Given the fact that he is somewhat under-sized at 6’4″ to play the 2-guard, I can certainly understand why he would prefer [...]]]> O.J. Mayo stated that he wants to play point guard going forward. It’s the position he played for most of his basketball career before his freshman year at USC, where roster limitations forced him into playing the off-guard position. He has logged most of his playing time at SG during his four years in the NBA.

Given the fact that he is somewhat under-sized at 6’4″ to play the 2-guard, I can certainly understand why he would prefer to move back to the more familiar position as the lead guard. Having the ball in his hands more would likely make him a more effective scorer, too.

In the moments following Sunday’s series/season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, many thoughts bounced around in my head. Obviously, not all of them were positive.

However, two things that I was very positive about were: 1) O.J. Mayo will not be in Beale Street Blue next season; and 2) O.J. Mayo is not a point guard.

I’m sure there are people who would love to argue this point with me, but I’m not interested in arguing a point where the evidence is so overwhelming. Anyone who watched Mayo struggle against pressure while bringing the ball up the floor should have recognized that his ball-handling was not up to par to be an NBA-level PG. That alone should have been enough of an indictment.

Yet, if you needed more proof, you had only to look to his inability to make A SIMPLE ENTRY PASS against a single defender in the series against the Clippers. That’s right — he couldn’t pass the ball to his teammate because of the overwhelming size of…….Chris Paul (6’0″) and Eric Bledsoe (6’1″). *sigh* For those of you scoring at home, those two players are both far smaller than Mayo — the kind of guys that he should have a supposed advantage over with his superior height and wingspan.

Just to get all of the cards out on the table: I don’t dislike O.J., but I won’t be sad to see him on another team. I wasn’t a fan of him in college, I didn’t want us to draft him (or trade for him on draft night), and I continue to not understand his insistence on playing a position that he doesn’t have the required skills for. He had a clearly defined role on this team for the majority of the past two seasons: primary bench scorer. Yet, he seemed to practically refuse that role on many occasions for reasons known only to him.

O.J. is a prodigious scorer with a solid three-point shot and great athleticism. He is certainly good enough to be a starter on many teams, including the Grizzlies. However, there are times when a player who is good enough to start is better served to come off the bench for the best interests of THE TEAM. Because it is THE TEAM that wins games, series, championships, not A PLAYER. For whatever reason, this never seemed to jibe with O.J.’s agenda. So be it.

Worst comes to worst, Mayo will sign with another team this off-season as a free agent and the Grizzlies will have nothing to show for it but 4 years of highlights of him in a Memphis uniform. Best case scenario, Chris Wallace manages to get a couple of draft picks or a promising young player for him, although I won’t be holding my breath waiting on that to happen just because of the logistics involved in a sign-and-trade. In any event, the financial situation makes me believe that Mayo is headed out of town sooner, rather than later. If and when that happens, I won’t shed a tear.

The news that assistant coach Dave Joerger is interviewing for the Charlotte Bobcats vacant head coaching position does give me reason for pause though. I wish Dave the best, but I think that particular job is as dead-end as it gets, given the roster, ownership, and fan support there. I hope he doesn’t get it — for his own sake. Let Patrick Ewing or Brian Shaw take on that disaster.

Mood in the locker room was, as you might imagine, somber. Gilbert Arenas seems to teleport out of the place — he doesn’t stick around [...]]]> I don’t know which was worse the Game 1 letdown or the Game 7 fiasco. Both games left me dazed — didn’t really want to do much in the way of posting on the blog, let alone editing video. That’s why this post is coming today and not yesterday. Better late than never, I suppose.

Mood in the locker room was, as you might imagine, somber. Gilbert Arenas seems to teleport out of the place — he doesn’t stick around at all. But you can tell the guys were hurting. Marc seemed on the edge of tears while giving his interview. Mike Conley mentioned that he had a fever that morning before the game. Don’t think for a second that these guys didn’t want to win the game, that it didn’t matter. The game was a stinker for sure. But if anyone asks me if I think they left it on the floor all season, I’d have to say a resounding yes.

More good stuff coming here at 3SOB.com as the Grizz prepare for the draft. In the meantime . . . closing thoughts from some of your favorite Grizzlies players:

It’s really quite simple how this happened…

The Clippers wanted it more. That could be the end, but I’ll expound on it a bit.

-Horrendous shooting. Were these guys rattled by the big stage after being on it (and an even bigger one) last season? Sure seemed it, especially the backcourt. Mayo/Conley/Allen/Arenas a combined..wait for it…6-for-33 from the field. WOW. I’m sort of led to [...]]]> Well, that’s how it goes when you don’t play as hard as the other team.

It’s really quite simple how this happened…

The Clippers wanted it more. That could be the end, but I’ll expound on it a bit.

-Horrendous shooting. Were these guys rattled by the big stage after being on it (and an even bigger one) last season? Sure seemed it, especially the backcourt. Mayo/Conley/Allen/Arenas a combined..wait for it…6-for-33 from the field. WOW. I’m sort of led to wonder if VDN was watching NBATV the other night when Almighty Flopper Kevin Martin was on as a guest and revealed the “big secret” about how the Rockets had such success against the Griz all season-by packing the paint. When you do that, you beat the Grizzlies. The end. With a couple minor exceptions, the Grizzlies were not able to execute inside at all this game. They just didn’t play like they thought they could win, even after coming back to only be down one at the half after being down ten earlier in the 2nd.

-Fatigue. Gasol and Conley, in particular, have been banged up and still playing a lot of minutes over the last month or so. However, in the biggest game of these young players’ lives, they should have been able to reach deeper than they ever have. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t-but it wasn’t enough, whatever it was or wasn’t. Mayo, Arenas, Pargo, Selby. DANG IT GREIVIS WHY DID YOU HAVE TO HELP OFF HARDEN IN THAT TRIPLE OVERTIME GAME????? It not only lost us that game, but this series.

-I’m going way out here, but I’m gonna use the words “hubris” and “Hollins” in the same sentence. Subbing by the seat of the pants might be ok (kinda seems more fun than the Hubie “programmed” sub patterns), but not as in the game where he was WAY too conservative with Gasol’s foul trouble, and this game where he left ZBo on the bench for an inordinately long time in the fourth quarter when the team needed offense in the worst way.  By doing the thing that many coaches do in the playoffs-tightening the rotation-Hollins left out Cunningham for all practical purposes, and he was KEY to many Griz wins over the course of the season. By many accounts, the lack of D by GV last season drove Hollins to push for him to be traded, and Pargo had evidently been given a promise at some point. That did not work out well at all. Joerger is possibly gone, as he has been mentioned as a candidate for the Bobcats job and has interviewed for other jobs in the past….and I’m inclined to think that he’s the only one that gets Hollins’ ear with regularity.  Does Lionel operate with *too much* autonomy? One of the many questions for the Grizzlies’ offseason.

Watch this space for many discontented pontifications regarding what will be a very interesting summer for the Grizzlies..

oh, and also, bye OJ. We’ve enjoyed your company.

The Game is a Sell Out but will be televised on ABC

Memphis faces their third must win game of the playoffs and their first home game 7 in franchise history. The Grizzlies forced this game with a thrilling 90-88 win at Los Angeles Friday night. The Grizzlies at home have been dominant except for one-quarter but [...]]]> Who: Memphis Grizzlies vs Los Angeles Clippers
When: May 13, 2012 – 12:00 PM (CST)
Where: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
Series: Memphis (3-3), Los Angeles (3-3)

The Game is a Sell Out but will be televised on ABC

Memphis faces their third must win game of the playoffs and their first home game 7 in franchise history. The Grizzlies forced this game with a thrilling 90-88 win at Los Angeles Friday night. The Grizzlies at home have been dominant except for one-quarter but none of that matters in this game. It will be a one game, winner take all battle. Memphis forced a game 7 by returning to their roots combining a pounding interior offense with a suffocating defense. Memphis’ big men, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, combined for 41 points and 25 rebounds in Game 6 after posting 42 points and 17 rebounds in Game 5. Defensively the Grizzlies have transformed from a ball-hawking unit to an in your face type of old school defense holding Los Angeles to only 168 points in the last two games. Tickets for this game sold out early Saturday morning and the atmosphere should be electric.

Los Angeles lost the home court advantage with the loss Friday night and now must try to rebound in a hostile environment with their two best players not at 100%. While everyone is hurting right now the Clippers are suffering more than the normal aches and pains of a condensed season. Don’t expect either player to look injured in Game 7 however. Chris Paul is known as one of the most deadly finishers in the NBA and plays his best in the playoffs. Griffin has been nearly unstoppable in the paint and will likely be more aggressive in this game as well. However, it has been the Clippers bench that has most elevated their team. If Los Angeles’ starters can stay even with the Grizzlies their bench will likely keep the game close until the end. How well the Clippers recover from Friday’s loss will likely determine the outcome of this game.

Expected Starting Lineups:

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Chris Paul

Be it a hip flexor or a groin injury, Chris Paul was not his normal self Friday night. While still managing to fill the stat sheet (11 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals), Paul was not his normal self and his two turnovers, zero points in the final minutes of the game was the proof. Chris Paul is considered one of the best finishers in the league and with another day of rest will be even better Sunday than Friday night. Conley has held his own in this matchup averaging 15 ppg and 7.2 apg, both above his seasonal averages, but is being asked to guard Randy Foye more than Chris Paul to protect his confidence from being upset by Paul. Conley will need to play his very best to keep the Grizzlies in the game.
Advantage: Los Angeles

Shooting Guards: Tony Allen vs Randy Foye
Tony Allen wasn’t playing a lot in the final quarters of the first three game. He regained the role of defensive closer in game 3 and has made life tough for Chris Paul especially ever since. Tony still struggles making lay-ups and outside shots but he has the ability to make plays when the team needs them. Randy Foye was a much bigger part of the Clippers offense at the end of the season but has struggled to score in the playoffs despite usually being guarded by Mike Conley. Foye is a set shooter and Conley’s speed getting to the perimeter has made life difficult for the sharp-shooter. The Clippers are expecting Foye to step up in Game 7 since he doesn’t have a big defensive matchup to wear him down. Slightly undersized for a SG Foye has a strong upper-body that allows him to post up Conley but he has rarely chosen to do that in the series.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Caron Butler

Caron Butler has shown the heart of a warrior in this series. He broke his hand in game 1 and was supposed to be lost for the series. Instead he returned in Game 3. Butler’s offense hasn’t been consistent with the playing cast on his left hand but defensively he has given Rudy Gay fits. Gay is averaging 19 ppg in the series, the same as his regular season average, but is shooting 30% lower from the field and 80% lower from the arc. Otherwise Gay has been contributing in a similar fashion as the regular season but twice in the playoffs Rudy failed to hit the game winning shot, something very out of character for the Grizzlies leading scorer. Butler has to be given credit for the poor shooting but his inability to do much else gives the Grizzlies the edge despite the low shooting percentage.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Zach Randolph vs Blake Griffin
This has been the marquee matchup of the series with two All-Star PFs going to war in the paint. Griffin had a large advantage early in the playoffs as Randolph was struggling to get back into game shape from his injured knee. Suddenly all that changed in Game 5 as Griffin sprained his knee while Randolph rediscovered his game. In the last three games, Randolph has gone from 12 pts and 9 boards to 19 points and 10 boards to 18 points and 16 boards. Griffin, on the other hand, struggled noticeably in Game 6 trying to recover from his injury. His 17 points didn’t look like it but he wasn’t nearly as explosive and sharp cutting in Game 6. How well his knee responds in Game 7 will be telling. If he settles for fade-away jumpers rather than attacking the rim will reveal how healthy he is. Chances are Griffin will be attacking the rim again.
Advantage: Los Angeles

Centers: Marc Gasol vs DeAndre Jordan
Rudy Gay was taking most of the heat but no one was more disappointing in the first four games of the series than Marc Gasol. He hadn’t exceeded 15 points and had only one game with more than 7 rebounds in the first four games. Then Gasol came alive scoring 23 points in each of the next two games and grabbing 16 rebounds combined. More importantly, Gasol became an on the court leader, calling out defensive assignments and taking charge of the team. Gasol was unstoppable against both Jordan and Griffin and his defense against Griffin slowed him down and kept him off the glass. DeAndre Jordan has proven himself to be an impressive power dunker but not much else about his game has been powerful. Jordan’s minutes have dropped to 18 minutes as Reggie Evans and Kenyon Martin have become the fourth quarter rotation.
Advantage: Memphis

Benches: Memphis vs Los Angeles

O J Mayo has been AWOL this series and that has been tough for him and the team. Mayo has always been a pressure player, raising his game to the occasion. Against the Clippers he has struggled shooting only 30% from the field and failing to reach double figures since game 2. When Mayo is hitting his shots the team is very difficult to defeat, especially when the big men are on their games. Quincy Pondexter and Mo Speights have played well in spurts but they aren’t the talent of Mayo. Memphis needs a big game from Mayo in Game 7. Los Angeles has players known for big time ability off their bench and journey men who know how to play but lack certain ability. When Mo Williams, Nick Young and Eric Bledsoe are on their games they can all score a lot of points quickly. Evans and Martin know all the tricks that are allowed in the playoffs. Combined the Clippers bench has been more effective than their starters and can bring the team back against even the largest of deficits.
Advantage: Los Angeles

But putting up with a pretty poor game would have been made just fine by that result. Game seven time baby.

Kinda odd for such a huge game, but the stats, as many times, tell the story….It wasn’t just about stats, it was about a ZACH RANDOLPH DUNK!! YAAAAAA!!!!

I’m a bit giddy-ish.

Just rewatched that first possession of the [...]]]> Wow. What I would have given to be at Staples tonight…to see what was at times a pretty poor game.

But putting up with a pretty poor game would have been made just fine by that result. Game seven time baby.

Kinda odd for such a huge game, but the stats, as many times, tell the story….It wasn’t just about stats, it was about a ZACH RANDOLPH DUNK!! YAAAAAA!!!!

I’m a bit giddy-ish.

Just rewatched that first possession of the third, where ZBo hit that stepback over Fake-that was a ZBo classic as well.

On to the numbers that mattered:

-Gasol, Gay, and Randolph were the only Grizzlies with double-digit attempts. Balance. Not Rudy Gay’s best game, but he had a couple BIG baskets (a bit more on that later).

-20 to 7. That’s turnovers, folks. The Grizzlies with 13 in the first half and TWENTY for the game. Insane. Even more insane, the Clippers with a very CP3-esque seven for the match. Conley with an uncharacteristic 4 TO’s, but he was still able to get over that 2:1 ast/to number, with nine nice dimes. Thirteen steals for the Clippers, which tells us that the Floppers played the passing lanes well and pressured the ball nicely. Takin’ a page out of the Griz book wasn’t enough, though.

-48 to 32. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the rebounding tally for the game. A ginormous (my computer,BTW, did not try to spell-correct that word. Weird.) margin, which is perhaps the easiest way to tell that the Grizzlies were hungry. Hungry bears they were (and still are, I’m quite sure). Positioning? Sure. Energy? Sure. Physicality? Sure.  Randolph? Sure. All the elements were there. Interestingly, only one player from each team with at least ten. Strange.

Ok. Now to the number that REALLY mattered-FOUR. As in, fourth quarter. Here’s the game-within-game of the fourth:

-Floppers rattled by the whistle. The and-one for Rudy, CP3 fouling out (and then whining about it succinctly post-game). The little-kid-jumping-up-and-down by Blakie-poo in the final minute was just priceless.

-The Grizzlies going down by eight and then going on a 10-0 run. RESILIENCE. And the redemptive Rudy and-one comes up again, as it was the capper basket on that run. Effort and belief from #22, a guy who’s been (sometimes rightly) much maligned over the series.

-ZBo with 7 and 7 in the quarter, even with KMart acting a fool in his face about forcing the jump ball. VINTAGE playoff Zach Randolph….except that three off the aforementioned jump ball. He, like the rest of the Grizzlies, flipped the switch in that fourth quarter….until he missed about a zillion FT’s. He was as sheepish as we’ve ever seen him about it too-he knew that if the team had lost, those two consecutive misses would have been the reason.

Quick question-is CP hypercompetitive or a sore loser? Both? Ok, that’s what I thought. He’s also an amazing player.

-Did Lionel give in to the #freetonyallen hashtag? It’s not like TA was doing anything that he doesn’t do in any other fourth quarter. What does plus/minus mean? ZILCH. However, it does “bear” mentioning that TA led the team with a +12. Chasing fools around like the madman he is on D, and even taking the ball to the hoop some, in classic “OH NO DON’T TONY” style.

-Some welcome clutchness from Conley on that final play, knowing just when to throw the ball into the air towards a teammate, not risking more missed FT’s and another possible Clipper miracle win.

I hope that FedEx Forum is up to seismic standards, ‘cuz that place is going to be SHAKING Sunday.

Memphis faces their second must win game of the playoffs and their first such game on the road in franchise history. In fact the Grizzlies have won just two elimination games in franchise history, Game 6 at home against Oklahoma City last year and Game 5 at home against the Clippers Wednesday night. The Grizzlies opened up [...]]]> Who: Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Clippers
When: May 11, 2012 – 8:00 PM (CST)
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Series: Memphis (2-3), Los Angeles (3-2)

Memphis faces their second must win game of the playoffs and their first such game on the road in franchise history. In fact the Grizzlies have won just two elimination games in franchise history, Game 6 at home against Oklahoma City last year and Game 5 at home against the Clippers Wednesday night. The Grizzlies opened up Game 5 in a similar fashion to the first game of the series, taking a 15 point halftime lead on the back of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph only this time managed to hold onto the lead when the Clippers made their fourth quarter run. The Grizzlies have not won on the road against the Clippers all season. Their 0-4 mark includes two disappointing efforts in the regular season and two nail-biting losses in the playoffs. A win would force the first ever Game 7 at the FedEx Forum.

Los Angeles has the confidence on high heading into this game. Despite losing by 12 points in Game 5 the Clippers believe that injuries cost the Clippers the win. The Clippers had fought back from being down over 20 points to close it to 6 points with under 2 minutes to play but Blake Griffin (knee) and Chris Paul (hip/groin) couldn’t answer the bell for a final push and Memphis closed out the game. Both Griffin and Paul are going to play Friday night and are not expected to be too bothered by their injuries. Paul and Griffin aren’t the only Clipper players dealing with injuries as Caron Butler (broken left hand) is also struggling through pain. Eric Bledsoe was benched in Game 5 for losing his composure but has been a difference maker in earlier games with his defense. Mo Williams, Nick Young, Reggie Evans and Kenyon Martin have all played well in reserve roles and will likely be counted on for a few more minutes in this game if Griffin and Paul.

Expected Starting Lineups:

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Chris Paul

Chris Paul looked to aggravate his groin injury in Game 5 although the Clippers are calling it a hip pointer. Whatever it is/was, it had a big impact on Paul’s play down the stretch as did his jammed finger in the first half. When Paul struggles so does the Clipper half-court offense and transition game. When able to overcome the pain Paul has been unstoppable averaging 22.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 7.8 APG hitting 46.9% of his FG attempts and 38.9% of his 3 pt attempts. Mike Conley has been good averaging 15.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 7.2 APG on 48.1% from the floor and 53.3% from the arc. Good is nice but he needs to be great to give the Grizzlies a chance in this game regardless of Paul being 100% or not.
Advantage: Los Angeles

Shooting Guards: Tony Allen vs Randy Foye
The Clippers have been let down by Randy Foye so far in the playoffs but if there is one player on their team that can change the course of this game outside of the big 2 it is Foye. His 40% shooting from beyond the arc can attest to that. However Foye has struggled to get enough shots up to make an impact. He’s only reached double figures twice so far and has an equal number of games where he only scored 3 points. Tony Allen has not been as effective in this series as Memphis had hoped as the Clippers routinely take advantage of his over-playing on defense. Allen isn’t expected to make a big impact on the offensive end but his inability to hit lay-ups has cost the Grizzlies. Allen, when hitting his shots, is capable of giving the Grizzlies a big lift on both ends of the court, especially on back door cuts but he has to finish the shot to be effective.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Caron Butler

Caron Butler continues to make a major impact on the series despite his broken non-shooting hand. His FG% doesn’t tell the whole story. Butler, who was coached by the same college coach as Rudy Gay, has made life miserable for the Grizzlies highest paid player. Gay is averaging over 20 points a game in the series but he’s only hitting 42.4% of his FG attempts and a miserable 25% from the arc. Gay has been vilified as the reason the Grizzlies are in a must win situation tonight as well. Rudy, normally a very effective last shot scorer but has come up empty in game winning situations this series missing two shots at the buzzer. In Game 5 he seemed to be very down on his play but a huge offensive rebound off a missed FT and scoring the basket that basically ended any hope for a Clipper comeback may have him back to being the Grizzlies go-to scorer.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Zach Randolph vs Blake Griffin
We’ve said all series that this match-up was a war and it has been everything people expected. Griffin has had the upper hand in scoring averaging 20.2 PPG but Randolph has been the more effective rebounder. Both players are recovering from knee issues that have affected their games but not their attitudes.  Griffin’s knee injury isn’t thought to be serious but any time a player has issues with their knee it can’t be good and Griffin relies on his jumping ability far more than Randolph does. Randolph is clearly not the player he was in the playoffs last year but he has shown glimpses at times. If Griffin can’t elevate in his usual manner that is a big loss for the Clippers since he has yet to score outside of the paint in the series. No one expects his injury to be severe enough to alter that part of his game.
Advantage: Los Angeles

Centers: Marc Gasol vs DeAndre Jordan
Marc Gasol finally played large against the Clippers in Game 5 with 23 points and 7 rebounds as well. However the dominant impact of his game came in the first half (18 points). By the end of the game he all but disappeared. Memphis will need a complete game from Gasol to pull off the road win. DeAndre Jordan has  lost his role in the 4th quarter as Del Negro prefers Martin and Evans to Jordan down the stretch. Jordan is averaging just 3.6 PPG and 4.4 RPG in the series and his main asset, defense shot blocking, has been negated somewhat by Memphis’ interior strength. Jordan has seen his minutes decline from 26 in Game 1 to just 19 in Game 5 and unless he finds a way to stop Gasol from scoring they may go down even more Tonight. Jordan struggles both from the line and outside the paint offensively making him a liability late in games.
Advantage: Memphis

Benches: Memphis vs Los Angeles

The disappearance of O J Mayo and to a lesser extent Mo Speights in both troubling and confusing for Grizzlies fans. The bench was considered a Memphis strength heading into the series but it has been the Clippers bench that has doled out the most punishment. Mayo and Speights are both restricted free agents this summer and don’t want the last impression of them to be this series. Quincy Pondexter has stepped up his game, especially defensively, from the regular season and has even taken over defending Chris Paul at times. His 71.4% FG shooting isn’t going to continue but he rarely is expected to take anything but wide-open shots so there is no reason to worry if he doesn’t continue at this pace. The Clippers will welcome back Eric Bledsoe from the doghouse in Game 6. Bledsoe has made youthful mistakes but his defense has been game changing. Reggie Evans and Kenyon Martin have also provided intense defense and have taken the Grizzlies interior game to pieces in the 2nd half. Nick Young has cooled off but is always capable of adding instant offense. The key will be Mo Williams. If he is on his game, even with Paul dragging, he gives the Clippers too much off the bench for the Grizzlies to compensate.
Advantage: Los Angeles

Let me say now that the fans [...]]]> I was re-watching the TNT broadcast of Game 5 between the Grizzlies and Clippers last night – I know it’s sad that I wanted to re-watch the game I just attended but everyone knows my obsession with Grizzlies so just let that issue go for now – and I was truly surprised to hear Chris Webber chastise the fans for booing while Blake Griffin was on the floor apparently nursing an injured knee.

Let me say now that the fans were wrong to boo an injured player no matter what team he represents. It is not the type of behavior that Memphians associate with ourselves. Usually, Memphis fans are concerned for the players well-being far more than the outcome of a particular game. This isn’t Philly after all where people cheer injuries and throw snowballs at Santa.

There were extenuating circumstances.

This is not an excuse for the behavior of a surprisingly large number of fans. It is clear that the fans  reaction involved some  poor sportsmanship but the majority of fans were reacting to what was showing on the Jumbotron at the time and the reaction of the Clippers team not to Blake Griffin individually and especially not to the idea that he had been injured. Most of the fans didn’t think he was injured at all at that time.

What Webber didn’t understand, and what the fans in attendance were mostly concerned with, was not if Griffin was injured. Everyone, and by everyone I mean everyone who was a Grizzlies fan, assumed he would pop back up, take his free throws and continue playing. Since this is what happened it is hard to get down on them for feeling that way. The Clippers are well-known, not just in Memphis but around the country, as a team that exaggerates the severity of impact incurring during a game.

You cry wolf too much and when the wolf actually arrives the people don’t react the same way to your cries.

Again, I am not condoning the poor behavior of the fans booing him while he was down. It is ALWAYS wrong to boo a player getting injured.

But there is more to this story. The atmosphere at the game was crazy. When the play first happened no one thought Griffin was even fouled much less injured on the play.  The fan originally booed the call. The boos rose even louder when the replay showed far less contact than had happened a lot earlier in the game when, after Gasol had taken a charge, Blake Griffin stepped on his head while he was on the ground. No foul was called. No technical given. The fans wanted this call to go be another ‘no harm, no blood, no foul’ call. They were understandably upset that Gasol was whistled.

That’s not to say there wasn’t contact. There was. The refs were correct in making the call (and probably incorrect in letting other fouls go earlier in the game). The game was getting out of hand at that moment. The Clippers had already received four technical fouls that quarter and five in the game. Elbows were flying on both sides of the court and the refs needed to make a statement that the physicality had to be toned down. When Gasol challenged Griffin’s shot the refs said enough.

This was also Marc Gasol’s 4th foul call of the game. That means bench time when it comes in the late stages of the 3rd quarter. This could have been a huge momentum swing. Mike Conley was already saddled with 4 fouls. In fact the Clippers went on a 20-4 run with both Conley and Gasol on the bench. It was a meaningful moment in the game.

Then they called a Technical on Gasol and no one saw what he did to deserve that!

Then the Clipper bench emptied to check on their star.

Now if I was Blake Griffin, I don’t know if I would want Reggie Evans’ input at that particular time but it was clearly an orchestrated event.  Caron Butler admitted after the game that he told the team to get up and run to Griffin. This was not a spontaneous reaction. It was a veteran manipulating things to garner a reaction. It was all show and nothing more. The players didn’t even run over to see him. They meandered over as if they were only there because someone told them to go which is exactly what happened. It was meant to generate a reaction.

Well it worked with the fans. People went crazy seeing the entire Clipper team standing around Griffin.

It appeared to be another example of Hollywood taking over the action of the Clippers team. The fan booed the Clipper team for hamming it for TV. They weren’t booing Griffin for being injured… for the most part. Those that were booing Griffin for being injured were wrong.

Then the Jumbotron got involved again and I believe this is where Webber, who couldn’t see the board where he was sitting, was most incensed. For better or worse, at that moment the cameras caught a Clipper fan giving someone his mind. He was wayyyyy over the top too. He was oblivious not only to the camera and his image on a gigantic screen in the middle of the Forum, but he was oblivious to the fans around him laughing at his reaction. The fans loudly booed him. It had no impact on him of course since he was unaware he was being made a fool of on the gigantic TV screen.

As the camera’s zoomed in on this very involved fan – I can only assume he was giving the refs his opinion on their performance at that time, the fans boos started all over again. This was about the same time that Griffin finally pulled himself up off the floor. For someone beneath the Jumbotron, like Chris Webber, it could appear that the new round of boos was directed at Griffin. It wasn’t. It was directed at the buffoon screaming at the refs. At least I hope it was the refs. If that was how Clipper fans reacted to the beer man passing him by then that guy needs serious psychological help.

The final boos were generated at Griffin and the Clippers exclusively when the refs had to walk over to the Clippers bench to get Griffin to come shoot his free throws. There is a rule on how long an injured player can remain on the bench before taking his mandatory foul shots. Griffin was pushing the extreme limit of the rule. All three refs came over to tell him to either get up and take the shots or allow Hollins to appoint someone to take them and Griffin would be out for the rest of the game. The delay infuriated the fans, and considering most of them worked in the morning and it was already past 11:00 pm CST, there was some justification for that anger.

I hope that explains some, but not all, of the booing during Griffin’s injury. As I have tried to make clear, those that booed Griffin for being injured were wrong. However, booing grandstanding tactics, Clipper fans loosing their minds and bad calls by the refs is not poor sportsmanship. That’s just part of the game.

I can only speak for myself but I sincerely hope no permanent damage has been done to Griffin’s knee. I don’t wish him to miss any time in the series because of his knee either. After seeing the Grizzlies come so close the conference finals last season without one of the better players on the team last season due to injury, I know how disappointing that is. We want to win but we want to win against their best not the rest.

So I apologize to Clipper fans for some of the poor reaction last night. It was not the way it was presented during the game but it is not excusable either.

As much as we all think all is happy in Grizzland right now, there is some happy, and there is some sad…Happy: Well, the Griz won. Duh. They scored in the paint for half a game, and that was enough, and they made NOT ONE three. Horrible from three, great inside. That’s Grizzlies ball. It was about spacing-not allowing half the Clips’ roster to cover up the painted area and take away even the [...]]]> One more time. One more game.

As much as we all think all is happy in Grizzland right now, there is some happy, and there is some sad…Happy: Well, the Griz won. Duh. They scored in the paint for half a game, and that was enough, and they made NOT ONE three. Horrible from three, great inside. That’s Grizzlies ball. It was about spacing-not allowing half the Clips’ roster to cover up the painted area and take away even the simplest entry pass. Hitting the outside shot (which Gasol and Randolph both did in the first quarter) helped, but it was the spacing by the wings and PG’s that allowed better success with the entry passes.

Sad: The Grizzlies scored well in the paint for half the game. Gasol and ZBo scored just about ZILCH after halftime, and that ain’t cool. The Grizzlies scored not one basket from three…and if they’re only gonna score inside through the main guys for half a game, the three, never a big part of the Grizzlies’ game, has to at least be at least available as an occasional scoring option.

Happy: The Clippers rode an incredible wave of “we’re playin’ five-on-eight” emotion after the smattering of technical fouls they EARNED in that third quarter, and couldn’t catch all the way up. They played as hard and as physically as they were able, and that level of effort was not enough to get them the win. Actually, trying to play that hard got them in a bit of trouble, with Paul aggravating an existing injury and Blake coming down awkwardly from 20-odd feet in the air onto his knee.

Sad: The Grizzlies nearly choked away another twenty-plus point lead AT HOME. Painful, painful. Getting into the Clippers’ heads enough to cause that meltdown in the third was great. The Clippers don’t know how to close out an opponent, at least not Griffin, Foye, Bledsoe, Jordan, etc. Yes, Paul, Butler, Williams all have deeper playoff runs under their belts, but the wild pogo stick business of that starting frontcourt is not a recipe for playoff success…but the Grizzlies have run out of chances to give games away to the Floppers.

Happy: The Grizzlies finally forced the Clips into a poor shooting percentage.

Sad: They still almost gave away the game.

Friday is yet another desperation game for the Grizzlies. A one-point loss and an OT loss in LA…why can’t they win one?