Official Memphis Grizzlies 2011-2012 Season Thread

[memphisboi55]

Comeback W!!Got over the losing streak.Time to get another win streak going..

 

[henz0]

 

[pmatic]

All heart.

 

[bhzmafia14]

 

[Ruck13]

Originally Posted by henz0

Just caught the highlights, missed the game. Good win. I still need to catch a game

I've been slacking this year.

 

[memphisboi55]

Originally Posted by henz0

Another thing, what does Hollins have against Haddadi? I've honestly never seen him play bad and they were getting killed on the boards

Sorry Henz,

, dude sucks #%$.

 

[bhzmafia14]

CA:

Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph is making considerable progress and his rehabilitation from a torn right medial collateral ligament is on schedule.That’s what a magnetic resonance imaging examination indicated this morning to team physicians.“The results came back positive and he’s on schedule and progressing,

 

[pmatic]

 

[henz0]

Think Hollins would consider starting the lineup that finished last game?

 

[bhzmafia14]

Originally Posted by henz0

Think Hollins would consider starting the lineup that finished last game?

I don't think he wants OJ matching up against Joe Johnson. 
I do think he should start Cunningham over Speights though. I think its stupid to have Speights and Marc playing together, instead of having Speights relieve Marc off the bench. Cunningham would matchup better against Josh Smith as well.

 

[pmatic]

Tonight should be tough, the Hawks always give the Grizzlies problems.

 

[bhzmafia14]

Originally Posted by PMatic

Tonight should be tough, the Hawks always give the Grizzlies problems.

Welp. 

Great win against a great home team. Gay, TA, OJ, Marc, Conley and Cunningham played exceptionally well. I don't understand why its hard for Lionel to take the starters out early in the 4th. 

 

[pmatic]

Welp indeed. I didn't see tonight's outcome happening. 

Speights is going to end up in Hollins' doghouse next to Sam if he keeps up his half assed play.

 

[henz0]

LMAO Speights has went back to his old ways

Hollins has finally made a smart decision.. Bring in OJ to take out Conley then bring in Conley for Allen

 

[Mound Raised]

Need TA to clamp down on Refsbrook tonight.

Leggo Grizz

 

[RustyShackleford]

Durant did Rudy dirty again tonight

 

[pmatic]

Despite shaky season, Grizzlies remain a playoff threat in West

In last year's playoffs, moments before Game 6 of the first-round series between the Spurs and Grizzlies, Zach Randolph sat in the locker room at FedEx Forum and reflected on what became of the 2007 Golden State Warriors.

Randolph believed it was a given that his Grizzlies would vanquish the Spurs that night and become the first No. 8 seed to capsize a No. 1 since the Warriors in '07. He was more concerned about the next act. He saw Golden State upset Dallas four years earlier, a rollicking success, but ultimately a fleeting one. The Warriors' roster, headlined by Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson, disintegrated shortly thereafter and the club hasn't made the playoffs since.

"That won't happen here," Randolph said. "This is just the start."

Memphis has been arguably the most confounding team of this shortened season, losing three in a row, winning seven straight, then losing four in a row before its overtime win over the Nuggets on Tuesday. The Grizzlies lost by 40 points to the Bulls, and two weeks later, beat them by 16. Their inconsistency is understandable. Last February, Rudy Gay suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, and the Grizzlies developed an inside-out identity to feature Randolph and Marc Gasol. Then, on New Year's Day, Randolph went down with a torn MCL, and they needed Gay to create more from the perimeter. The results of Gay's turn in the spotlight have been mixed. When the Grizzlies reeled off seven wins in a row, he averaged 22 points. When they lost their fourth straight, to San Antonio on Monday, he scored one.

All teams suffer significant injuries, especially after lockouts, but this is the second straight season the Grizzlies have coped with a major blow to one of their three best players. They normally would be able to replace Randolph with Darrell Arthur, among the best backup power forwards in the NBA, but he tore his Achilles tendon in training camp. To land a power forward in the second week of the season, general manager Chris Wallace had to ship 2010 first-round pick Xavier Henry to New Orleans in a three-team deal for Philadelphia big man Marreese Speights.

"We didn't want to trade Henry," Wallace said. "But we still wanted to preserve our optimism for this season and not let it all go out the window."

For 10 years, Memphis was not much of a NBA city. The Grizzlies never won a playoff game. Attendance consistently ranked near the bottom of the league. Pau Gasol was dealt to Los Angeles. But last spring, lured by guard Tony Allen's promise of "grit, grind," Memphis turned FedEx Forum into The Grindhouse. One playoff game sold out in five minutes.

In hopes of sustaining momentum this season, the Grizzlies wallpapered local billboards with ads inspired by blues posters. During the lockout, point guard Mike Conley gathered players for two makeshift training camps at the University of Memphis, where they scrimmaged as a unit against the college team.

"We needed to see each other's faces," Conley said. "We needed to keep the chemistry we had."

Their stated goal this season was a top-four seed in the West with home-court advantage in the first round, but privately they believed they were capable of more. Their winning streak started when they got back to the grind. In light of the compressed schedule, many coaches are trying to rest their players whenever possible, but Lionel Hollins used part of shootarounds for contact practices. The strategy worked, and then it might have backfired, as the surge was followed by a skid.

All coaches are tinkering with different formulas to handle the post-lockout period, but the key is healthy players. Randolph is the soul of the Grizzlies, and without him, goals have changed. "We've just got to get to the playoffs," Conley said. If Randolph returns in March, as http://Wallace expects, the Grizzlies should be in a similar position as last year: the low seed no one wants to play. With Randolph and Gasol commanding double teams, Gay will benefit with open shots. Such is the scenario Memphis has been envisioning for most of the past year, but has yet to see realized.

If 1998-99 was any indication, short regular seasons breed unpredictable playoffs, with underperforming and injury-riddled teams finally discovering their way. Take the '99 Knicks, for example, who were a No. 8 seed that reached the Finals. This year, the Western Conference is a mash-up after the Thunder, and a No. 2 seed might not be much better than a No. 7. The Grizzlies still have to play well enough for the next month, sans Randolph, to qualify for the postseason. But if they do, it will be a race at the top to avoid them.
Link

 

[shoeking2101]

KD just willed that game last night *Shrugs* what can ya' do about that?

I agree with that article 100%. Grizz' going to be a tough out for anybody out west

 

[bhzmafia14]

I really thought we had the game. Durant was great down the stretch, but the refs (as always) help let them back in the game. Harden made some very tough shots as  well. Rudy played well, but should've played better defense on KD. I think we would've been better off putting Gay on Harden and Tony on KD at the end of the game. 
OKC shot 13 more FT's, but Memphis had 16 more shot attempts.

Its about time to bench Speights and start Cunningham. Speights is getting back to that lazy #!% effort that got him benched in Philly. Plus, its stupid to not have him come in for Marc anyway. 

We will be ok though. I think we will start a new win streak tomorrow and we got a 5 game home stand after tomorrow. All winnable games. 

 

[shoeking2101]

Originally Posted by bhzmafia14

I really thought we had the game. Durant was great down the stretch, but the refs (as always) help let them back in the game. Harden made some very tough shots as  well. Rudy played well, but should've played better defense on KD. I think we would've been better off putting Gay on Harden and Tony on KD at the end of the game. 
OKC shot 13 more FT's, but Memphis had 16 more shot attempts.

Its about time to bench Speights and start Cunningham. Speights is getting back to that lazy #!% effort that got him benched in Philly. Plus, its stupid to not have him come in for Marc anyway. 

We will be ok though. I think we will start a new win streak tomorrow and we got a 5 game home stand after tomorrow. All winnable games. 

100% truth

 

[yelloo]

Cant touch the bulls

 

[DsLee]

I definitely agree with the statement of Rudy on Harden and TA on KD.
These Grizz/Thunders will continue to be VERY good matches. However, a win against the Thunder would be very satisfying.

Again, I really need to get League Pass...I won't get another full look at the Grizz until NEXT Sunday when they host the Jazz.

 

[henz0]

Conley & Gasol been bumming it the last few games.. Maybe too tired??

Dudes be wild lazy on defense without Allen in there.

Haddadi needs more minutes, at least he plays D

 

[pmatic]

I didn't even bother to watch the second half because their play was so sloppy and lackadaisical. 

 

[bhzmafia14]

I think the Grizz fans are now programmed to hate Rudy from here on out. 

Conley and Marc played bad, but they still wanted to #BlameRudy who had 21/7/3/1/1 with 1 turnover on 50% shooting. 

I watched the 3rd quarter, but went away from the game after Boston went up double figures in the 4th. Speights is terrible. I think he really needs a full offseason and training camp under Hollins or just let him go in the offseason. I really miss DA and I would love to see him and Cunningham out there. 

5 game home stand coming up and 9 of the next 11 are at home. Grizz HAVE to make their big push here or its going to be hard once ZBO comes back. We play some tough teams, but we also should take care of business on the homecourt. We shoot better, score more points and play a little more focused when at home.

Also, props to OJ. He's been our most consistent player lately outside of the 6-15 game against OKC. He's really making it tough on Heisley/Wallace on what they need to do this offseason.