Grizzlies 111, Celtics 91

Read the title of this post again. That's right, Grizzlies fans, we beat the Boston Celtics by 21 points. And the game was in Boston, no less! Behind Rudy Gay's 28 points and 8 rebounds, the Grizzlies used a 22-point halftime lead to put away the once-mighty Celtics. The game also saw the return of forward Zach Randolph, who tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds. It was great to see him back. Celtics star Kevin Garnett described the game the best: "They just came in and totally annihilated us." Wow; a future Hall-of-Famer just said that about our team. I love it. Although there are so many things one can say about tonight's game, I would just like to point out a few.

1) The Grizzlies have now won a franchise-record seven straight road games. I don't know what it is about playing on the road, but we have been unstoppable away from the Forum over the last couple of weeks. I wish we could play at home, though. We've only won one home game since February 2. Whatever, I'm happy with this win.

2) KG was right. We completely annihilated the Celts tonight. We shot 55% (including a sizzling 56% from 3), won the rebounding battle by 19 (48 to 29), and had a 29-point lead at one point. Sounds like annihilation to me.

3) Hasheem Thabeet played great in his return to the Grizzlies after the D-League stint. He logged 26 minutes, scored 7 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and blocked a shot. Tonight was arguably his best game of the season and I hope he can continue to provide strong bench play until Ronnie Brewer returns.

4) The Memphis bench as a whole played great. Marcus Williams had 16 points, Sam Young had 11, and Thabeet had 7. The bench was a combined +36 on the +/- scale (which denotes the team's net points while a player was on the court) and three players played over 20 minutes (Young, Williams, and Thabeet). Take some time to let that hamstring heal, Ronnie. We're just fine. (That was a joke by the way; we need Ronnie ASAP).

5) The Celtics' 33 first half points were the fewest they had scored all season. This was the first time since 2006 that the Grizzlies had beaten the Celtics. Do those two things really mean that much? Not particularly. Are they cool? You bet.

Phenomenal win tonight, Grizzlies. Now we're only 3.5 games out of a playoff spot. Let's keep it up. Knicks at home on Friday.

Protect the Forum and go Grizz!

Owen

Grizz at Celtics- Keys to the Game

The Celtics' home problems this year are very surprising and so is the Grizzlies' road winning streak. The Grizzlies put their 6 game road winning streak on the line tonight. A win against the Celtics could reignite the Grizzlies fading playoff hopes and continue the Grizzlies franchise best road winning streak. It would seem appropriate if the Grizzlies break the winning streak the first game after breaking the losing streak on Monday. The Celtics are a bit confusing this year. Last month, they beat the Lakers at home but lost to the Nets too. Most blame fatigue and injury for the inconsistency, but everyone knows the Celtics are aging and time is almost up on the Big 3 of Pierce, Allen, and Garnett. Memphis is undefeated (4-0) versus the Atlantic division and look to complete the division sweep tonight versus the Celtics. Here's how I think the Grizz do it:

1. Conley vs Rondo- Two of the fastest PGs in the league today square off in this battle. However only one of them plays like it every night. Rondo is averaging 14.1 ppg and 9.9 apg this season. Conley is averaging 10.6 ppg and 5.3 apg. Conley needs to be extremely careful with the ball around Rondo who is one of the best defensive PG's in the league. I don't expect Conley to match Rondo's numbers, but the Grizz need him to be close to Rondo's numbers and to make life difficult for Rondo tonight.

2. Zach Randolph. Z-Bo will be returning tonight after missing the Nets game with a sore back. He will be matched up against Kevin Garnett who has been slowed down by knee problems. Zach should be able to get 20+ points tonight and 12+ rebounds. If Zach doesn't win this match-up tonight, the Grizz chances decrease significantly.

Also, if the Celtics build a double digit lead, don't be discouraged. They have many melt downs this year, blowing plenty of double digit leads.

Tonight would be a momentous win. The Grizz nation wants it, so let's hope the Grizz get it done. Reminder, the game starts at 7:30 EST and 6:30 CST.

Grizzlies 107, Nets 101

Although they were without All-Star forward Zach Randolph, the Memphis Grizzlies still downed the New Jersey Nets 107-101. Since the Nets were 7-55 heading into the game, that's not saying much. A loss last night would've been a huge blow to a team fighting to make the playoffs. But thanks to 61 combined points by Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, and Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies got the win. It was closer than it should've been, however...

After taking a 16-point lead into the locker room at halftime, the Grizz watched that lead evaporate to 2 heading into the game's final period. With 3:09 left, the Grizz were only up by three. They were able to close out the win, their first at home since the win over the Lakers on February 1. "We made just enough plays at the end to win the game," said Head Coach Lionel Hollins.

Let's review Luke's keys to the game: 1) Rudy Gay vs. Trenton Hassell. This was never really a matchup. Gay played 38 minutes, scored 21 points on 7-18 shooting, and grabbed 10 rebounds. Hassell played 18 minutes, scored 0 points and had 3 fouls. Advantage: Gay. 2) Win the first quarter. After one quarter, the Grizzlies were up 32-27. Although that lead evaporated later in the game, it was a good start. Advantage: Grizzlies.

Good win at home (finally), Grizzlies. Let's keep the mo rolling against the Celtics tomorrow night.

Go Grizz!

Owen

Thabeet Recalled from D-League

After playing for the NBA D-League's Dakota Wizards for less than two weeks, Grizzlies center Hasheem Thabeet has been recalled back up to the Memphis Grizzlies. Thabeet averaged 13.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.17 blocks per game in six games for the Wizards. Hopefully his D-League stint lit a fire under the 7'3" rookie, who has played very inconsistent basketball for the Grizzlies so far this season. We'll see what happens...

Nets at Grizz- Key to the Game

The Grizz haven't won at home in 5 weeks, and as weird as this is to say, the Nets have had success on the road as of late. Facing the Nets (7-55) would seem to be a good opportunity to snap that skid, but New Jersey has won three straight on the road. The Nets won 113-93 at New York on Saturday, and defeated Boston and Charlotte in their previous two road games. A loss Monday would give the Grizzlies their longest home slide since dropping a franchise-record 11 in a row from Feb. 16-March 31, 1996, when the team was based in Vancouver. All that I have written seems pretty negative, but let's remember that the Nets have only won 7 games and are the NBA's worst team.

The Grizz are favorites tonight and need every win they can get as the playoffs draw nearer. A loss tonight to the lowly Nets, and I don't see how the Grizz can bounce back. I think we win handily tonight, and here's how we get it done:

1.Rudy Gay vs Trenton Hassel- I follow the NBA every single night, and I have never heard of Trenton Hassel, the Nets' starting SF. Hassell is a defensive specialist who is 31 yrs old and losing a step. He's also very undersized to play SF and will very outmatched by Rudy Gay in almost every way. Rudy hasn't gone for 20 yet in March, but look for him to get above that threshold tonight.

2. Win the first quarter. Last game vs the Nets, the Grizzlies got off to a slow start and barely squeaked out a win. Tonight, the Grizz need to play well early, and put the Nets away. The Nets are used to losing, and tonight is no night to let them hang around and have their confidence build.

A couple side notes: Yi will not play for New Jersey tonight. Make sure you read Ron Tillery's interview of Heisley and Calkins' thoughts on Heisley in today's Commercial Appeal. Both articles are very insightful.

Grizz Straight!