MEMPHIS – David Fizdale is on the campaign trail again.
After entering the season predicting Mike Conley would finally garner All-Star recognition and later pushing Zach Randolph among early candidates for Sixth Man of the Year, the Grizzlies’ coach has delivered his boldest proclamation yet: Marc Gasol for league MVP.
Fizdale suggests a strong case can be made that Gasol, under extremely adverse circumstances, has done as much or more for the Grizzlies at the quarter point of the season as any other player has produced on a winning team throughout the league. It’s one of the reasons why Fizdale has encouraged Memphis (16-8) to embrace the spotlight and opportunity entering the toughest stretch of the most demanding month on its regular-season schedule.
Building on his most prolific start in nine seasons, Gasol is in the midst of the best three-game stretch of his career as the Grizzlies carry a five-game win streak into FedExForum for Saturday’s showdown with the league-best Golden State Warriors (20-3). Following that game, Memphis then faces a back-to-back set with the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers as it reaches the midpoint of a December slate that features a season-high 17 games in 31 days.
Gasol has responded to desperate times for the Grizzlies with his most dominant basketball. After delivering his second career triple-double in 45 minutes during Monday’s double-overtime win in New Orleans, Gasol followed with 26 points and a season-high 12 rebounds the next night against Philadelphia. Then on Thursday, Gasol poured in a season-high 36 points on a sore right groin to help rally the Grizzlies from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter for an 88-86 victory against Portland.
Entering Saturday’s game, Gasol has averaged 30 points, 10.7 rebounds, five assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals while shooting 50 percent from both the field overall and from three-point range in three games this week. That production comes as the Grizzlies continue to cope with the injury absences of Mike Conley, Chandler Parsons, Vince Carter, James Ennis and Brandan Wright. In addition, Zach Randolph had missed seven games while on bereavement leave before he returned to the team on Tuesday.
“It’s as close to an MVP performance as you can get,” Fizdale said of Gasol. “He’s doing everything for us. And I don’t even think people are truly weighing into it what he’s doing to anchor our defense. We’ve made a big jump in the league in defense. So he’s not just scoring and assisting and rebounding, he’s also anchoring our defense. Most MVP candidates don’t do it on both ends at that level.”
Warriors’ star forward Kevin Durant is the only other player in the league besides Gasol who is shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range while averaging at least four assists and 1.5 blocks a game this season. Gasol has long been considered arguably the league’s most versatile true center, especially since he was named league Defensive Player of the Year after the 2012-13 season. But the prolific scoring and extended shooting range are relatively new or vastly improved facets of Big Spain’s game.
Gasol is 37-for-84 on threes in 23 games this season after making a total of 12 from beyond the arc through his first eight years in the league. On four occasions this season, he’s either tied or won games with a three-pointer in the final seconds.
“You want to be able to play your game and find your rhythm,” said Gasol, who is averaging a career-high 19.9 points this season. “You have to find different ways to score and be effective. I just want the ball. I don’t care where or how. I just want it and to be able to make a decision with it.”
If there is a silver lining in the injuries and adversity the Grizzlies have faced so far, Fizdale believes it’s that Gasol has been forced to be more aggressive and a stronger leader for a younger supporting cast.
“He’s looked around now and realized there’s no one else out there who is going to do it for us,” Fizdale said. “That’s been perfect. He’s realized he has to step into that role. In some ways, not having these (veteran) guys available has been good for everyone on our team to grow, to get out of their comfort zone and to step up. I’ve really been proud of the way (Gasol) has been approaching this thing.”
HEALTH REPORT
Conley (back) and Ennis (calf) went through an extensive conditioning workout at Friday’s practice and are progressing aggressively in rehab, but remain out along with Parsons (knee) and Wright (ankle). Carter (hip) is listed as questionable but likely will miss his seventh consecutive game. Troy Daniels (illness) is questionable and Gasol (groin) expects to play. For the Warriors, Shaun Livingston (rest) sat Thursday against Utah but is available. Draymond Green (foot) is probable.
NUMBERS WATCH
10 & 0. The Grizzlies have played 10 games this season that have been decided by five or fewer points. And they’ve won all 10. They’re also 12-0 in ‘super-clutch’ games, defined as games in which the score is within three points in the final minute of the contest. Memphis is perfecting the art of winning close games, which factors in how it has a 16-8 record despite posting a negative (-0.4) overall scoring differential on the season. Meanwhile, the Warriors are the only team in the league with a double-figure (+13.6) scoring differential and they’ve won 11 games this season by 15 or more points.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Tony Allen. If the Grizzlies had two or three Allens for this game, they’d be in great shape. But there’s only one ‘First-Team’ perimeter defender in Memphis' arsenal. Allen will have his hands full with either Klay Thompson, who scored 60 in less than 30 minutes earlier this week against Indiana, or Durant. The good news is that Allen has regained his legs after a slow start to the season due to nagging knee and groin injuries. His recent scoring has been a major boost for the shorthanded Grizzlies, but Allen has been doing his best work late in games on both ends. During the five-game win streak, Allen has a total plus-30, plus-minus rating in the fourth quarter. He’s spearheaded Memphis’ rallies from double-digit deficits midway through the fourth twice in the streak, including Thursday’s comeback from 13 points down.
GRIZZ-TAKE
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