements were made official, Rudy Gay tweeted “a little depressed right now.” Memphis Forward Zach Randolph was named an All-Star reserve and second year players Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo were again selected to play in the Rookie Challenge (this time on the Sophomore team), but Rudy Gay was not selected. Since that tweet, Gay has not scored more than 10 points in a game, and his production has significantly dropped. The last time Gay scored 10 points or less in a game this season was January 16 against San Antonio, and has never done it two games in a row until now. Gay will need to increase his production back to where it was to stave off inevitable talk of “contract year play” and increased trade rumors.

You Had to Be There
NBA officiating is usually fairly terrible, but last night was its own breed of poop sandwich left on the court. Refs particularly went after Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, who fouled out with 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter. At least two of his fouls were completely bogus. Conley leaving the game was so problematic that Lionel Hollins switched to allow O.J. Mayo to run the point during overtime. It didn't work. Conley's increased level of play has gone relatively unnoticed in recent weeks, but his line last night (10 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 0 TO) and the team's drop-off in his absence had many in the crowd realizing his importance.

Backup Point Guards?
On the flip side, the last two teams to beat the Grizzlies have done it without their starting point guard. The Spurs beat Memphis behind a big game from George Hill, subbing for the injured Tony Parker, and last night Darren Collison played like an All-Star while filling in for injured starter Chris Paul. If the Grizzlies are looking for anything more than a first round playoff exit, they will need to add some offensive depth before the trade deadline.

Dunk of the Game
Well there was only one. The Grizzlies have been having problems in transition for the past two games, so the flying fast break slams we were so used to seeing from Rudy and O.J. have become short in supply. Marc Gasol somehow missed a dunk, but the best, and only, dunk of the game goes to the juice, Mr. O.J. Mayo, for a very pretty fast break slam off a steal with 6:34 left in the second quarter.
Dunk Count: 1 – Mayo

Twitter Watch
Rudy Gay
A little depressed right now
1:34 PM Jan 28th from UberTwitter

Can't sleep yall!
about 10 hours ago from UberTwitter

Hasheem Thabeet
Power Just Went Off!!! WTF???
1:10 AM Jan 30th from Twitterrific

Mane.. This Power Outage is terrible!! Now I can't go to sleep co'z my mom woke up and she can't be upstairs by herself!! Lol
1:27 AM Jan 30th from Twitterrific

DaMarre Carroll
Tough loss for us 2nite. Getting mentally prepared for Monday's game. What's good with u all?
about 11 hours ago from web

Sam Young
If you cook her I might have to help...
12:21 AM Jan 30th from Echofon

Final Shots
NBA Officiating is REALLY terrible. The Memphis alumni chapter of the University of Missouri was in the house to cheer on fellow Mizzou grad DaMarre Carroll. Former Grizzly James Posey missed the game to injury – Posey made the game winning shot to defeat the Grizzlies in New Orleans last week. The loss marked the first time the Grizzlies had lost two in a row since mid-December (Boston, Atlanta). The Grizzlies have not lost 3 in a row since early November, when they lost 7 in a row.

The Grizzlies face two division leaders, the Lakers at home on Monday and the Cavaliers on the road Tuesday, over the next two days. You can follow us live from games on twitter @douggillon and @cerrito for updates and insight.

Andy Skrzat contributed to this report.

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!