Post Game Thoughts - Sacramento

Mike Miller may want to tweak his new shoes just a bit.

Miller was wearing his personally designed shoes for the first time in Sacramento and had what can best be described as an off-night fouling out with 16 pts in only 32 minutes. Mike did hit the longest 3 pt shot I have ever seen him make. He was closer to the midcourt circle than the three point line.

but I digress. This game was all about three people: Poole, Delaney and Grillo.


Who are they you ask? The referees assigned to screw up the game by Stu Jackson. You remember Stu Jackson don't you?

Memphis was called for 32 fouls. In a 48 minutes game that is 2 fouls every three minutes. Of course this game was played over 53 minutes so it wasn't quite that bad but it was still pretty ridiculous. In overtime the Kings had one basket, one basket with a free throw and 4 foul shots. 5 of their 9 points came from the line.

In comparison the Kings were called for 20 fouls. The referees made sure that everyone knew they were the real stars of the game in overtime when they fouled out Miller for not running away from Kevin Martin (could it be his shoes?) and then completely ignored the mugging Kyle Lowry received on his drive to the basket.


I could go on and on about the poor officiating but it was obvious if you watched the game and unbelievable if you didn't. I promise not to talk about them anymore.

There were some positives to take from this game. A lot of positives actually. Who would have thought that Rudy and Mike would combine for 11 fouls (damn, I was supposed to put the refs behind me), 27 points, 8 rebounds and 8 turnovers and still Memphis had opportunities to win the game at the end of regulation and OT if the refs had called the fouls (oops, there I go again).

The Grizzlies are playing defense. I know that sounds strange and it probably shocked the refs which is why they called the game the way they did (damn I did it again) but Memphis held the sharp-shooting Kings to just 39.8% from the field and 23.3% from the field. If the Kings hadn't been next to perfect from the line (30-31) then the Grizzlies would have won this game easily.


Kyle Lowry was incredible. Damn close to superhero-esque as he nearly scored the game winning shot despite Anthony Johnson holding his off-arm and Mikki Moore clubbing his shooting arm on the last play (I'm trying guys). Kyle finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 fouls (sorry). His impact on the game was far more than the numbers however. Kyle played good defense, woke up the offense and was a difference maker every moment he was on the court. It is two bad he missed his last two free throws or he would have won the game in spite of the refs (I can't help myself).

Javaris Crittenton continues to look great nearly getting his first double-double with 13 pts, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. He really seems to be getting into a nice groove and shows a lot of promise for the future. For those keeping score at home that is 29 pts, 14 rebounds and 8 assists from the backup guards. Juan Carlos Navarro threw in 9 pts including a 3 pt shot bringing his season total to 138 3 pters made. He is twenty 3's short of the rookie record with 11 games remaining.


Hakim Warrick was unstoppable in the 1st half with 20 pts. While he cooled off after halftime he still led the team in scoring with 26 pts and 7 rebounds. Hak also set the most impressive pick of the season when he flattened Ron Artest on the final play of the game to free up Kyle for his foul plagued drive to the hoop.

I give up. You can't talk about this game and not mention that Rudy and Hak had 5 fouls each to go with Mike Miller fouling out. These guys aren't exactly reputed to be the most intense defensive players after all. Milicic and Kyle getting 4 fouls each is understandable but when your top three scorers have a combined 16 fouls you are going to struggle.

The good news is that since Minnesota lost as well Memphis is still tied with the TWolves for the 3rd worst record and the guaranteed top 7 draft pick and a great chance for a top 3 pick. The youngsters are playing great. At one point Memphis made a run with Conley (20), Crittenton (19), Rudy (21), Darko (22) and Hak (25) on the court. That is some serious youth playing some good basketball.

There is hope for the future if the refs would just get out of the way.



Or maybe it was Miller's shoes...

Interview with the Enemy: Sactown Royalty

Sactown Royalty's Tom Ziller is considered one of the best bloggers around the internet. He is a blogger for AOL Sports' Fanhouse as well as Sactown Royalty. I was most interested in this interview not only for Tom's well earned reputation but in the similarities between the two teams. Sacramento has been revuilding after a string of playoff appearances, has owners who seemed to want to move the team and are coached by a former player in his first season as a head coach in the NBA. Tom also asked me some questions that I answered (hopefully not as poorly as I answered Ryan Shwan at Hornets 24/7). Anyway, if you want to read the answers to Tom's questions, here is the link .

1) In the last few years Sacramento has lost Peja Stojakovic, Bonzi Wells, Mike Bibby and rumors are that Ron Artest is on the way out as well. Is Sacramento closer to the end of the rebuilding stage or the beginning?

Closer to the beginning, unfortunately. Trading Bibby was a huge step, though, in freeing up some backcourt minutes (for Udrih and Douby) and getting enough under the luxury tax to sign Udrih this summer. The team's still about a season from playoff contention, though.

2) The Kings seem to be putting together some nice pieces with Spencer Hawes, Quincy Douby, Kevin Martin, Francisco Garcia and Beano Udrih. They've accomplished this without the benefit of a top 3 draft pick and the supposed superstar status that comes with those picks. Do you believe that Sacramento can attract a Superstar or that one is needed on this team?

This team needs Martin to continue to improve, Hawes to become a 18/8 big man... and one more top-flight player to contend, along with keeping good defensive roleplayers who can score (like Salmons and Garcia) and adding a banger power forward/center to make up for Hawes's athletic deficiencies. Beno is an above-average offensive point guard, for suffers on defense and doesn't quite have that star-scorer streak. If they can get under the cap, they can attract a superstar. It's all ca$h in this game.


3) The Maloof Brothers, owners of the Kings, have been rumored to be moving the team to Las Vegas or some other more lucrative city. Have the rumors been detrimental to the cities support of the Kings?

The rumors have stopped as the league stepped in to take over negotiations. This team won't be moving in the next two years, I imagine, if at all. Honestly, we as fans are maybe half as worried as we were over the last several years.

4) What are you thoughts on Reggie's first season and do you believe he is the right coach to turn things around in Sacramento?

I think Theus has had a certain degree of difficulty involved, that being Ron Artest. The defense under Theus has been much worse than it should be, but his game tactics seem good. He's a decent coach at worst, I think.


I had to throw that picture in for our female readers!

Postgame Thoughts: Memphis vs. Sacramento - 3.22.08

Darko Milicic made a move from the elbow, ducked around Mikki Moore and finished with a sweet finger roll basket. That play almost single handedly described how well the Grizz were performing against Sacramento on Saturday night.

Juan Carlos Navarro followed up a strong game in NYC, where the fans were cheering for him more than the Knicks, with 6 three points baskets in 9 attempts in a 22 point effort. Many of the shots came late in the game when Sacramento was trying to steal the game.

Mike Conley looked as sharp as he has in weeks. His 10 pt, 6 assist game in under 28 minutes were huge in getting the Grizzlies off to a hot start and to keep Sacramento from getting too close late in the game. He moved the ball well, hit open shots when they presented themselves and was constantly breaking down the Kings defense with penetration in the lane.

Memphis won back to back games for the 2nd time this season and looked incredibly sharp in doing so. They have now won 3 out of 4 games as well. Normally that would be cause for some joy in Memphis but when the three wins came against teams competing with Memphis for ping pong balls in the upcoming lottery one has to question whether the desire to win isn't superseded by the logic of improving their chances of getting a top pick in the draft. So while plays like Milicic's finger roll combined with a 19 pt and 10 rebound game, or Navarro's 6 three point bombs or Conley's 10 pt, 6 assist game should make people pleased they also seemed to be working against the team's long term best interests.

However it only seems that way.

Memphis is not guaranteed anything by winning or losing this game. The team gained much needed confidence in both themselves and the system that they are playing under by winning this game. The argument that the team should be trying to lose as many games as possible is wrong. It may turn out that losing more games could have given the team a better draft pick, but it could just as easily turn out that winning these games allows the team to have a better draft pick. It may turn out that the player who gets drafted one spot ahead of the Grizzlies pick is a true difference maker in the NBA. It may be just as true that the player taken after the Grizzlies pick turns out to be the real star of the draft.

At this point we just don't know. What we do know is that the experience of playing a tough game and coming out on top is needed for the young Grizzlies. Lessons learned from this win may translate into more important wins in the future when games are more important. Bad teams stay bad from failing to learn the lessons from the positive outcome of games like these. Teams go from bad to good by learning how to win games like these. A team that starts 3 players under 23 years old and has two more under 22 that play significant minutes needs to learn how to win games as much as they need to worry about the outcome of ping pong balls in a machine.

And by the way, Minnesota beat the Knicks tonight so the win didn't drop the Grizzlies in the standings and has no effect on the lottery at all.

Memphis vs Sacramento - 3.22.08

Memphis got another monkey off it's back Friday night in NYC when Mike Miller, Rudy Gay and Juan Carlos Navarro combined for 75 points and the Grizzlies rolled to a 120-106 victory. Memphis now faces their 4th consecutive lottery bound team having won 2of the previous three games. The only drawback to the win was that it dropped the Grizzlies back into a tie with Minnesota for the 3rd worst record in the league and puts Memphis only 2 games ahead of the Knicks for 5th place.

Sacramento comes to town with revenge on their minds and a .500 record within thier reach. Memphis's defeat of the Kings on February 12th preceeded the Kings trading Mike Bibby to Atlanta and started what is likely to become a house cleaning of their own this summer. Reggie Theus, the Kings rookie head coach, has done an incredible job holding the team together despite numerous injuries and roster moves. To put things in perspective the Kings would be a playoff team in the East instead of 10 games out of the playoffs like they are right now. Sacramento is playing back to back road games after losing in San Antonio last night which may give them dead legs in this game.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Anthony Johnson
Anthony Johnson had solidified the starting PG role in Atlanta until just before the trade deadline. Suddenly he is Sacramento haveing to adjust to a new team and new coaching philosophy. The trade hasn't helped his game yet. His numbers are down across the board and they weren't that impressive to begin with. Beano Udrih's injury has forced AJ back into a starting role and he is playing better from that position. Mike Conley has struggled as well of late which is to be expected from a rookie PG. Teams have adjusted to his game and he has to adjust to those adjustments, probably for the first time in his career. One thing is clear, Mike is understanding he needs to take more outside shots and he has been hitting them of late as well.
Advantage: Memphis

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Kevin Martin
Mike Miller has been playing like a man on fire lately. Apparently Miller is over the mourning period of his good friend Pau Gasol being traded (and Miller not being as well). Against the Knicks Miller scored 24 pts in the 1st half on his way to a season high 34 points. Kevin Martin has been struggling with his outside shot and like most great scorers he has started taking the ball to the hoop to compensate. His 17 FT attempts against the Spurs. What is scary is that those 17 attempts were only his 5th highest attempts in a game this season for Martin. Earlier this month Martin had 24 attempts against Minnesota.
Advantage: Sacramento

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Ron Artest
A classic confrontation of defense vs offense. Ron Artest is one of the best defensive small forwards in the league, and he doesn't have to kick people in the fact either. After a disappointing December, Artest has steadily been improving his offensive play as well averaging over 23 ppg in March. Rudy Gay has struggled with two things lately. First, he has been thrust into the lead scorers role without much in the way of support. Second, he has been trying to overcome a tender hamstring which has limited his explosiveness. With Miller return and the hammy healing Rudy is again showing flashes of the star potential people have suggested he has.
Advantage: Sacramento

Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Mikki Moore
Mikki Moore is old, untalented but hard working. Hakim is young, talented and hard working. Unfortunately Hakim is also a lot smaller than Mikki Moore and if Moore decides to use his strength and size down low Warrick will struggle to stop him from doing whatever he wants. Hak's advantage is speed and range, being able to hit shots from up to 20 ft with consistency. Moore isn't an accomplished offensive player and struggles when put in that role.
Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Brad Miller
Darko once again saw his minutes severely restricted in NYC with the Knicks going small and Darko's left writst still hurting. Darko's up and down minutes have made it somewhat difficult for him to be consistent as have the injuries but Darko has been consistently above average against the better centers in the league. Brad Miller is certainly considered that. Miller's numbers are only slightly off his all star years in Chicago and Sacramento. Miller stretches defensse with his outside shot and sets terrifying picks on small guards. Darko will need to play smart, let people know of picks being set and most importantly, put a body on Miller to keep him off the boards. A tall order for anyone.
Advantage: Sacramento

Benches: Memphis vs Sacramento
Sacramento is going to want to rely on their bench a lot in this game. However, with Beano Udrih questionable, that may not be possible. John Salmons was playing well earlier in the season but his play has dropped off considerably. Quincy Douby, Francisco Garcia and Stephen Hawes are young but have a lot of potential. Memphis' bench is backcourt heavy with Navarro, Lowry and Crittenton providing the fire power and Collins giving his best defensively.
Advantage: Sacramento

Relevant Blogs:
Sactown Royalty - The end-all, be-all of Kings' commentary and analysis.

Post Game Thoughts - Sacramento

From Zack

Tonight, this is going to be short on substance. Look for more postgame impressions added in the morning.

--Tonight was a game of runs, with most of the scoring from both teams coming in bunches.

--Predictably, Kevin Martin had a big night....well, mostly 1st half. The Griz and Coach Iavaroni actually made some good half-time adjustments and kept Kmart in check in the 2nd half.

--Hak had a monster 2nd half, going nuts scoring and rebounding. Hak got the start to match the Kings size and keep Miller on Kmart as much as possible instead of Navarro. Although Hak couldn't make a shot in the 1st half, he kept at it and was clearly the difference maker tonight with his 2nd half play.

--The zone looked good tonight. Part of that, IMO, is that Hak and Navarro are good zone defenders who actually seem to have better defensive instincts when in a zone compared to man-to-man. Well, Navarro has good defensive instincts all the time, the zone just minimizes teams taking advantage of his size at SG. Hak was raised on the zone for 4 years in college. When we play zone, it should coincide to when Hak is on the court.

--Nice offensive balance tonight.

--Darko had hands made of Pre-Cambrian Granite tonight. In one sequence, he failed to catch like 3 or 4 straight passes. Can anyone tell me a center the Griz have had that actually had good, soft hands?

--The win snapped our 6 game losing streak. Much like last year, any win feels about 4 times better than it should. Even a win against the Kings at home.

--A few words about the Kings. I think they are better without Bibby and Artest on the floor. They should look to trade Bibby and Artest for a similar pu-pu platter of expiring contracts and draft picks that we got for Pau. It would be a better direction than keeping either of them around, IMO.

Rudy Gay shows off a seldom used post up game with his version of Darko's lefty hook-type shot. (Getty)

We won! I'm pumped! Go get 'em Grizzlies! (hat/tip to Tennessee Drew for the pic)

Chipc3's Perspective:

I love the smell of Nepalm in the morning. It smells like victory!

Tonight at times made me feel like Col. Kilgore in Apocalypse Now. A dominating single victory in the midst of losing a war. It was a great single game victory but the long term outcome for this season is already determined.

Hakim showed tonight that he can score in the NBA which he hasn't done since Pau left. It didn't hurt that Mikki Moore, who has to have the worst dreadlocks I have ever seen, seemed incapable of escaping the refs whistles. Was it just me or did Hakim actually trim his goutee?

Navarro has definately trimmed his smurk hair cut. I am sorry Juan Carlos but you look a lot better without the baby spiked hairdo. I think he found some maturity on the court when he got rid of the childish haircut personally. He also found his shot tonight and that made a huge difference in the game. Juan Carlos also appeared to have fun tonight. That too was missing since the trade of his buddy Gasol. I remember in particular one play when he just missed Hakim with a bounce pass in the lane that was tipped away at the last moment. He turned to the crowd and you could see just how close he thought that was with his expression. Is there another player in the league who expresses how happy he is playing basketball than Navarro? The bottom line tonight was that when Navarro in particular and Memphis as a whole hits their shots they play with any team in the league. When they don't...well they don't. Lately they haven't so tonight was a pleasant surprise.

Could it be the hair?

Speaking of surprises, Jason Collins did his best Ben Wallace imitation tonight from defending the paint like a beast, to missing free throws to his HAIR! My god Jason, you went to Stanford for goodness sake. You should know better than to go out in public like that.
Darko Milicic showed tonight what everyone has been talking about with him...and I mean everyone. He showed a nice offensive game, at times very offensive to the casual fan. He made some incredibly smart passes and some incredibly dumb turnovers. Basically he looked a lot like a 22 yr old kid who was still trying to figure out what he is capable of doing. Which of course is exactly what he is but I am still encouraged to wait and see what happens when he does figure it out. Darko's hair is starting to grow back from that freshman initiation hatchet job on his head too.

Maybe it is the hair.

It seems scary to think but Rudy Gay actually had an off night. Sure he scored 21 pts but he did so on 6-15 shooting while grabbing only 3 rebounds. The signature play of the game was when Rudy blocked John Salmons three point shot attempt near the end of the third quarter. He absolutely soared up to block the shot and the exploded down the court for a monster dunk! Of course he was fouled immediately after the block and the dunk didn't count but no one in the stands cared. It was a great play from a young man still learning what he is capable of doing in the NBA.

Brian Cardinal gave some impressive minutes tonight but had to make the bonehead play of the game too. Late in the game Sacramento scored a bucket and Artest stayed down low to do a mini-press on Conley. Apparently BC didn't realize it until after he started leaning into the court and you can guess what happened. Yes he stepped over the line before making the pass and the ref caught it. Talk about dumb.

There isn't a lot you can do with Cardinal's hair. It had to be the hair tonight.

The most encouraging thing I saw tonight was the attitude that this team isn't dead. It was as if the shock of the Gasol and Swift trades finally wore off and the team realized that this group of players was capable of winning without those two players. Memphis has a great assortment of young players still figuring out where they fit into the team and what it takes to win. They will have bad games but tonight showed what Wallace and Iavaroni want to develop. Given time I am optomistic that this group of players can develop into a fun team to watch.

Which only leaves the question "Who does their hair man?"

Memphis vs Sacramento - 2.12.08

SPECIAL DEAL! The Grizzlies are offering rebates for all ticket holders for the Milwaukee game last Tuesday that was affected by incliment weather. If you have a ticket from that game, used or unused, you can exchange it for seats of equal or lesser value depending on availability tonight. For more information follow this link.

Memphis has yet to come close to winning a game since the Gasol trade. Makes people kind of miss the days when the team was losing close games instead of being blown out. Still the Gasol trade had to be made. Now the team is in Rudy and Mike's hands and Rudy and the Grizzlies owe the Kings something after giving away the game in Sacramento. The team had the game in control before relaxing late and allowing the Kings back. Rudy Gay had a big game with 31 pts and 7 boards but dribbled the ball off his foot to seal the Grizzlies fate. Miller scored 18 and Navarro went for 10 but on 2-13 shooting. Milicic was just starting to assert himself with 7 pts and 6 boards but he has become a bigger player of late. Memphis will need to shoot well to have a chance however. The team's poor field goal shooting has more to do with the recent losses than any hangover from the Gasol trade.

Sacramento is not the same team the Grizzlies played on Jan. 10. Mike Bibby, Kevin Martin and Ron Artest are all back from injury and that brings veteran experience to the young squad. How long those veterans remain is another question all together. Bibby is supposed to be going to Cleveland and Artest to anyone who will take his attitude (which means the pickings are slim for his services). Since their return Sacramento has been playing much better. The team is 5-2 in their last 7 games and have wins over New Orleans and Utah in that stretch. Of course they also have a blowout loss to Seattle as well. Sacramento is going big with Mikki Moore and Brad Miller both starting with Artest, Bibby and Martin and breakout player John Salmons still produces well off the bench.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Mike Bibby
The once and future stars of the Grizzlies meet for the first time in this game. Bibby. the #2 pick for the Grizzlies in 1998, has been very solid since returning from his thumb injury. Conley. the #4 pick in the 2007 draft, has been as good as can be expected returning from his shoulder troubles. The two players couldn't be more different on the court. Bibby is considered a sharpshooter from long range with ice water in his veins in crunch time. Conley is a passer who can penetrate the lane, score with either hand or dish to an open man but has been sporadic with his outside shot. Conley's speed may give Bibby troubles but Bibby's physical style could create difficulties for Conley as well.
Advantage: Sacramento

Shooting Guards: Juan Carlos Navarro vs Kevin Martin
KMart is the Kings' leading scorer this season, averaging over 23 ppg and that is a problem for Navarro who has struggled with defending scorers but he has been improving. Since his return from injury KMart has been a little erratic as well scoring 5, 27 and 9 pts in his last three games. Navarro will need to make Martin respect him on the defensive end to prevent him from focusing all of his attention on the offensive end. Martin doesn't score as well when forced to play defense. Unfortunately Navarro has not been shooting well of late. In his last 5 games Navarro is shooting 26.1% from the floor and 20% from the arc.
Advantage: Sacramento

Small Forwards: Mike Miller vs Ron Artest
Mike Miller and Ron Artest have something in common. Neither player expects to be wearing thier team's uniform next season. In fact both don't expect to be wearing the same uniform after the trade deadline although it is likely both will. Artest is exactly the type of player who can take Miller completely out of his game. He is a physical defender who doesn't give an inch and Mike is the type of player who needs space to operate most efficiently. Artest has been putting up more points than usual this season as well as his recovery from injury has allowed him to be fresher than most of his opponents. Mike has been dragging lately as more weight is thrust on his shoulders to carry the team.
Advantage: Sacaramento

Power Forward: Rudy Gay vs Mikki Moore
Rudy Gay is not supposed to be as efficient at the power forward role as he was at the small forward but it would be difficult to prove on just appeareance. His scoring since Gasol was traded compared to before the trade is unchanged, his rebounding has improved to 8.6 rpg, his assists are up as well. His shooting percentage is down a bit but is still repectable as well. Mikki Moore is a physical monster who enjoyed playing the less physical Gasol in the paint. He may not be as effective with Gay spreading him all over the court. If Sacramento is able to get him the ball down low he may be able to manhandle Gay but that would be taking the ball out of Sacramento's shooters hands which has to be fine with the Grizzlies.
Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Brad Miller
Brad Miller has range that will force Darko away from the basket, bulk to overpower Rudy if the team tries to put Darko on Moore and the passing ability to keep everyone involved on his team while still getting enough shots himself to average nearly 15 ppg. His 22 pt, 10 rebound and 5 assist game against Memphis earlier this season should attest to how difficult a player he is to contain. Darko has been playing much better of late. He has averaged 11 ppg and 10.6 rpg since the trade including 3 straight double doubles for the first time in his career. Unfortuantely that was the first three games without Gasol. Since that streak he has been held below double figures in rebounds. Really upsetting is that he failed against Dallas without Dampier and New Orleans without Chandler. Brad Miller is the real deal and Milicic has to improve his board play and keep scoring to neutralize Miller's game.
Advantage: Sacramento

Benches: Memphis vs Sacramento
Sacramento's bench has been greatly improved with the return of their big three. Beno Udrih performed well as a starter but his future is as a bench player at best. John Salmmons is scary coming off the bench but his performance isn't as good in that role. With Memphis going small with Gay at the four don't be surprised to see Sacramento match that with Arterst on Gay and Salmons on Miller. Francisco Garcia has hurt his back however so that will thin the Kings bench out somewhat. Memphis's bench has been horrible of late. Lowry hasn't scored in double figures in three games and only has 4 assists in the last two games while shooting 2-9 fomr the field and shooting 18 of 29 from the charity stripe and hitting only 1 three pt shotin the last 5 games while having 11 turnovers. And he is the best player Memphis is bringing off the bench. Javaris Crittenton looks promising if out of control. Hakim Warrick has lost his shooting touch which was all he brought to the game. It's gotten so bad Brian Cardinal has been seeing action and actually performing well in limited minutes. The Collins/Brown combo at center has been disappointing so far.
Advantage: Sacramento

Opposing Views:
Sactown Royalty

Sacramento Postgame

From Zack

And the Curse Continues. The Sacramento road losing streak now stands at 18 games.

(Both Photos from AP)

Again, the Grizzlies couldn't come away with a victory in Sacramento, pushing the Sacto road losing streak to 18. Despite the bitterly disappointing loss, the game was quite exciting to watch from start to finish. I could have done without the last 45 seconds, I guess.

Here is how the deciding moments played out, with the Kings winning the game by playing the foul-game very well and correctly deciding to hold off on shooting a 3 with less than 24 seconds and down 3. After this game, I expect a lot of people to question Iavaroni's crunch time decisions (after looking at the messageboard, yep, here it is).

-- With 45 seconds to play and the Griz up 1, Rudy Gay nails a very tough 3-pointer.
-- In the next possession, the Kings attempt 2 3's and missed both. Eventually Salmons realizes they are wasting time and gets the easy layup to close the Griz lead to 2.
-- Pau is fouled and only makes 1 of 2. Griz up 3.
--With 18 seconds left, Douby makes a driving layup. Great call by the Kings to take the 2 over the 3 and the tie. That decision ends up winning them the game.
-- Conley is fouled and only makes 1 of 2. Griz up 2.
-- With time running out, Garcia makes a corner 3 to put the Kings up 1.
-- Rudy Gay dribbles the ball off his foot and out of bounds.
-- Game Over, Kings Win.

(AP)

Other Game Notes...

-- Rudy Gay Is Freaking Awesome! Yes, I know he left his man alone for a wide open game winning 3-pointer and then turned right around and fumbled away the ball while driving the baseline on the games deciding play. I am well aware of those 2 mistakes. But not counting the last 10 seconds, Rudy played a solid game. Rudy played especially great on the offensive end finishing with 31 points on 9-13 from the field, 4 of 7 from deep, and 9-10 from the line. Rudy has not been good at getting to the charity stripe consistently this year, so 10 FT attempts is very encouraging. It really looks like there is no shot Rudy can't hit on offense. The growth and maturation of Rudy Gay is certainly the story of the year for the Grizzlies this season.
(Photo from Getty)

-- Rudy Gay's Under-the-Radar Steal Streak Continues. Rudy has now had at least 1 steal in 20 straight games. It was November 28th the last time Rudy didn't get a steal in a game. Nice. Maybe I'm mistaken, but has this been mentioned outside of this blog?

-- Deactivation? After it was suggested that Kyle should be deactivated for his poor play of late, tonight Kyle comes out and played as good as he has in weeks. Here is his stat line:

8 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 turnover, +8 plus/minus in 18 minutes.

He was actually at +15 on plus/minus until Iavaroni uncharacteristically put him in for Navarro at the end of the game on defensive possessions. Iavaroni has not been one to make very many offensive/defensive substitutions this year in crunch time. I like the idea behind putting Kyle in on defense, then Navarro in on offense in the closing minutes. It just didn't work out very well this game.

-- Other Team's Announcers Always Love Mike Miller. Saw the Kings feed tonight and every time I see the other teams feed, their announcers are always in love with Mike Miller. Both the Kings TV and radio guys loved Miller. In fact, there was even a short interview with the Kings radio guy for nothing else but to praise Mike Miller. Weird. The Rocket announcers also come to mind when seeing other teams announcers talk about Mike like a regular All-Star. Miller is good - and tonight was one of his better games with him scoring a very efficient 18 points with very few missed shots - but I always get the impression from other teams announcers that he is on the All-NBA team or something. Too bad announcers can't tell their respective GM's how much to offer us for Miller in a trade. We may end up with T-Mac straight up. :)

-- Stupid Offensive Rebounds. Although neither team had any 2nd chance points in the 1st half, the 14 offensive rebounds by the Kings was ultimately a primary reason why the Kings won.

-- Tightened Rotation. Only 8 players played tonight, with Hak, Kyle and Navarro as the only players coming off the bench. I certainly like to see the shorter rotation. Interesting to see Hak play over Stro. Is Stro hurt or sick? Anyone know?

-- Bench Redemption. After being criticized for a lack of production, the bench stepped up tonight and played good. JC, Kyle and Hak combined for 24 points and 13 assists and all 3 were in the positive in plus/minus.

-- Former Griz, "Bad Thing" Dahntay Jones Fouls Out in 9 Minutes. Hahahahahahahahahahaha. Yep, that is the Dahntay I remember.

-- Pick and Roll Defense Sucks! @!#$%*^%&^@! I don't think a postgame commentary would be complete without me voicing my displeasure at the way we defend the pick-and-roll. Even a Beno, Mikki Moore combination can kill us with the pick-and-roll. Communication between the guard and bigman is horrible. I'm not even sure if everyone is one the same page about how to defend the pick-and-roll. Beno-Mikki? Really? We can't even slow down a freaking Beno-Mikki ran pick-and-roll? Beno-Mikki? Beno Udrih? Mikki Moore? Ugh!!! @!!$@#$%$%^&*#$%#@!!!

Quoted

Rudy Gay on leaving Garcia open for the game winning trey:

"It was just a bad play on my part. I should've stuck with my man. Mike had him on lockdown. At that point, he was dribbling the ball and it was kind of unorthodox. I was trying to get the steal."

Rudy Gay on dribbling off his foot:

"I thought somebody got a hand on it. I haven't done that a lot this year. Especially at that point in the game, I don't think I'd dribble the ball out of bounds."

Micheal Conley on the game and the closing minutes:

"We didn't execute our plays the way we were supposed to. They took away a couple of our No. 1 and No. 2 options. We needed to go to a third and we weren't ready for it. They just played tougher down the stretch and came back and hit some big shots. We couldn't get a couple of big rebounds. They got a couple of offensive rebounds that really hurt us and turned into points for them. There were a lot of big plays down the stretch and they just made one more than we did."

Getty Captures the Moment - Double Serving of the "La Bomba"

Memphis at Sacramento - 1.10.08

Memphis found out that the Lakers are more than just Kobe Tuesday night as the LA big men harassed the interior and Derek Fisher shredded the nets for 26 pts on 5-5 shooting from the arc (all with his mom watching from the stands). Now the Grizzlies take the road against suddenly hot Sacramento to start a three game road trip that ends Sunday with the Lakers again. Mike Conley got a lot of attention for his first three starts but he looked like a 20 yr old rookie against Fisher who forced Conley into a 5-15 shooting night by playing intelligent defense as well. The 'MG's' (Miller, Gasol and Gay) struggled most of the night despite Gasol's double-double (18 & 12), Miller's 19 pts, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Rudy struggled most of the night and only Gasol played well in the first half as the Lakers pulled away. early foul trouble for Darko and Rudy didn't help things either.

Sacramento should have a record no better than that of Memphis; with the team's top three players out, it never appears a remotely fair fight before the tip. Somehow, some way, this team fights. The Tuesday win over Orlando was a perfect example: There is no defender in Sacramento save injured Ron Artest who can stop Rashard Lewis, but for the first half of the game quick defensive rotations and good jump outs prevented Shard from going off. He ended up getting his because, as I said, no one on this team can stop him. It could be the same deal with Rudy Gay or Pau Gasol: No one can stop them, but the Kings on the court will try their best to do so. Some nights, it's enough. On offense, look for the Kings to be really active. The team flew and flung the ball around against Orlando, working hard to get Dwight Howard out of position. It worked for three quarters, until turnovers caught up with Sacramento. They will turn the ball over plenty, with Mikki Moore's lack of opposable thumbs and John Salmons' traveling the typical culprits. Salmons, Beno Udrih, Francisco Garcia and Quincy Douby can and will shoot from deep; as Memphis fans surely recall, Brad Miller can step out, too. Moore has been relegated to deep pick-and-roll and mop-up duty, but he's susceptible to mini-runs of energetic ecstacy. If he gets a putback dunk and follows with a scream, look out.

These Two Teams are Similar Stats:
-- The Griz are 2-2 in their last 4 games, but lost 5 in a row before that.
-- The Kings are 2-2 in their last 4 games, but lost 4 in a row before that.
-- The Griz are outscored by an average of 4.2 points per game, the Kings by 3.0.
-- Both teams allow a higher FG% than they shoot themselves.
-- Both teams have 5 conference wins and 4 road wins.

Rudy's Below-the-Radar Steal Streak: Rudy Gay has now been credited with at least 1 steal in each of his last 19 games.

Zack's Keys

-- Successful plays when Pau is double teamed. The Kings do not have the personnel to cover Pau one-on-one. I expect they will double Pau most of the game.
-- It is better to take than to give. Chris Herrington has talked lately of turnover differential being a primary cause for the poor record. The Grizzlies are 4th to last in the league in turnovers per game and allow the opponents the fewest turnovers per game. Another manifestation of the same problem is the Griz being last in steals per game and while also giving up the most steals per game. Against a Kings team without Artest, the Grizzlies have a great opportunity to commit below average number of turnovers.
-- More communication on defense. If I had to put my finger on one aspect that is hurting our defense the most (beside lack of quality NBA defenders) it would be the lack of defensive communication. The Kings are a terrible team when it comes to assisted field goals, which may be a good sign for our defensive fortunes. Though I'd still like to see more communication on such things as screens and backdoor cuts.

One thing to remember. The Memphis Grizzlies have never won in Sacramento and the franchise hasn't won since 1998. The Grizzlies already won for the first time ever in Indiana this year. Now would be a good time to end the streak in Sacramento.

Matchups

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Beno Udrih
When San Antonio traded Udrih it was because he never found his role as a back up in San Antonio. Well he has found one as a starter in Sacramento. He seems more confident in running the offense and shooting the ball of late and has filled in more than adequately for Bibby. The 6-3 Slovenian guard has been averaging almost 14 ppg and nearly 5 assists this season. While not exactly all-star numbers they are definitely solid. Conley is still learning the ropes pretty much. Outstanding speed and court awareness has given Conley the starting role but there is still a lot to learn for the 20 yr old from Ohio St. Expect Udrih to play off Conley due to his lack of foot speed daring Mike to shoot.
Advantage: Sacramento

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs John Salmons
Salmons has been a pleasant surprise filling in for the injured Kevin Martin. However Memphis may be catching a break here as Salmon's numbers are much better on the road than at home. Salmons is as effective scoring as Mike Miller hitting 51% of his FG attempts and a stupid 47% from the arc as a starter. Unlike Miller Salmons also has very quick hands resulting in 1.8 spg. Miller has been stepping forward more and more of late as his assists have really begun to move up. While only 3rd in scoring on the team Miller is hitting the shots he takes and moving the ball very well. Miller's production does decline on the road however and Sacramento is a tough place to play.
Advantage: Sacramento

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Francisco Garcia
Rudy Gay has shown the ability to start hot and stay hot as many players do. Of late he shown the mental toughness to start cold and shoot his way out of it. That is rare for NBA players. Rudy has been the consistent go to guy and at times he forces shots he shouldn't. Francisco Garcia has started to play better since moving into the starting role. In the last 5 games (all starts) Garcia is averaging 17.2 ppg on 46% shooting and 40% from the arc. He has grabbed 5.8 rebounds and averages 1.2 apg, 1.0 spg and 0.6 bpg. Not all star numbers but solid for the 3rd yr pro who had done little to justify his draft spot previously.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Pau Gasol vs Mikki Moore
Mikki Moore is a 7 ft journeyman who understands that his best approach is to be intimidating because pure talent alone won't get him very far. He can punish teams that ignore him with thunder dunks and if you let him he will try and get into your head but there isn't a lot of true ability behind the facade. His real strength is getting to offensive rebounds and keeping possessions alive. Gasol has plenty of ability but he has a reputation of being intimidated easily and for giving up offensive rebounds but Gasol has had a lot of success against Moore in the past too. A strange paradox. Since Gasol called out the team in the press expect a big effort on his part in this game.
Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Brad Miller
Brad Miller continues to show you don't have to be a high draft pick to perform well in the NBA. The former undrafted Boilermaker is one of the very few players to be an all-star from both conferences. Miller will be 32 this season and the pounding seems to be taking its toll but he is still capable of hitting double-doubles most nights and there isn't a more physical and intelligent big in the game. Darko continues to mature in the starting role and seems to have put most of the sprained thumb problems behind him. He still has trouble catching some passes but he understands his role in the defense and will exploit any team trying to cheat two bigs over on Gasol. The problem has been his propensity to start the game in foul trouble and Miller is sure to attack him early to continue that trend. How long Darko plays will determine who will win the match up.
Advantage: Sacramento

Benches: Memphis vs Sacramento
Here is where things get dicey for both teams. With SAR, KMart, Bibby and Artest on the injured list Sacramento is already reaching deep into their bench for starters but Quincy Douby, Dahntay Jones, Kenny Thomas and rookie Spencer Hawes are all capable of having decent games or at least good stretches in games. However none of them can be counted on to provide a punch off the bench. Memphis's bench is just as erratic although they can't use the injury excuse. Navarro and Lowry are rookies and playing like ones looking more tired and less confident every game. Stro is still Stro which means sporadic contribution at best. Hakim Warrick should see some action in this game as the Kings have little offensively off the bench to keep Warrick seated. Don't be surprised to see Damon Stoudamire suit up as well. Memphis may want his long distance threat out there.
Advantage: Memphis

Relevant blogs/websites:
Sactown Royalty
Special thanks to Tom Ziller for his insights into the Sacramento team. It was most appreciated.