| Grizzlies Light Up Blazers |
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| Written by Matthew Noe |
| Friday, 27 November 2009 23:26 |
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That title's kinda catchy, ain't it? This game was karmic retribution for the Pritchard hollow-"threat" letter of last year regarding the Darius Miles thing. Oh, and also, the Grizzlies outplayed the Blazers for a majority of the game and held on for the win, and a HIGH QUALITY win it is. The Blazers are one of the best teams in the Western Conference, no doubt-but the Grizzlies came out and jumped on them with both feet and did what had to be done to keep the game within grasp. My personal player of the game?
That's right, Hasheem Thabeet. Sure, there were other players who, it could be said, made greater contributions-but I've never wanted to be proven wrong about a player as badly as I do about Thabeet, and he made steps toward making me look like a moron tonight, and I'm just thrilled about it. There's nothing that really needs to be said about Marc Gasol-anyone who has watched him play this season knows that his game has elevated like, uh, a Rudy Gay jumper. What Marc G. did tonight is what we're all stoked to see-not only is he skilled enough to deserve a touch on just about every possession, but he is UNAFRAID of taking that much of the offensive burden on his back. Revels in it, one might even say. His positioning on offense-spinning off coverage to receive a pass and still maintain deep position, knowing when to go to the elbow to receive a pass, having that Gasol-ian sixth sense about the speed and origin of the double team (great communication from his teammates helps there too, for sure). He did all that tonight and more. He kept Oden away from the hoop for the most part and rebounded smartly, and, most importantly, kept himself out of foul trouble. He let a couple of key plays go when he knew he'd been caught out, as opposed to going for a silly block and risking a foul and/or the and-one. Well, I said a lot about Marc Gasol, and he deserves every word. Now on to the point guards. Sure, all three PG's (yep, I'm countin' OJ in the PG's for this game) took great care of the ball (as did the whole Griz team-more on that in a bit), but y'know what they really did? Played great D, especially in the first half. Sure, no one really contained Roy-but does anyone ever do so? Conley did an admirable job on D tonight, keeping Steve Blake in handcuffs most of the time. Sure, Blake's no Stockton-but he is a tough, savvy, veteran PG with plenty of weapons on the floor with him. For all the success Conley had, though, Tinsley showed that he's getting back to his former self and is eager to EARN his time on the court, unlike one player who will remain nameless Allen Iverson. Tinsley knows how to use his size to probe the lane, and that size also helps him discern when a second roaming defender is coming his way. Great job tonight by Jamaal. The three key words for tonight's total team effort, though, were "don't force it". This phrase can be applied first and foremost to the Grizzlies' unusually LOW turnover number-patience on offense, and a knowledge that the extra pass doesn't always come right before the shot-the vaunted extra pass can come right at the beginning of a possession to help a player achieve proper position. Someone else didn't force it, and it was RU-DEE GAAAYYY. He hit some big shots, but he knew that he didn't have it tonight as he has more often than not of late,and deferred to his teammates...but still played with that little streak of mean that we've all enjoyed seeing since the players-only meeting. One might think that OJ did "force it" tonight, in a good way-but not really. All those times he attacked the lane, he was just doing what comes naturally. Maybe the Grizzlies' best all-around game of the season tonight. Carroll and Young saw little time tonight, but each contributed in that short window. Sam Young hit a key baseline shot as the Blazers were tightening up the game, and Carroll was his usual hurricane/junkyard dog self. Way to go Grizzlies. Let's get another one at Staples on Sunday. Afternoon game time-skip some football and yell for the Grizz for a couple of hours!
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Comments
Nice praise for Thabeet, but not enough . . .
Sure it's only one game, and he still looks a bit like a robot on offense, but DEFENSIVELY . . . WOW! Three blocks! A few fouls, and a number of altered shots. See, if he establishes that reputation, that's the kind of thing where intimidation begins to factor in and work to our advantage. Intimidation is a form of defense. That block on the incoming alley-oop was as exciting as a Rudy Gay dunk!
Here's hoping he can bring it like that Sunday . . .
I liked also that even when Portland made their runs and cut the lead, the Grizzlies did not fold. In the 4th, the Grizzlies had runs of 8-2 and 6-1 to build the lead back up and keep the game out of reach. Certainly the final score does not come close to reflecting the great game the team had.
This game helps to show that the guys are starting to play well together on D and O. After a loss to the Suns and in a difficult atmosphere at Portland, the played like a playoff team. Let's hope they carry that with them for the next 66 games.
You already sung their praises but the two standouts to me were Tinsley and Thabeet. Tinsley in the first half was great. Grizzlies with a productive bench? DANGEROUS TEAM. The only thing missing is 3 point shooting. Wins like this really help a young team and it's the first step towards becoming a "top" team rather then a "potential top team". Mayo was also very good, more games like this from Mayo and the Grizz will be even more dangerous. There is some tough games ahead, but the Clips are beatable. More games like this and the poor start to the season will be a distant memory.
PORTLAND, Ore. (GPI)—The Memphis Grizzlies, after attending Professor Steven Nash’s lecture Wednesday night, applied the principles of ball movement and movement away from the ball, and defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 106-96 for their fifth victory in seven games.
Memphis (6-10) is still far down in the Western Conference, though it may not be long if the offensive-minde d Grizzlies keep it up. Playing against the NBA’s best scoring defense, Memphis poured in a season-high 61 points during the first half. The Grizzlies topped 100 points for the fifth time in six games.
“We opened up a can tonight,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said.
The Grizzlies scored 21 unanswered points as part of a 31-2 run in the first half to break open the game.
The --- kicking started with Portland (12-6) leading 15-11 midway through the first quarter. By quarter’s end, Memphis ran off 18 consecutive points, with Randolph scoring six, to take a 29-15 lead.
The Grizzlies extended their run to 21-0 early in the second quarter before Portland’s Andre Miller made a layup to end the Blazers’ scoreless stretch of 8 1/2 minutes. But it wasn’t over for Memphis. After Miller’s basket, O.J. Mayo and Jamaal Tinsley hit consecutive 3-pointers and the Grizzlies scored 10 unanswered points to build their lead to 42-17.
“We played like our hair was on fire,” said Mayo, who scored 19 points. “We knew going into the season that we were going to have some funk in our trunk offensively, but defensively, it takes a team effort, mental discipline and toughness to win.
Memphis maintained control throughout the first half, leading by as many as 29 points before settling for a 61-39 halftime lead. Portland shot only 36 percent (15 of 42) during the first half.
“It was Professor Nash’s lecture,” Mayo said.
“It was a campaign of shock and awe from start to finish. They came in and were ready to ball. It was beautiful,” Hollins said.
Aside from Randolph and Mayo, Marc “MVP” Gasol had 19 points and 15 rebounds for Memphis, while Tinsley had 16 points and Rudy Gay 14.
Portland, which had won its previous six home games by an average margin of 17.1 points, left coach Nate McMillan dazed and confused for so long it’s not true.
“We thought they were going to utilize the Iverson method of jacking up shots with no rhyme or reason.” McMillan said. “But when they applied Nash’s principles of advanced ball movement, we knew we were in for a long night.”
Notes: Memphis was observed using a touch pass last night.
Click basketball. And then the game of your choice. The feeds are usually good early on in the game and get choppier as it goes on. Sometimes they get cut off. I usually like to listen because it's less distracting when it doesn't cut in and out and download the game afterwards if it's a good one. Nba.com listen live hasn't worked for me all season. I've been thinking of getting online league pass, I think it's worth the money if you are a big NBA fan. But since the listen live hasn't been working, I'm worried of problems with the video as well. The good thing about league pass is you can download any game if you miss it, but then I worry about using my download quota and needing a bigger internet account. More money. If I lived in USA I would have direct tv league pass and tivo.