MEMPHIS – Two takeaways from the Grizzlies’ 110-97 victory over Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night and a look ahead at this week’s Grind City Index NBA poll.
TAKE ONE … Grizzlies Lineup Shuffle Continues
Make that now 22 different starting lineups the Grizzlies have used this season after the injury absences of Marc Gasol and JaMychal Green forced Memphis to roll out another five-man set against the Pacers.
This time, it was swingman James Ennis III getting the start at power forward and Brandan Wright at center alongside Mike Conley, Tony Allen and Vince Carter. It resulted in the Grizzlies getting off to their best start of the season, mainly because Conley got off to one of the best starts of his career.
Conley scored 13 of his team’s first 24 points as the Grizzlies opened on a 33-13 run and went on to take a 72-53 lead at halftime against Indiana. Conley’s 16 points in the first matched the most he’s ever scored in a quarter and the 72 points were the most the Grizzlies scored in the first half this season.
“We’re desperate, so I was looking at the situation and said, ‘How can we give Mike the best chance to get off to a great start?’” Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said of the unconventional unit Memphis used to open the game. “And I said, ‘Let’s just spread them out and try to attack right from the start on rolls to the rim and get Mike going downhill as much as possible.’ And I lucked up.”
The gamble paid off for the Grizzlies (41-34), who returned home to snap a four-game losing streak and hope to emerge from a stretch of nine losses in their previous 13 games. Memphis closes March with Friday’s game against Dallas at FedExForum but is already set to finish with its first losing month of the season.
Fizdale said Gasol’s status remains “day-to-day” as the All-Star center recovers from a strained left foot that has kept him out of the past three games. Green was a late scratch from Wednesday’s game because of what is believed to be a minor shoulder injury. The Grizzlies also lost backup point guard Andrew Harrison to an ankle injury in the second half of the win over the Pacers.
Those kinds of injury issues have kept the Grizzlies from sustaining any continuity, but Fizdale believes the constant rotation adjustments have forced them to become more resilient as the postseason looms.
“It’s a very frustrating situation,” Fizdale said. “But as I’ve said, we’ve been hit with everything else. It was like, OK, (adversity) tried to give us the right hook right now, but not us.’ I don’t think this group will waiver at all. Obviously, we’re going through a struggle right now, but this group will keep competing and keep striving through the ultimate goal.”
TAKE TWO … The Motivation Behind Conley’s March
Conley is now averaging 23.4 points through 14 games in March, which represents the highest-scoring month of his 10-year career. The Grizzlies’ catalyst said he returned from the winless, four-game trip capped by Monday’s demoralizing loss in Sacramento motivated by a clear mission.
“I just wanted to make a statement not just with my team, but with the city that we’re not playing the basketball we need to be playing right now, and we are better than this,” Conley said. “That it means something – it means more.”
Here’s my take on Conley’s late-season surge toward the playoffs:
TAKE THREE … Grind City Power Index
Golden State Warriors
San Antonio Spurs
Houston Rockets
Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
Oklahoma City Thunder
Washington Wizards
Utah Jazz
Toronto Raptors
Los Angeles Clippers
All the Warriors did was spot the second-best team in the NBA a 23-3 lead, then proceeded to rally for a huge win against the Spurs that essentially locked up the No. 1 playoff seed. Last Week: 1
San Antonio followed an epic beatdown of the Cavaliers with a colossal collapse against the Warriors. Likely locked into the No. 2 spot, expect Gregg Popovich to go into full roster rest mode LW: 2
Houston just can’t figure out a way to beat the Warriors at the Toyota Center, which may be a problem down the line. For now, the priority is to get James Harden over a nagging wrist injury. LW: 3
The Celtics passed the Cavs atop the East and also saw Isaiah Thomas join John Havlicek and Larry Bird as the franchise’s only players with 50 games in a season of scoring at least 25 points. LW: 5
Perhaps it’s reverse psychology. LeBron is succeeding right now at getting pundits to jump off the bandwagon just in time to right the ship for a run to his seventh straight trip to the Finals. LW: 4
Just when you think Russell Westbrook can’t humanly do anything more to surprise you, he drops the highest-scoring triple-double in history with 57 points. In other words, he’s not human. LW: 10
John Wall should get at least some end-of-ballot MVP consideration for leading the Wizards to their first division title in 38 years. The last time Washington did that, it reached the NBA Finals. LW: 8
The Jazz clinched their first playoff berth since 2012, but that was upstaged by a few lackluster outings that led to center Rudy Gobert clinching his teeth and accusing teammates of selfish play. LW: 6
Their recent six-game winning streak was snapped, but the upturn in play allowed the Raptors to officially clinch a playoff berth for a franchise-record fourth consecutive season. LW: 10
Just when the Clippers appear headed in the right direction, they derail. This time it came in record-setting fashion by blowing an 18-point lead with five minutes left in a loss to the Kings. LW: 7
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