Memphis Grizzlies, Get Your Faces Out Of The Mud

Mar 7, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Tony Allen (9) collides with teammate forward Zach Randolph (50) resulting in a turnover against the New Orleans Pelicans during the fourth quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Grizzlies 95-89. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The blue-collared Memphis Grizzlies are notorious for their slow-paced, grind-it-out style of play on the court. As masters of controlling the tempo, the Grizzlies’ hefty big men establish position before bludgeoning their opponents in the post — also known as forcing their opponents “in the mud,” according to Marc Gasol.

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The Grizzlies had imposed their physicality on the Clippers when they held this best offensive team to just 87 points and bullied the Clippers’ big men in the paint. That game in Los Angeles back in February captured the very essence of the grit-‘n’-grind Grizzlies.

They aren’t afraid of a little dirt; however, they’ve recently gotten in the same sludge that they typically use to bury their opponents. The Grizzlies have committed several blunders after the All-Star break.

They lost 95-89 last Saturday to the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans, who were missing starting point guard Jrue Holiday and sweet-shooting sixth man Ryan Anderson, even though Memphis had led by 18 points for the majority of the game. The Grizzlies had managed a grand total of 39 points in the second half while allowing 57 to the Pelicans.

They’ve also been outscored by an average of 4.1 points while losing to the injury-riddled Oklahoma City Thunder, directionless Sacramento Kings and unproven Utah Jazz. Memphis has gone 5-5 over its last 10 games in a stretch replete with uninspiring victories and befuddling defeats.

Whioe they’ve managed some wins, their single-digit victory over the fresh-faced Minnesota Timberwolves and squeaked-out win over the Kobe Bryant-less Los Angeles Lakers are nothing to boast about. They were headed in the wrong direction most of the night against Los Angeles before (barely) escaping with a 97-90 victory.

Coach Dave Joerger’s explanation for their dismal offense was that the ball got “sticky.” The Lakers were able to cramp the paint and stifle every attempt at a post-entry pass as a result of Memphis’ lack of both players and ball movement.

Though they eventually amped up the intensity and took advantage of the Lakers’ awful late-game execution, the Grizzlies are at risk of losing critical ground in the cutthroat Western Conference if they don’t minimize these sluggish performances.

Teams are bound to falter a few times during the grind of an 82-game season, but the Houston Rockets are certainly within striking distance of claiming the second seed. The margin of error for Memphis if they wish to hold onto the second seed is disappearing, especially in consideration of Dwight Howard‘s impending return to the court.

Fortunately for Grizzlies fans, Memphis has shown that they can compete with just about anyone, as they hold a solid 24-11 record against teams with a winning record. The problem is that they easily get bogged down in their own mud in battles against bottom-feeders.

nobody, and I mean nooooooobody plays to their competition like the Grizzlies.
— Chris Vernon (@ChrisVernonShow) March 8, 2015

“If we play with guys, we’re not into it, there’s no ball pressure, there’s no communication, there’s not five guys tied together, it’s going to be really hard for us to win games,” Marc Gasol told reporters after Memphis’ come-from-behind win over L.A. on Friday. “We need to do it every possession.”

Gasol is right; the Grizzlies desperately need to regroup and recapture that synergy that had earned them a 37-12 record and the league’s fifth-best point-differential on Feb. 4; it’s far too late in the season for the Grizzlies to have this dalliance with disaster.

Otherwise, Memphis’ current state of floundering in the mud will prevent them from accomplishing anything of significance in the playoffs.

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