Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Grizzlies 111, Cavaliers 109 Post-Game Three-Pointer
Posted by Chris Herrington on Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 1:34 AM
Despite the epic feel of the Grizzlies overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, I'm actually going to keep this post-gamer fairly brief. But I'm going to follow-up tomorrow afternoon with a more well-rested consideration of what this game means in the big picture of this season and where the franchise is. But for now:
1. Best Game in Four Years: I crowned the Grizzlies win over the Dallas Mavericks Friday night the "win of the year," and that was true at the time. So what to say about this one? It was simply the best, most enjoyable, and most meaningful Grizzlies home game in at least four years. There have been good and exciting games in recent years: Rudy Gay game-winners against Orlando (last season) and San Antonio (two seasons ago) are both memorable. But those were games were early blips during mostly terrible seasons.
Tonight, the Grizzlies beat one of the league's best teams with one of the league's best players in a tightly contested game in the middle of an 8-4 stretch that seems to be establishing the team at a level of respectability and competitiveness Grizzlies fans haven't seen in years.
In this game, the Grizzlies took some punches — a thunderous beginning from Lebron James, a double-digit first-half deficit, significant frontcourt foul trouble — and stood their ground, coming out in the third quarter with a gritty, chippy demeanor to get back into the game.
Down the stretch and into overtime, every member of arguably the franchise's most talented starting lineup made big plays: Rudy Gay (21 points, 5 boards, 4 steals, 3 blocks) converting a driving lay-up at the end of regulation to force overtime. Marc Gasol (11 points, 8 boards, 4 assists) getting deep post position and dropping a close-range but high-arching shot over Shaquille O'Neal to open overtime. Zach Randolph (32 points, 14 rebounds, 4 steals) knocking down a Shane Battier Memorial Baseline Jumper to extend to a four-point overtime lead. O.J. Mayo (28 points, 5 boards, 5 assists) answering Lebron James' go-ahead lay-up with a cold-blooded three-pointer coming out of a timeout, giving the Grizzlies a two-point lead with under 20 seconds to play. And finally and most improbably, Mike Conley (12 points, 5 assists) darting around Shaq on a pick-and-roll with a hesitation dribble and getting off a quick scoop shot before the help defense could roll over, breaking a 109-109 tie and putting the Grizzlies up for good with only three seconds left.
This team effort extended to the defensive end as well, as the Grizzlies had 12 steals and forced 21 turnovers, feeding into 26 fastbreak points.
2. Rudy Gay's Growth: Rudy Gay had a nightmare first half tonight: He scored 4 points on 2-10 shooting. At one point, after drawing a clear path foul, he missed both free throws and then missed a dunk on the following possession. Meanwhile, the guy he was guarding — Lebron James — was going nuts, scoring 22 points on 8-10 shooting, with his first four baskets consisting of three monster dunks and one reverse alley-oop layup. Gay tried to answer the lay-up, but couldn't convert, and that exchange seemed to sum up the match-up and the game.
But something happened after halftime: For the next 29 minutes, Rudy Gay arguably outplayed Lebron James. Lebron scored 21 points, but on 6-19 shooting. Gay scored 17 points on 7-12 shooting, but it wasn’t Gay's scoring that was most impressive. He played aggressive but smart and focused defense on Lebron, contributing mightily to Lebron's poor shooting. And he made big plays off the ball, finishing with a game-high 7 "stocks," among them blocking Anderson Varejao at the rim and, crucially, running down and picking off a Cavs' outlet pass in overtime after a Grizzlies turnover, setting up that aforementioned Randolph baseline jumper. In a game with lots of big shots, this steal was perhaps the game-saving play.
Gay's defensive impact — both the solid man defense and his dynamic blocks and steals — fits his athletic profile but has never been a big part of his game. One key to the team's 8-4 run is that Gay seems to be getting more focused on playing an all-around game. And the second half tonight was a model for what kind of all-around player he can be.
3. The Hamed Haddadi Highlight Reel: With Marc Gasol in foul trouble and Hasheem Thabeet both in foul trouble and generally struggling, Hamed Haddadi played eight crucial minutes tonight and generally acquitted himself well. Thabeet is the better athlete with more upside, but Haddadi has better court sense and more offensive coordination and was able to soak up minutes without costly mistakes in a way the team probably couldn't depend on from Thabeet. And along the way, Haddadi had a couple of big-time highlights: He beat Shaquille O'Neal with a drop-step and then threw down a two-hand dunk on the Hall-of-Famer. And he set a crushing midcourt pick on Lebron James, putting Lebron on his butt. Hamed got called for a foul on the play, but it was worth it.
The Jacob Riis Report: Lebron James in person: Awesome but obnoxious. There's nothing in basketball — perhaps in all of sports — quite as impressive as seeing Lebron James' combination of power, speed, and body control in person. He opened the game with three thunder dunks that got the crowd — including dozens wearing Lebron jerseys — excited. But he was also playing to the crowd, flashing hand signals whenever he hit a three, dancing on the free-throw line, complaining the refs despite getting more than his share of star calls, and generally being a bit of a boor. Lebron might be the best player in the world — he's certainly one of the top two or three — but he might want to win a ring before acting like he owns the game.
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Nice stuff. I caught the 4th quarter on TV! Thid team is primed to make giant leaps forward. The team has had talent, but they play with Confidence now. I think ZBo smooth/quiet leadership on the court and Rudy Gay taking huge steps forward in his game. His willingness to attack the rim, and now all of a sudden. Him starting to do all of the little things to help this team win! @Dreday1977
Just an amazing game. Really and truly amazing. Here are a few thoughts.
If Rudy Gay could consistently play the way he did in the second half of this game all the time, he could be one of the top 10 players in the league. His defense and aggressiveness were fantastic to watch.
There were a lot of naysayers all over the league who laughed when the Grizz picked up Zach Randolph. I don't hear any of them laughing lately though... hmmm...
Mike Conley. Well, what can I say? I have stated many times that I want Conley out of the starting line-up. But last night he showed real flashes of why he was handed the keys by Hollins. Of course, his best moment was that game winning layup. But, he was aggressive at key moments throughout the game, and helped keep the Grizz in the thick of it multiple times. I just kept thinking... this is the guy we thought we drafted with the 4th pick! I am always nervous to climb on board the Mike Conley band wagon... but I AM hoping...
As far as your points about Mr. James, you are spot-on Chris. He is both amazing... and amazingly obnoxious at the same time. In fact, it was interesting comparing how he played to how Rudy played in that second half. Lebron was scoring and hamming it up for the crowd, while Rudy was playing with a focus and determination I have never seen from him before. It seemed like one of them was playing for highlight reels, and the other was playing to win the game. I'll let you guess which was which. ;)
Chris, are you worried that Rudy is playing himself out of Memphis? At first I thought his agent was aiming for one of those GM mistake Rashard Lewis contracts, but the economy probably removed that possibility. If he decides to play D and rebound the rest of the season he will play himself into the low rung of the upper tier free agents for this summer. He will be part of a package deal for a team that gets Wade or Lebron and that team will win.
Yes, it was a great game, the kind that makes me eagerly look forward to attending the next game. Agree with all of Chris and Grizzly Adam's points, especially the observation about Zach Randolph.
In terms of personnel, I would argue that Randolph is the only significant difference between this year's team and last year's team. The other differences primarily seem to be intangibles, a very, very slightly stronger/deeper bench and better coaching, which might be almost equally as important as personnel.
As a player, Randolph is not without shortcomings. (Far from it.) But at times he seems to play with enough grit and toughness to keep the Grizzlies within striking distance until his largely more athletic, explosive and inconsistent teammates begin to step up. It's nice to have a bulldog like him on our side for a change.
Two questions:
Why has DeMarre Carroll's playing time taken such a nosedive over the past few games? Ditto for Steven Hunter. Why has he gone from sometimes being the first big man off the bench to not even playing?
Not that I'm suggesting that Carroll and Hunter should be getting more playing time. I'm just curious about why their roles have apparently drastically changed.
Plus the fact it was on national tv (NBA Network) made it all the more impressive. I'm sure everyone that was watching was expecting the usual Cleveland rollover but instead got a tightly contested game before a (surprised) electric crowd. Games like this are why I love pro ball. Pros make shots.
while i'm new to memphis and supporting the grizz, i was extremely impressed with the way they stayed focus, specifically coming out after the half down by 11. they could have easily let the game get out of hand early on in the 3rd but they came out firing. from what i saw, there was a commitment to playing as a team, especially defensively, that won them the ball game. they still had some major lapses on D, not positioning themselves well enough to close out on shooters who, like midtown mark said, will make shots. help-side d and communicating where shooters were located on the floor were the problems i saw but they did an exceptional job at protecting the paint and not letting lebron get open looks underneath the basket.
my question is this: what's the plan with depth at guard play? williams and tinsley made cameos albeit ineffective ones. is it to switch young to a 2/3 or have rudy handle the ball when conley or mayo need a break?
Hey Jordanweeb....I heard on TV last night that Tinsley had a minor back injury and was game to game. To have 3 pt guards (Conley, Tinsley and Williams) and 1 tweener (Mayo) is a luxury. Unless they all get into foul trouble, which shouldn't happen often if at all...they should be covered. Worse case...even Rudy or Young could bring the ball up if needed.
I think Demarre Carroll and Hunter are both riding the bench because they are some garbage. Carroll gives us no chance to win because he's a liability on both ends. Can't finish, can't shoot and can't defend the three or the four. Hustle guys without any skills or athleticism are not valued in the NBA. At least Bo Outlaw can dunk on people. Carroll can't get off of the ground.
Hunter does not to be discussed. If Demarre Caroll plays last night we don't win. He was a bad first round pick. If you read between the lines Heisley will tell you he's been disapppointed in Conley and Carroll the most of all the players on our squad. They are probably the weakest links in our 9 man rotation which has now been trimmed to 8 with only Tinsley, Thabeet, and Young giving us significant minutes off of the bench.
@ mtigerdiehard
Demarre Caroll isnt that bad man, sounds like someone is holding on to some Tiger hate after he basically single-handedly knocked the Tigers out of the tourney
Question responses:
Rudy: He'll be restricted this summer and I will be very surprised if he's not playing in a Grizzlies uniform next season. The question is whether that will be on a new deal or a one-season qualifying offer. If it's the latter, then, yes, I think there's a decent chance he's somewhere else the following season.
DeMarre/Hunter: Carroll is essentially getting squeezed by Sam Young and Hasheem Thabeet. With Young becoming a more consistent offensive contributor and the team's best two-guard defender he's getting more minutes -- everything behind Mayo and, increasingly, the bulk of the minutes behind Gay. With Thabeet becoming somewhat more productive per-minute, the team committed to giving him more minutes for development, and Marc Gasol's slimmed-down body allowing to team to pair Thabeet and Gasol against bigger lineups, that's taking away Carroll's minutes at the three. So, he's getting squeezed at both ends and his struggles offensively haven't helped his case.
Also, match-ups are a factor. Carroll played more against Dallas, which tends to play smaller frontcourt lineups. Cleveland pretty much always has two bigs on the floor.
As for Hunter, partly its Thabeet and partly its about playing the guys who could be part of the future (including Haddadi). Also, Hunter just isn't that good.
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