BELIEVE MEMPHIS: GRIZZ MANHANDLE SPURS 104-86

Electrifying! Magnificent! Exhilarating! BEASTLY! All those are words than be used to describe the level of intensity and endurance displayed by the Memphis Grizzlies as we hammered the San Antonio Grizzlies in Game 4 at Fedex Forum in Memphis, TN. You can literally feel the energy from the team and let me give a big HI-FIVE to all the ENTHUSIASTIC fans who came out and rallied the Grizzlies on!!!

Ronald Tillery - (Commerical Appeal) Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins walked into the locker room at halftime and basically hypnotized his players into thinking they were down a bunch.


They trailed by only two points, but Hollins wasn’t at all happy with the energy level. So he implored his troops to rush out into the second half and play with a sense of desperation.
“We responded well,” Griz forward Zach Randolph said.

That would be an understatement.

The Grizzlies opened the third quarter on a 14-0 run fueled by the scrappy, defensive play that has defined their season and pulled away Monday night for a 104-86 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series.

A sold-out crowd of 18,119 in FedExForum watched the Spurs fall into a trance, too. San Antonio wilted, turning the ball over seven times in the third, after hitting Memphis with its best half of basketball in the series.

“They put their foot on our neck and they never let up,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Memphis, the eighth seed, is on the verge of making top-seeded San Antonio cry uncle. The Griz now own a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, which shifts back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Wednesday.

The Griz are trying to become the second eighth seed to beat a No. 1 seed since Golden State upset Dallas in 2007. Like he has all series, Hollins refuses to look too far ahead.
Perhaps that’s a show of respect to the Spurs. But the Griz didn’t have much regard for the former champions in a game they led by as many as 24 points. Neither team won by more than six points in the first three games.

Arthur electrified the towel-waving crowd by making a series of 18-foot shots as the Griz established their lead. An Arthur jump shot ended that decisive third. The Griz won the period 30-15 and led 78-65 when the final frame began.


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Grizzlies gear up for Playoffs against Spurs after loss to Clippers

LOS ANGELES --- Rest and recuperation.
That, not necessarily a win for the better part of three quarters, is what the Grizzlies went for Wednesday night in their regular-season finale. The Griz didn’t play three starters in a 110-103 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in Staples Center.
The Griz will enter the NBA playoffs this weekend as the eighth seed in the Western Conference and they are set to face the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
Memphis and New Orleans both finished with 46-36 records, but the Hornets are the No. 7 seed because they hold the tiebreaker over the Grizzlies.
“We knew we were playing against a great team either way,” Griz forward Shane Battier said. “(The Spurs) play good at home and on the road. We have our work cut out for us. I told the guys its the playoffs but it’s still basketball. … We can’t get caught up in the fact that it’s the playoffs.”
The Griz-Spurs series will open with two games in San Antonio, beginning Sunday at noon. Game 2 will take place Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The series shifts to FedExForum April 23 for Games 3 at 6:30 p.m. The Griz will also host Game 4 with a time to be determined.
“We’ve played some good games,” Griz guard O.J. Mayo said of the regular-season series with the Spurs. “We just have to believe in ourselves and believe in what we’re doing.”
The teams split its four-game season series at 2-2. The Griz and Spurs each won their home games.

Projected Schedule:

Game 1 - Sunday, Grizzlies at San Antonio, noon, TNT
Game 2 - Wednesday, Grizzlies at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m., NBA TV
Game 3 - April 23, San Antonio vs. Grizzlies at FedExForum, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 4 - April 25, San Antonio vs. Grizzlies at FedExForum, TBA
Game 5 (if necessary) - April 27, Grizzlies at San Antonio, TBA
Game 6 (if necessary) - April 29, San Antonio vs. Grizzlies, TBA
Game 7 (if necessary) - May 1, Grizzlies at San Antonio, TBA


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Beastly Memphis GRIZZLIES clawed the San Antonio Spurs

The Grizzlies began what looks to be a difficult month on paper in dynamic fashion.
They scored more than 100 points without making a 3-pointer, forced 22 turnovers and remained the aggressors from start to finish –- thoroughly outperforming the team with the NBA’s best record.
Memphis easily handled the San Antonio Spurs, cruising to a 109-93 victory Tuesday night before a crowd of 13,480 in FedExForum while sending a message to themselves if no one else.
Just because the next two weeks on the schedule are filled with playoff-bound opponents jockeying for position doesn’t mean the Griz will flinch.
“We don’t care who is in our way. We’re going to fight. It just goes to show you the fire we have inside of us,” reserve forward Darrell Arthur said after he matched Zach Randolph with a team-high 21 points in the Grizzlies’ fifth straight win at home.
The Griz now must face New Orleans, Dallas, Oklahoma City, New York and Miami in their next five contests. It’s a tall order but the Griz are by no means an easy out, either.
The Spurs found that out Sunday when the Griz wiped out a 20-point deficit and led by seven points before losing 95-88 in San Antonio. This time, Memphis maintained control throughout because of its defensive intensity and efficiency on offense.
“We did to them what they did to us,” Griz coach Lionel Hollins said. “We came out with great emotion and great intensity. We were physical and aggressive. We kind of knocked them back on their heels. We kept attacking and kept attacking. The effort was unbelievable.”
San Antonio, playing without starting point guard Tony Parker because of a calf injury, also couldn’t get Manu Ginobili going. Ginobili had just nine points and played with foul trouble two days after he torched the Griz with 35 points.
“We won in San Antonio because we had the juice and the aggressiveness. We didn’t have it (this time), and they kicked our butts,” Ginobili said. “We were a little soft with the ball. We knew they were going to jump on us.”
Memphis’ coaching staff counted 31 deflections for the game. San Antonio’s offense was easily disrupted with George Hill playing in place of Parker. Hill had five turnovers in the first half, which ended with the Griz leading 61-52.
The Griz scored 30 points off the Spurs’ mistakes, and many of the baskets came off fast breaks. Memphis’ lead swelled to 16 points when the fourth quarter began, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich waved the white flag soon after Arthur connected on a pair of 18-foot shots.
Arthur’s 3-point play with 9:09 left gave the Griz their largest lead at 25 points.
“It was just a good team effort, especially on the defensive end,” Randolph said. “We were moving our feet. We were helping each other. We were talking. That’s what we have to do these last 20-something games.”
Popovich lamented his team’s lack of urgency in the game.
“It wasn’t just the turnovers,” Popovich said. “It was the offensive rebounds along with the lack of focus. Memphis played more physical and aggressive. They wanted the game more than we did and it showed in a variety of ways.”
Poise played a factor, too.
Arthur’s performance came with eight rebounds in extended playing time. He logged 30 minutes because center Marc Gasol was ejected after receiving his second technical foul with 5:12 left in the second period.
Gasol had already picked up a technical in the opening quarter for his animation while arguing a foul call. The Griz remained settled even though they picked up three technicals in the first half.
San Antonio shot just 34 percent in the second half after enjoying 55-percent shooting in the first two periods.
“They’re a different team without Tony Parker. With him they’re the 49-10 Spurs,” Griz forward Shane Battier said. “You have to temper your enthusiasm a little bit. But I hope our guys see that if you play hard and play with energy, we can beat anybody.”
If the playoffs began today, the Griz would meet the Spurs in the first round. But they have higher aspirations, sitting just a game behind sixth-seeded New Orleans.
“We understand we have a tough stretch,” Griz point guard Mike Conley said. “We definitely know we don’t have time to relax.”
Article: Ron Tillery 
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source: www.commercialappeal.com