Grind Forth: Memphis Grizzlies Week in Review and Three Takeaways

This past week the Memphis Grizzlies won road games against the New Orleans Pelicans and the New York Knicks, then had their five-game winning streak snapped by an overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

When the Grizzlies dropped an overtime loss at home against the Mavs, they narrowly missed an opportunity to complete two consecutive weeks of undefeated basketball.

Despite finishing the week with a disappointing loss, the Grizzlies have won 9 of their last 11 games, and the team’s recent success has been augmented by the sedulous effort of Jeff Green, who has been playing the best ball of his Grizzlies tenure.

Without further ado, here’s your Grizzlies Week in Review and three key takeaways.

February 1 Grizzlies vs New Orleans Pelicans

The Grizzlies can have their King Cake and eat it too, because they stormed the Smoothie King Center and vanquished the Pelicans with a dominant 110-95 victory (if you haven’t yet, check out our recap). With a classic inside-out Grizzlies approach, Memphis pulverized New Orleans with 50 points in the paint.

Speaking of the number 50, Zach Randolph inflicted damage on the Pellies by clawing his way to 22 points and 12 rebounds. Jeff Green, for a fourth straight game and a fourth straight win, lead the Grizzlies in scoring with a game-high 24 points. I cannot overstate how well Uncle Jeff has played lately.

The Grizzlies tend to let opponents keep games very close, but that was not the case against New Orleans. This time the guys in Beale Street Blue dropped a sobering 15-point loss on the guys in Mardis Gras inspired uniforms.

And someone must have been bumping that Bootsy Collins funkadelic stank from Vince Carter’s old Dr. Funk Nike campaign,because VC was in a groove and showing out. Carter buttressed the Grizz victory with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting including 3-of-4 from downtown.

Here’s another look at Vinsanity in rare form, stroking a three-pointer from way beyond the arc,

and smashing home a reverse dunk off a no-look dime from Mario Chalmers

February 5 Grizzlies vs New York Knicks

Like the previous encounter between the two teams, the Knicks were without their best player Carmelo Anthony, and the Grizzlies won a game that was closer than it probably should have been. In case you missed it, here’s the full recap from the Grizzlies’ 91-85 win in New York.

I’ve include some of my favorite highlights from the game, and you’ll notice common themes of Jeff Green and dope jams pervade all of them:

February 6 Grizzlies vs Dallas Mavericks

Given how well things had been going for the Grizzlies, the 114-110 overtime loss at home was a particularly bitter end to an otherwise good week. The Grizzlies’ offense fired on all cylinders for much of the game, but the defense did little to nothing to stop the Mavericks from scoring on their end of the court. Chandler Parsons torched Tony Allen and the Griz defense for most of the night on his way to a game high 26 points, but it was not only Parsons who got too many open looks, and wasn’t just Allen’s 18 minutes of nothing responsible for the defensive letdown.

The Memphis defensive effort was weak for some parts of the game, and downright abhorrent during other parts.  The Grizzlies constantly left the Mavs wide open for three point attempts, sometimes without even having a late arriving defender extend an arm to at least feign the intention of playing defense. Memphis also failed to box out at times and allowed Dallas extra possessions off of 9 offensive rebounds. Towards the end of regulation when the Grizzlies made a run and managed to pull close enough to challenge for overtime, they were still allowing the likes of Raymond Felton to hit crucial three pointers with no defender standing in the same zip-code as Felton. Had Deron Williams (2-8 3pt fg) or Dirk Nowitzki (1-6 3pt fg) hit a few more of their open looks at a three, the Mavericks probably don’t need an overtime period to win it.

Despite the poor defensive showing and a few late game miscues of missed free throws and turnovers, the Grizzlies survived regulation thanks to a desperately needed three point shot from Mike “Captain Clutch” Conley to tie the game, and a poorly executed lob pass play by Dallas to send the game to overtime. Then with 21 seconds remaining in overtime, Memphis made the inexcusable mistake of missing a defensive switch that left Dirk Nowitzki, one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, alone in open space to drain the coup de gras basket.

The Grizzlies outshot the Mavs and made an outstanding 50 percent of all field goal attempts, but still found themselves on the losing end of this one because they did not do enough of the little things like consistently making free throws (only shot 57 percent from the line) and closing out on three point shooters.   

Three Takeaways

1. The Grizzzlies Should not trade Jeff Green

Aside from a mere mortal nine-point performance with no threes against the Mavericks, Jeff Green has played astoundingly well for the Grizzlies over the past few weeks. Green has found his niche coming off the bench and excelling with a smaller, faster second unit, and it’s clear the best team that Memphis can field for the playoffs is one that includes Jeff Green on the roster.

2. The Grizzlies should think twice about offering Mike Conley a max-deal

Conley is still the longest tenured Grizzly and one of the most talented and well-liked players in the short history of the franchise, but at this point it is still unclear if paying him a maximum-level contract this summer would be the wisest investment for the long term stability of the team. Conley will benefit from being the best available point guard in this summer’s free agency market, and will likely fetch a max-deal offer from teams who may not normally pony up that much for a player who has never appeared in a single all-star game. As a 28 year old in his ninth NBA season, theoretically Conley would be in the prime of his career right now, but he has struggled this season more than recent years, and like most seasons he has also battled through multiple injuries. Memphis can’t easily replace him and will probably do whatever it takes to keep him, but at what cost to the long term financial flexibility of the organization?

3. Dave Joerger totally forgot that Jamychal Green plays for the Grizzlies

Despite being an early-season revelation for the Grizzlies while providing the team with valuable play off the bench at the four-spot, Jamychal Green has all but vanished. In fairness to Coach Joerger for opting to play Ryan Hollins instead of Green, Hollins has given the Grizzlies some length and athleticism while completing alley-oops and defending the post during his second 10-day stint as a stand-in for the injured Brandan Wright.  However, considering the versatility Jamychal Green brings as a defender and as someone who can comfortably play the stretch four in faster line-ups, and also provide the Grizzlies with some three point shooting ability, it’s unclear why Joerger has decided to reduce Green’s role and use him so sparingly now.

More from Beale Street Bears

• Dillon Brooks speaks out after beating former Grizzlies teammate in World Cup
• Jaren Jackson Jr. puts ex-Grizzlies teammate on notice
• 3 players Grizzlies would consider trading Ja Morant for
• Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. put on blast following FIBA elimination
• Ex-Grizzlies guard signs with title favorite, joins forces with 6-time All-Star

And-One:

When the Grizzlies played the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Grizzlies sideline reporter Rob Fischer and legendary former Knicks guard and current broadcaster Walt “Clyde” Frazier were both faced with the difficult decision of what to wear for the occasion. Here is the result of the respective choices they made:

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies are back in action on Monday night at FedExForum as they face the Portland Trail Blazers for the fourth time this season. Memphis currently leads the season series 2-1.