Minnesota Timberwolves 80, Memphis Grizzlies 85: 2011-2012 Game 26 Recap; The Defensive Monster rears his Head
by marcus.privitt on Feb 8, 2012 10:34 PM CST
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What a game. Finally, the Grizzlies won one. Not only did they finally win one, but they won in such a way that was reminiscent of the 2011 playoff run: elbow-grease defense. Things flowed well, players did their respective jobs, and the battles that needed to be won were won.
The Bad:
The Grizzlies lost the point-guard battle to JJ Barea, who, in 23 minutes, put up 17 points and snagged 6 assists. Memphis will face much better point-guards than Barea before the season is over (and definitely in the playoffs) - if Mike Conley is truly the defensive player Coach Hollins expects him to be, this can't happen often.
The FG percentage still hasn't found a way to improve. Tonight, the Grizzlies only shot 37.2% from the field. That's as bad as the Grizzlies shot during their last four-game losing streak. The Wolves actually shot better than the Grizzlies (39.2%), but were beat in other ways tonight.
The Grizzlies had a hard time running away with the win towards the end. In the third quarter, the Grizzlies were able to claim a 17-point-lead and were looking at a win if they maintained the same momentum for only a few more minutes. Well into the fourth, however, Minnesota didn't go down without a fight - with close to 2 minutes left in the game, the Wolves were only down by 9. Remember, they're a strong 3-point shooting team. The Wolves could have been right back in it with a couple of shots behind the arc.
The Good:
A lot of good things were seen here. Starting with the most glaring statistic: Minnesota was out-rebounded, big time. Big time. The Grizzlies ended the night with 59 boards - 12 more than the Wolves. Marreese Speights came up big with 15 rebounds, That's a statistic that one usually sees after Zach Randolph's name. Without Kevin Love down low, the Wolves didn't have a presence: of the 59 Memphis rebounds, 21 of them were offensive. Of these 21 offensive rebounds, the Grizz put up 20 second-chance points.
Players performed when they had to perform. Rudy Gay led the team with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Right behind him was Quincy Pondexter with 17 points. Big Spain Marc Gasol did his job with 8 rebounds and 12 points. Things were clicking. Players knew where they were going and when they were doing it. It looked like professional basketball was being played.
Thought this sentence would never be reported: the bench showed up and played one heck of a game. Cunningham, Mayo, and Pargo combined for a total of 29 points and 14 rebounds and were a solid presence on the court (did anybody see the Jeremy Pargo slam?!). If you didn't see it - here's a video:
Lastly, defense won the game here: The Timberwolves scored a season-low 80 points. This was the lowest any team has scored against the Grizzlies this season.
What does this mean for the Grizzlies?
The Grizzlies gained some much needed confidence in this win to open up the four-game home-stand. Players like Marreese Speights, Jeremy Pargo, and Quincy Pondexter all had an opportunity to showcase their talent in front of Coach Hollins as well as (perhaps more importantly) themselves. These three guys have seemed to be the players for whom everybody has held their breath in waiting so that fans and writers can finally exhale after a big game. Tonight, I think the players made a statement: they're here to play and here to help the team.
One thing is for certain - the Grizzlies are definitely better when these three show up.
Player of the Game: Rudy Gay (19 points, 9 rebounds)
Man of the Game: Marreese Speights (15 rebounds - 8 offensive rebounds)
Sleeper of the Game: Mike Conley (2 points, 7 assists)
And, of course, the infamous
Alex Smith Award: Jose Juan Barea (17 points, 6 assists)
Enjoy tonight, Grizzlies fans. Indiana comes to town on Friday night.
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Much needed win. And yes, the Pargo dunk was SPECTACULAR! If you can find a highlight, watch the center shriek out of the way. Priceless.
The one complaint. We are horrible offensively. I mean that. We have got to figure out some way to make shots start going down. Not quite sure how we do that, but we have got too. Marc isn’t going to be limited by foul trouble every game, and Conley probably won’t constantly go 1-8, but it’s sure been happening a lot lately. We need to develop a better offensive rhythm and game plan. Lionel is a good defensive coach, and I don’t put it all on him, because for the last two years we’ve done really well scoring the ball directly out of timeouts, which tells me he knows how to draw up plays to get the ball in the bucket. I feel like its mainly on our guys and their execution. Probably wanna start hitting the gym and getting shots up a smidge earlier than we are. It’s worked of TA.
Even still, a win is a win is a win, and this was a much needed one. The bench guys played well. Let’s focus on the Pacers. Marc vs Roy Hibbert should be an incredible match up down low.
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Feb 9, 2012 12:11 AM CST reply actions
I agree with you, it was an ugly-ass game
To go all ’90’s on everyone, our offense was U-G-L-Y and it had no alibi. This is a pretty worrisome trend for me, but when our defense plays like this, that seems to offset things. Plus, as Marcus mentioned, we were up by double digits for the majority of the game. I’ll take it.
"Sasha [Vujacic] has no conscience. He'd shoot at a funeral." -Charles Barkley
by ForeignFlopper on Feb 9, 2012 3:05 AM CST up reply actions
As sad as this statement is, I think things will get better offensively once Tony Allen returns. My goodness….did I just write that?
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Feb 9, 2012 11:43 AM CST up reply actions
still have some of the same complaints
Rudy started the game strong, and then went staycationing in contested jump shot-ville. Seriously, did he make a basket in the second half? The Wolves making a run at the end wasn’t necessarily about the bench, but about Rudy clanging on the rim.
Conley played 35 minutes, including the last 8 minutes of the game, despite Pargo showing some great moves and the Grizzlies up by 10-15 points. If the bench is looking strong, why not keep them out there? Let Cunningham, Hadaddi, Q, and Pargo get as much experience and confidence as they can.
Yeah, I’m whining after a W. But I saw some inspiring things last night. Cunningham has pulled off enough quality games where I think he’s legit. Marc got some rest and played a good game (except he was also on the floor during supposed garbage time!!!). We still beat a good team without two of our starters, our first off-the-bench big man, and with off nights from Conley and OJ. The Grizz should be proud. We have enough momentum to beat Indiana and Utah, especially if the bench can stay tough.
Truly a night of Magrocodile - Mike Payne
hey
how many of y’all are actually in Memphis? Have you guys ever done Tour de Grizz? We should do a meet-up!
Truly a night of Magrocodile - Mike Payne
I'm in Memphis
I was actually at the game last night. Never done tour de Grizz though.
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Feb 9, 2012 11:44 AM CST up reply actions
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