Grizzlies shut down Celtics

 

     In what had the makings of a blowout, the Memphis Grizzlies had to use grit-and-grind down the stretch to hold off a game Boston Celtics team 110-106 without their emotional leader Kevin Garnett, in front of a sellout crowd of 18,119 at FedExForum.

The Grizz did in fact start slow, being down in the first quarter at one point 12-2. But once head coach Lionel Hollins inserted instant offense in Jerryd Bayless, Memphis quickly fought back to close the gap to within two, 31-29 by the end of the first 12 minutes of action.

“I thought that JB gave us a huge lift early on because I didn’t know how were we going to score,” Hollins said. “He came in and started making shots, got on a roll and carried us in the first half. And Darrell Arthur also had a nice first half, and then everyone else started to chip in afterwards.”

Arthur, making just his second start of the season in place of All-Star forward Zach Randolph, had 12 points at the break to help pace the Grizzlies to a 61-51 lead. Arthur got the start because Randolph was late to a team shoot-around, but he and Bayless picked up the slack. Bayless also had a tremendous first half, scoring 20 points en route to a 30-point night. That effort was needed because the Grizz were without center Marc Gasol – whom re-injured an abdominal tear and doctors are saying that there is no timetable for his return and is listed as day-to-day, or indefinite.

“We miss Marc but it wasn’t a big impact defensively,” Hollins said. “They (Celtics) scored 34 points in the paint and was 45 percent from three-point range. Maybe from a rebounding perspective and offensively, but we did score 110 points – so it was just one of those nights.”

The Celtics now have a four-game losing streak going. But that wasn’t due to a lack of effort on their part. Being down by as many as 20, head coach Doc Rivers decided to sit captain Paul Pierce midway through the fourth quarter in favor of his younger mates and it worked. Using a smaller, quicker lineup, Boston was able to cut the big Memphis lead to just 102-98. But it became a free throw contest in the end, and Grizzlies pulled out the victory. Pierce did lead a balanced C’s attack with a team-high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field. Three other players finished in double figures as well.

The Grizzlies had their own version of a balanced attack. Seven players scored in double figures for the current five-seeded Memphis squad. Other than Bayless and Arthur, Randolph, TayShaun Prince, Ed Davis, Tony Allen and Mike Conley all did their part – scoring 15,12, 11, 10 and 12 respectively.

“We saw this challenge as an opportunity for other guys to step up,” Conley said. “Obviously JB had a great night, but Ed Davis, Tayshuan and Darrell all made big plays and showed up in Marc’s absence. We all are a confident bunch, we all have to take on a bigger role and responsibility and have to make do as long as we can without him.”

This game wasn’t without its drama either. As the tide turned in the second quarter, and in typical Celtics fashion, guard Jordan Crawford and Bayless mixed it up a bit when Bayless went to block a breakaway layup and had the ball thrown at him by the Boston player.

“I mean I’m really a nice guy, but don’t push me” Bayless said. “But it is what it is.”

The Grizzlies will next be in action when they hit the road to play the Washington Wizards on Monday night. The tipoff is scheduled for 6pm.

Tigers burn Blazers

by Adam Douglas

 

     It was four players' last home game as a Memphis Tiger. But the one that stood out was the usual suspect of the group - senior forward D.J. Stephens. He made a lasting impression on the 18,289 Tigers fans that packed the building as he and The University of Memphis Tigers (27-4, 16-0 in Conference USA) finished off the UAB Blazers (15-16, 7-9 in C-USA) 86-71 - and the regular season undefeated for just the fourth time in school history.

"To go 16-0 in league play is special," said Josh Pastner, head coach for the Tigers. "It is not a given, not a birthright, u can't take those things for granted. And to think where we started, a lot of negativity being thrown in our direction, the slow start in the Bahamas - we stayed the course and we appreciate it, because its so hard to do."

There were a lot of storylines heading into this game. The Tigers were playing their last game in Conference USA before they head to what's left of The Big East. If Memphis won, they would finish the season undefeated and become just the fifth team in conference history to do so. And it was a day to remember the four seniors - Charles Holt, Ferrakohn Hall, Stan Simpson and Stephens for their Tiger careers, but the biggest storyline of the day came from sophomore guard Joe Jackson.

In arguably his best game as a Tiger, Jackson nearly came away with a triple-double. He scored 17 points, dished out 10 assists and pulled down nine rebounds - not to mention he also had 6 steals which would have given him a rare quadruple-double if he had four more and one more rebound.

"I'm just playing within myself and not trying to do too much," Jackson said. "I had it stripped out of my hand and I was trying to get it, but it's hard when you know you're right at it - but it is what it is."

The game was not without drama either. After being up by as many as 15 points at halftime, Memphis let up on the gas out of halftime and allowed UAB to go on a 15-2 run that cut the lead to 45-44 at the 14:41 mark on a Jordan Swing three. But the heart, soul and effort machine of the team D.J. Stephens stepped up and showed that senior leadership. He converted a three-point play that eventually sparked the Tigers and they went on to pull away as they wore down the Blazers. They increased the lead to as many as 21 before Pastner emptied the bench to give the rest of the seniors a chance to play on their day.

"For all four of us to be able to walk off the court together for the last time made me happy," Stephens said. "People told me to go kiss the Tiger at midcourt when I walked off - and that's been done before. But one of the coaches said we may get a technical for that," Stephens said. So I decided to kiss the rim and that's never been done."

Four Tigers in all scored in double figures against UAB. Stephens, Geron Johnson and Chris Crawford all helped carry the scoring load with Jackson. They each finished with 13, 19 and 20 points respectively. The Tigers also shot a very respectable 52.6 percent from downtown, but struggled again from the stripe, going 16-of-23.

Up next for Memphis is the Conference USA Tournament, which starts Wednesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since the Tigers are the No.1-seed in the tournament they have a bye and will play Thursday at 6pm with the winner TBD.

Grizzlies hold off Pesky Magic

Marc Gasol led the way as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Orlando Magic at FedExForum. Photo courtesy of Warren Roseborough.

 

     Though having just seven players dressed, the Orlando Magic put to test the theory of grit and grind on Friday (Feb. 22) at FedExForum. They led early and even were close late, but when faced with just five active players they finally succumbed to a game Memphis Grizzles squad, 88-82 – the second game in a row with the same deciding score.

“You’ve got to give Orlando credit,” said Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins. “We did enough to win – it wasn’t pretty. It’s hard for them to believe that this team had a chance to beat us. They fought right from the start, and all the way to the end.”

The Grizzlies started sluggish from the outset. Letting Orlando knock down open shots from the perimeter, dictate pace, and even holding a lead from the tip through pretty much the whole first half. But Grizzlies center Marc Gasol made sure the Grizz wouldn’t have a letdown. He scored 10 of his 19 points in the first half to give Memphis a slim 43-38 lead going into intermission.

“We just have to play better basketball,” Gasol said. “We knew we had them in trouble inside, and we took advantage of it. We need to win and we’re going to take this one of course.”

The Grizz had a nice margin between them and the Magic, but once Gasol and Zach Randolph were resting, Orlando went to work. A late rally led by former St. John’s star Maurice Harkless and guard Arron Afflalo, a standout for UCLA in his own right, cut a 14-point deficit to five down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Harkless finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.

“We had one jump shot that could’ve cut it to three,” Afflalo said.  “I will never enjoy losing period but I do enjoy growing.”

Afflalo led all scorers with 20 points and dished out seven assists for the depleted Magic who were without other stars such as Glen Davis, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson – all out due to injuries and suspension.

Memphis started settling for jump shots instead of sticking to their inside game.

“At first we made some and got the lead, but then we stopped making them and they started coming back while our bigs were on the bench,” Hollins said.  “So I decided to go back with the bigs to go back inside and get an advantage again,” Hollins said. “We were able to attack, but we were giving up too much on the defensive end down the stretch – which consistently hurt us.”

The decision to go back with the strength of the Grizzlies proved to be a great idea by Hollins. As usual, Randolph lived up to his All-Star status and carried the team the rest of the way. He finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds – another double-double, and helped put away Orlando with tough inside play. The Magic would soon have two players foul out thereafter, leaving them with no one to sub in off the bench for the players on the court.

“Yeah, they had seven players, but we won,” Randolph said. “It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it. It was one of them games, but we came out with the victory – you’ve got to take your hat off to them because they played hard.  Every team’s goal is to beat me up, so I’m used to it. We couldn’t get it going tonight, but I rebounded good to get my teammates second chances and good looks at shots.  It was a good team win and we’ll get ready to win the next one.”

Four Grizzlies scored in double figures against the Magic. Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley and reserve forward Ed Davis, whom coach Hollins feels is a wild card, also joined the party. Conley finished with 14 points.  Davis, adding 10 points to the win knows his role on the team and Hollins is pleased with what he brings to the table.

“I like the fact that he’s very athletic and can block shots,” Hollins said. “I’d like for him to rebound and block shots in the pick-and-roll and just make somebody guard you and get an offensive rebound.”

“I’m familiar with what coach is trying to do now and trying to bring energy and keep the tempo up, Davis said. “I’m here to do what coach wants me to do – bring athleticism and rebounding to the floor.”

The Grizzlies know that this was a test to who they really are in terms of identity and chemistry. So the upcoming games on the road and the schedule in March will be a barometer for seeding in the playoffs.

“That’s how the whole month is going to be, Gasol said. “We don’t have that many games left and we really need every single one. Its that time of the year where you need to figure out who you need to be for April and May.”

“We just gotta worry about us, that’s basically what it comes down to,” said Grizzlies guard Tony Allen. “Every game is a test. We can’t be worried about how many players the other team has or who we’re playing. As long as we execute and worry about what we need to do.”

Player Spotlight: Grizzlies guard Jerryd Bayless

Grizzlies Guard Jerryd Bayless has been a needed spark off the bench. Photo courtesy of Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images.

 

By Adam J. Douglas

     Amidst the drama, player movement rumors and the ebbs and flows that come with an NBA season, there has been a bright spot in the Memphis Grizzlies rotation since the new year began: combo guard Jerryd Bayless.

The fifth-year guard out of Arizona has been on a tear the last eight games coming into Friday’s (Feb. 8) contest against the Golden State Warriors. Bayless is averaging 16.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Not to mention his scorching .552 percent from the field, increasing his minutes to 31.5 minutes per game on the court, and having recorded three of his 20-point performances as a Grizzly in this current streak.

Bayless got the Grizzlies going in the 99-93 much needed win over sixth-seeded Golden State – with three three-pointers in the first half – to help put cushion between the two squads and keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race.

“I’m just comfortable and it helps that everyone is playing well,” said Bayless. “I’m just getting open because everyone is focusing on Marc (Gasol) and Z-Bo (Zach Randolph), so I just hope that it continues and I keep playing like this.”

Another move that has helped Bayless, although he doesn’t give it much credit, is the fact that during this current hot streak he has either played alongside point guard Mike Conley, or off the ball opposite Tony Wroten or whomever Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins has running the show. So it is speculated that Bayless prefers to play the two-guard spot rather than be orchestrator.

“Well right now with this team I play both and right now it’s going well,” said Bayless. “I’ve just got to continue it.”

Bayless did in fact continue his hot play. In the contest against the Warriors he extended his double-digit scoring streak to nine with scoring 14 points, dishing out three assists – all of which went to guard Tony Allen for alley-oops and layups – in the 27 minutes of his play.

“I just think everybody was helping each other, helping the helper and tonight we did great,” said Bayless. “We played together, offensively and defensively. We were just good against a tough team and played well and came out and did what we needed to do.”

Bayless’ breaking out couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. The Grizzlies have been struggling on offense since the trade of their former leading scorer and franchise all-time steals leader Rudy Gay. The defense hasn’t been there either, giving up 100 or more points in three of their last five contests. And newly anointed two-time NBA All-Star forward Randolph has struggled mightily since the roster shakeup. Dealing with his own trade rumors, the big man only went out to do what he does best – get another double-double, grabbing 12 rebounds to go along with 16 points, most of which came down the stretch when Golden State fought back to take a late fourth quarter lead.

Gasol paced the Grizzlies with an all-around performance. Gasol led with 20 points, 11 rebounds and handed out five dimes. But that didn’t stop the seven-foot center from dishing out constructive criticism towards him and his teammates.

“We try to win every game of course,” said Gasol. “Tonight was big for us, we needed this one just as bad as they did because we’ve been struggling too. Now we just have to move forward, get some rest and get ready to be consistent.”

Tigers start strong, hold on late against Harvard

     They say basketball is a game of runs. That fact couldn't have been more apparent than in today's game when the University of Memphis Tigers (14-3, 3-0 in Conference USA) saw plenty of runs from their opponent, the visiting Harvard Crimson. The Tigers saw a once 20-pont lead completely disappear before they prevailed, 60-50, in front of an announced crowd of 16,204.

"That was a very good win, that's a very good Harvard team," said Josh Pastner, head coach of the Tigers. "We won that game through defense. We had a big-time skid offensively where we were not in a rhythm, but held the third-best three-point shooting team in the country to just 25.0 percent (from three-point range) and 37.5 percent from the field."

Memphis started the game on a run, streaking to a 9-2 lead on the shoulders of junior guard Geron Johnson and freshman forward Shaq Goodwin. They would eventually take a 16-point lead into halftime, 32-16, but those pesky Ivy-leaguers would have an answer.

Harvard took advantage of poor decision-making and cold shooting by Memphis to close the gap to just seven points, 40-33. And just when the Tigers built another double-digit lead (44-33), the Crimson went on a 13-0 run to take a short-lived lead of their own, 48-46, over Memphis. 

"We knew they (were) going to make runs," said sophomore Adonis Thomas, who contributed with seven points and a team-high eight rebounds. "We broke down defensively, (weren't) getting back in transition, gave them easy layups. But coach stayed calm and went with a smaller lineup to protect the perimeter. It was all on us to do better." 

The Tigers responded out of a timeout with a mini 4-0 run that energized the crowd and also a slumping junior guard Chris Crawford. He made defensive stops down the stretch, and scored six of the Tigers' last eight points to close out the game and seal the win for Memphis.

"It feels good to somewhat break out of the slump," Crawford said. "I got a great rhythm in practice, but I gotta find it in the games. Tonight it helped me, but I will continue to keep doing what I'm doing, working hard, and hopefully I will get better."

Four Tigers finished in double figures. Not only did Crawford make it into double digits with 13 points to lead Memphis, but Goodwin (11), Joe Jackson and crowd favorite D.J. Stephens (10 apiece) all chipped in to help the Tigers earn another out of conference victory. Three Tigers (Goodwin, Stephens and Thomas) led the team to a +16 rebounding margin with 8 boards apiece.

Speaking of eight, this was the Tigers' eighth straight win - the longest such streak in Pastner's tenure. 

Much of it can be attributed to Stephens' play on both ends of the floor.

"Man, he's the MVP, he does everything right every time he touches the floor," Goodwin said. 

"To me, he's one of the five best Tigers in the history of this program - and I'm not talking talent wise either," Pastner said. "You have Penny Hardaway, Keith Lee, D.J. and the other two, I'll leave that up for debate." 

Tigers cruise past Bobcats, 84-58

Freshman forward Shaq Goodwin scores two of his 20 points Wednesday night against Ohio.

 

     The University of Memphis Tigers (5-2) finally appeared to be the team everyone expected. Memphis controlled the tempo, created turnovers and got easy baskets in transition, en route to an 84-58 victory over an experienced Ohio Bobcats (6-2) team Wednesday night at FedExForum in front of an announced crowd of 15,669. 

Though starting slow and falling behind early in the first half, Memphis got a spark from junior guard Geron Johnson off the bench with his tenacious defense and dept shooting skills. Johnson gave the Tigers a much-needed boost against a team that featured mostly juniors and seniors that reached the Sweet Sixteen last season.

"Geron, for the last couple of games, has changed the tempo of the game," said Josh Pastner, head coach of the Tigers. "He's tough, he has a high motor and a great energy guy. He loves to play defense."

On the defensive end, Johnson and the Tigers did well. He totaled three steals and three rebounds - to go along with a team high 21 points. The other Tigers weren't too shabby in the steal category either. Junior guard Joe Jackson tallied five steals to go along with 10 points and five assists.

"We had non-stop pressure, just wanted to make them feel uncomfortable, Jackson said. "We just wanted to come out and give a real good effort, effort against a team that went deep into the tournament last year. We're a comfortable team and a win like this helps us play together."

The Tigers led by a small margin of eight, 36-28, at the half. But Pastner inserted Johnson into the second half starting lineup and the Tigers responded with a 12-6 run, then another mini run to open the lead up to 19 at 63-44. This time around, it was the freshman big man Shaq Goodwin doing work to help increase the Tigers' lead.

"If you look at it, every time I turned around the ball was coming at me," Goodwin said. "We just ran our systems, ran our plays and I was just at the right place at the right time. I got gassed during that run at the start of the second half, but when I looked at coach he told me to dig in, and so I did."

Goodwin finished the game with 20 points, two assists and nine rebounds, one shy of a second career double-double. Four Tigers totaled in double figures, they also outrebounded the Bobcats 38-27 and held Ohio to 37.5 percent field goal shooting and 24.0 percent from behind the arc.

Tigers will have a couple of days to practice before getting ready to take on Austin Peay on Saturday. Game is slated for a noon tipoff. 

Tigers escape Samford at home 65-54

 

photo by Spruce Durden

Junior guard Antonio Barton drives to the bucket for two points against a Samford defender

 

     In a more tightly contested game than most expected, the No. 16/17-ranked University of Memphis Tigers (2-0) survived a scare at home from the Samford Bulldogs (1-3) Saturday night, 65-54. 

Though the Tigers held a nine-point lead at the break, it was the Bulldogs who used the intermission as a reset - and it would prove helpful as they fought back and kept the Tigers on the brink of an upset all night with their zone defense and deft three point shooting.

"I was disappointed in our lack of everything," said Josh Pastner, head coach of the Tigers. "I thought we played slow. We were slow in all areas, offensively and defensively. Nobody (from Memphis) deserves game balls in this one."

Memphis looked disinterested from the tip. The Tigers weren't getting back in transition, weren't scrapping for rebounds or loose balls, and constantly left Samford shooters wide open around the perimeter, resulting in 52.9 percent field goal shooting for the Bulldogs in the first half alone. 

"Our strength is getting up and down the floor," junior forward Tarik Black said. "But things happen like this in the flow of the game. Not too many rebounds coming off if they're shooting 52.9 percent."

One bright spot for the Tigers was sophomore guard and forward Adonis Thomas. Thomas shot 50.0 percent from the field, 4-for-4 from the free throw line and had 16 points - while playing a game-high 39 minutes.

"I was just trying to be aggressive on the perimeter," Thomas said. "We're an uptempo team, and it seemed as though we played down to their zone which slowed us down tonight. They were making stops and doing what their coach told them to do. They executed their game plan."

What Thomas left unsaid was the fact that the Memphis Tigers did not execute their game plan.

The Bulldogs closed their deficit to 54-51, and missed a three-pointer to tie, but Tigers' Antonio Barton made huge threes to keep the Tigers from suffering yet another early upset at home to a lesser opponent, following a home loss to Murray State last season. Barton finished the game with 14 points, including 4-of-7 from three-point range, with two steals.

"Just getting in the gym working on my shot (helped me convert threes)," Barton said. "I'm a shooter, but I feel as though I can be a better shooter. Some of the shots I missed, I know I can make, it's just a matter of getting in there and working."

Overall, only three Tigers finished in double figures. Black and Thomas were joined by sophomore guard Joe Jackson, who chipped in with 13 points, four assists and no turnovers, while going 7-of-8 from the line. However, Pastner insists this Tigers team can do better.

"I don't want make excuses, we've got to mature as a team," Pastner said. "We're not a methodical team. Maybe last year or the year before I can say we may have overlooked an opponent, but not this year. They (Samford) dictated pace. We have to dictate pace - we work on it all week during practice, I don't know what it was tonight."

The Tigers return to action Thursday evening to take on VCU in the next round of a tournament dubbed "The Battle 4 Atlantis" in the Bahamas. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CDT).

Should Memphis win, they would then challenge the winner of the Duke-Minnesota contest in the semifinals on Friday, November 23. The championship is set for Saturday, and should the Tigers make it that far in the winners' bracket, they would potentially face either Louisville, Missouri or Stanford.