(Hey, I just passed the 100-post milestone. Yee Haw!)
Friday night's loss was disappointing. Memphis needed that game, and just got outworked by a team long out of playoff contention. Twenty-four hours prior, the Grizzlies were in third place. Saturday morning, they're in fifth place. Things are getting tighter and tighter in the Western Conference standings. A Memphis win against Boston would clinch a playoff spot.
Saturday. the Grizzlies host a Boston team which has lost its last three games, including a 10-point loss at Dallas Friday night. So, Boston and Memphis are both on the back half of back-to-backs, and meet Saturday night after travelling.
The Celtics were down by nine at the end of the first quarter at Dallas. Other than that, they were only outscored by one point the next three periods. Looking at the box score, the teams were similar in many areas, but shooting percentages were a bit disparate (42% for Boston, 46% for Dallas), and Boston was out-rebounded by the home team (38 for Boston, 48 for Dallas).
Boston's new "Big Three" are Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and...Jeff Green. Rajon Rondo is sill out, and the team is making do with the guys available. Avery Bradley (Rondo's replacement) isn't as dynamic an offensive threat, but he's a tenacious defender. I don't think Conley is gonna get 20 against Bradley.
Garnett is probably gonna match up against Gasol. My guess: he'll try to intimidate Gasol by picking a fight with Bayless. Brandon Bass will probably take on Randolph, and is active enough to make Randolph work defending the perimeter. Paul Pierce and Prince should compete to a draw, and Courtney Lee will battle with Tony Allen as well. These teams have similar goals in sight, and hard-nosed individuals who love to compete.
Jeff Green and Jason Terry are Boston's main threats off the bench. Green had five turnovers at Dallas.
This game will be ugly, but the winner will earn it.
My guess: Memphis 94, Boston 89. It will get chippy early, with lots of pushing and shoving.
After the Game: Memphis 110, Boston 106. Whoa, an offensive explosion. Both teams were missing starters. Gasol re-aggravated an abdominal tear, so he was a DNP. Randolph didn't start for disciplinary reasons (supposedly being late for shootaround). For Boston, Garnett and Lee were nursing sprained ankles.
Ed Davis and Darrell Arthur started for Memphis, while Jeff Green and Jason Terry started for the Celtics. So, Memphis shortened its rotation to 8 players. Boston gave time to Shavlik Randolph and D.J. White, guys who normally don't get many minutes. With that many wild cards, it becomes an interesting scenario. Who can you count on?
This game was a mirror image of Memphis' loss to New Orleans Friday night. Boston won the first and fourth quarters, but Memphis built enough advantage in the second and third quarters to hold off the Celtics at the end.
For the Grizzlies, they made 43 field goals, 26 assists and 8 turnovers. Boston made 38 field goals, 19 assists and 14 turnovers.
Bayless came off the bench to score 30 (taking 20 shots). Seven of the eight Grizzlies who played scored in double figures. Randolph (15 and 11 rebs), Conley (12 and 10 assists) and Allen (10 and 10 rebs) all achieved double-doubles.
For Boston, Pierce had 26, with 6 rebs and 4 assists, but 5 turnovers. Jordan Crawford came off the bench to score 21. Boston shot 51% from the floor, 75% from the line, and had four guys in double figure scoring. They played well enough to win on the road, especially after Friday night's loss. Memphis just outscored the Celtics. By looking at the box score, it looks like Memphis played with a bit more pace, and they had a guy in Bayless who came off the bench to light up the nets.
Next up is a two-game road trip for Memphis - Monday night at Washington, followed by a Wednesday night game at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. It's the kind of trip where the Grizzlies could win both or lose both.
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