Game Thread: Grizzlies @ Hawks -- 3/13

[Jamaaliver]

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The Grizzlies are fun again...at least for now. Memphis is currently in a stretch of success not common this season. They have not been on a three game winning streak since November, and have only enjoyed five such streaks (three or more wins in a row) since the start of LAST season.

the main thing to watch as Memphis takes on the young Hawks in Atlanta:

Conley vs. Young

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The last time these two teams played on October 19th, the Grizzlies beat the Hawks 131-117 and while Trae Young outscored Mike Conley 20-16, it is fair to say that Mike got the better of the rookie. Both Conley and Young are playing their best basketball of the season, and it should make for a fun showdown between the two point guards.

Grizzlies -- SB Nation

[HMFFL]

Hawks are a 2 point underdog.

I doubt Dallas or Memphis loses more games than us so Chicago winning all of their games is key.

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[Jamaaliver]

I still can't understand why Memphis is trying to win and convey their lottery pick to Boston now.

Seems like you'd want a later pick to convey when they are contending for the playoffs. Is this a sign that an even more blatant tankathon is coming to Tennessee beginning next season?

[ducler]

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[lethalweapon3]

It’s a Must Win(TM, all rights reserved) tonight!

You heard that right, fans, your Atlanta Hawks need to come away with at least one more score than the Memphis Grizzlies (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in both ATL and MEM) by the end of the 48th minute. Heck, around the corner, Atlanta United can only wish they were in such good shape.

What’s that? Oh, no doubt, I can hear the disdain out there in the din. My Tanxious Ones, hear me out!

The comfort of our team playing within the league’s biggest Tank Bubble (now even wider, at 9.0 games) has given way to sweaty palms. And rightfully so, now that there is no longer a firewall between our dear Hawks and whoever shows up these days to play for those wascally Dallas Mavericks.

If your Tank-tennae were raised over the weekend when wunderkind Luka Doncic (last 7 games: 26.9 3FG%, 58.2 FT%) said he sensed a pop in his team’s chances to keep their -- oh, wait, sorry -- in his knee, that was completely understandable. With or without their rookie star healthy, the Mavs have now dropped six straight. And, to many an astute observer, it appears as if Dallas is going to park their season’s win tally at 27. That’s only four more W’s, currently, than our 3-Feet-High-and-Rising Hawks (23-45).

But do you recall a couple weeks back, when the Suns set in Atlanta for their 17th consecutive defeat, and there was no telling whether we’d get somewhere into next season before Phoenix would win their next game? No one foresaw them rattling off five wins in a seven-game stretch, especially not a home win over Milwaukee and a road win in Golden State’s house.

Even with Kevin Love’s return, could you fathom the Cavaliers (1-18, in a spiral that continued until late January) winning five games, not even a month removed from the All-Star Break, including a victory against Toronto?

They weren’t quite Dancing on a Ceiling, yet Lionel Richie and the Bulls (2-17 in a similar nosedive to the Cavs’) won five of their first eight after the Break, too (Truly!), before just recently slowing their own roll.

The Atlanta-Dallas firewall disintegrated not just because of the freefalling Mavs, but because the Grizzlies and Wizards have elected to throw Tank-caution to the wind. With J.B. Bickerstaff finally coaching like his job depended upon it, the Grizz (28-40) swept a three-game homestand at the FedEx Forum (beating playoff hopefuls Portland, Dallas, and Orlando) to come into tonight’s contest having won four games in their last five (including a 111-81 trouncing of the Mavs), five games in seven.

This is not the best time to be a traveling bluesman out on Beale Street. It was supposed to be a great time to make some money singing about the woes of the Grizzlies. Adopted son Marc Gasol Grumbled 'n Groveled his way out of town. The back end of this season was supposed to evolve around the development and elevated responsibilities of lotto rookie Jaren Jackson, Jr. But a quad injury that has the big man sidelined indefinitely has scuttled those plans.

Likely to feel exiled following the Gasol trade, ex-Raptor Jonas Valanciunas currently finds himself flanked in the frontcourt by Joakim Noah, Chandler Parsons and Ivan Rabb. The big restricted free agent pickup from the offseason, Kyle Anderson, hasn’t played since January, and he may have had his season ended early due to a persistently sore shoulder.

Dillon Brooks (toe surgery) hasn’t played since January, either, and likely won’t. As for Delon Wright, Avery Bradley, Justin Holiday, and C.J. Miles? They all seemingly just got here. Oh, Tyler “Mr. March” Dorsey, too. To the Grizzlies’ backcourt, “chemistry” is supposed to be a subject that unsuspecting pole vaulters will flunk in their first semester at Hoity Toity U.

To hear fans tell it, Coach JB was supposed to be a goner once Memphis’ 12-5 start melted into a sub-.500 record. Well before a 2-17 hibernation by the Blue Bears that lasted right up to the start of February. Given the sense that there hasn’t been a light bulb on at Grizzlies Inc. in some time, Bickerstaff’s hot seat remains stuck on “Charred, but Medium Well” status.

Bruno Caboclo is a starter now. I repeat, Bruno Caboclo is starting in The Association. This is supposed to be a line in a sad, sad song, one that you can still find a way to tap your toe and slap your knee to.

And yet… go take a quick image search of the last several games in Memphis. Look at the unabated joy on the faces of Mike Conley, the teammates, and especially, the fans in the stands. Nobody’s hollering at anybody about what to do or not do with their knees or anything like that. Look at the guys on the bench dancing around, the eagerness of players to help fallen players up after an And-1. All that’s missing in the pics is Terry Tate, Office Linebacker, presenting a birthday cake.

All of this is because Conley is out here living his best life.

Maybe there was a time this season for The Conductor to score a career-high 40 points against the Blazers, key a 17-2 closing run to stun the Magic, dish out a season-high 11 assists to outlast Utah, and win Western Conference Player of the Week honors for the first time in his illustrious career. But that time wasn’t supposed to be March. Not with the way this team was playing just over a month before.

Rather, Conley (career-high 20.6 PPG), Memphis' last surviving Grit 'n Grinder, has embraced his teammates, new and not-so-new. The newest “Last Name 20, First Name 10,” Valanciunas ($17.6 million Player Option this summer; 18.5 PPG and 8.8 RPG w/ MEM) has performed well and consistently enough to make Grizz fans quietly mutter, “Marc Who?” Bradley, meanwhile, has convinced himself that he’s DPOY material, tag-teaming with Conley to make life for opposing backcourts miserable.

Conley has rediscovered his clutch gene, having scored 10.1 PPG in fourth quarters since the All-Star Break. Only one soul in the entire NBA has matched that – oh, hi there, Trae Young (10.1 fourth-quarter PPG post-Break, tied-1st among players w/ 3+ games). Young (43.5 FG%, 42.9 3FG%, 82.4 FT%) isn’t scoring as efficiently as Conley (56.8 FG%, 41.2 3FG%, 88.9 FT%), specifically in 2-point territory, during this stretch, although Atlanta’s young sorcerer is drawing raves (and extra defenders) with his passing touch (NBA-high 3.2 fourth-quarter APG, to Conley’s 1.8).

Thanks largely to Conley, there is unbridled joy in Memphis about an all-but-certain non-playoff team with an uncertain future. It’s a heart-warming story. It’s refreshing, downright inspirational. And, it needs to end. Like, tonight. Why?

Tell me, Hawks fans, do you personally like Danny Ainge? Trick question, of course you don’t. Would you like him and his Celtics more with Sacramento’s lottery pick, plus the Clippers pick and their own in the upcoming NBA Draft? Yeah, that would be a “hell to the naw.”

Okay, now how about one MORE lottery pick, courtesy of the Grizzlies (pick is Top-8 protected; Top-6 protected in 2010, unprotected in 2021), that Ainge can perhaps use to finesse his way up in the Draft, maybe even leapfrogging doing-it-the-right-way tank teams like Atlanta? Exactly. Barf bags are in the compartment in front of you.

Chris Wallace may indeed have 99 problems, but a pick ain’t one. Whether the edict is coming from, or more likely through Memphis’ on-paper GM, it has been made clear as mud pie: Do Not Tank To Save Us a 2019 Draft Pick. The Grizzlies want to go ahead and get this conveyance business over with, in 2019, so yahoos like me aren’t summoning the Ghost of Jeff Green in game previews next year or beyond.

Following through with the directive, Conley and the Grizzlies (0.5 games ahead of #6 lotto spot Dallas; 1.0 game behind #9 lotto spot New Orleans) may happy-go-lucky their way right on out of this Draft, and in the process allow Dallas to move ever-so-closer to the Hawks in the Tankonia standings, which would be fine so long as we could be assured that they stay exactly there.

Atlanta already did their part in helping the Grizzlies along, way back in October, in the second game of the year. The Hawks flew into Graceland and gifted Memphis with 77 first-half points along the way to a 131-117 defeat at the hands of the hosts.

Despite Young’s 3-A-and-D contributions (4-for-9 3FGs, 9 assists, plus a block and a steal sprinkled in there), and 28 points plus 3 thefts from Taurean Prince (more on him in a bit), Atlanta did not have enough John Collins (10 rebounds and 4 blocks, plus 23 points in Sunday’s home win over New Orleans). Or any of him yet, for that matter.

One could be mean and suggest the Hawks needed a little less Dorsey (minus-6 in 12 bench minutes vs. MEM on Oct. 19; 7.1 MPG in 7 appearances w/ MEM so far, but back from a G-League assignment), like he’s some cowbell or something. In reality, the culprits in the Hawks’ slide that day were DeAndre’ Bembry (team-high 5 TOs, 3-for-6 FTs) and some dude named Miles Plumlee off the bench. Among the starters, former Grizzlie (former a lot of things, really) Vince Carter (minus-18 in 20 minutes) struggled to gain traction.

Bembry, Carter and Kent Bazemore have been far better two-way sparks of late, while Collins has been quite the supernova himself in closing quarters (3.4 4th-quarter RPGs post-Break, 3rd in NBA; 8.4 4th-quarter PPGs post-Break, 7th in NBA, on 67.6 FG% and 91.7 FT%). Also in Coach Lloyd Pierce’s starting lineup with Young, Prince and Collins, we’ll gladly take as many threapings of Kevin “Banana Puddin’” Huerter (27 points, 7-for-11 2FGs, 4-for-7 3FGs) as we can make room for.

Defensively, the Hawks can handle a big night from Conley and Big Valley, so long as Memphis’ supporting cast isn’t also going off. And, vice versa. Dewayne Dedmon and the Hawks’ wings can do what they can to contain Valanciunas and Conley, respectively, but Atlanta’s scoring leaders also have to make defensive plays to render folks like Bradley (16.6 PPG, 41.7 3FG%) and Noah ineffective.

So, you all remember Tankbuster Taurean last year? Put on his cape and carried the Hawks to wins over playoff teams Boston and Washington at season’s end? Remember how the Mavericks closed out 2018 at 2-11 to scooch into a tiebreaker scenario with the Hawks, a coin flip that the Mavs… “won”? Turned out, we were all happy Hawks fans just a month later, and not just because our hair grew back.

So, I’ve got five letters for all us Tanxious fans in the Hawkiverse: C-H-I-L-L (don’t listen to Aa-Rod, he’s a Bucks fan anyways). After bad flops versus the Grizzlies and Nets, the Mavs have shown a propensity to willingly compete in recent games with each of the past four Ls, including at home this week against the Rockets and Spurs, coming by single-digit margins.

As was the case with the Cavs, Suns and Grizz, a current losing skid doesn’t portend the complete waving of the white flag for the season. Carlisle and Company competitanking will flip a few Ls in Dallas’ upcoming schedule (including some home-friendly foes, plus an April back-to-back with Memphis) into Ws. And a few more Mav Ws is all the Hawks will need.

Atlanta built up the Tank Bubble, and that 4.5-game cushion with Dallas, so that not every victory should feel like The Day After Tomorrow for Hawks fans. Especially not a victory, today, versus a Grizzlies team that’s getting a bit too big for its britches, one that just needs a loss or two to turn back in a favorable direction.

Okay, Grizzlies, you’re all making way too much noise. Here... come sit by me.


Let’s Go Hawks!
~lw3

[HMFFL]

^
I just read all of that.
Nice job!


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[benhillboy]

Seems like my Hawks haven’t played in forever. I need my Trae passing fix dammit.

[IheartTHEhurt]

These kids... Fckn wow wow wow

[DirtybirdGA]

The Hawks are Sherwin Williams, they are working that paint.... uh-huh huh.

[DirtybirdGA]

Miles may set a team record for 3s made.

[IheartTHEhurt]

I would not complain if Noah sighned with the Hawks off the bench.. that guy still has a massive motor

[IheartTHEhurt]

I would not complain if Noah sighned with the Hawks off the bench.. that guy still has a massive motor

[Night Traen]

The only thing keeping me calm (chill?) about not tanking is lethalweapon3's post.

[kg01]

F tha Grizzle-cats, mayne. Atleast kinda show up.

[benhillboy]

Bembry has some of the highest quality blocks in the league. I don’t know why they keep trying him. Leave Kevin open is rule one of Memphis’ tanking plan lol.

Supes you my boy, never understood your hate for Len. He’s an awesome BU.

[observer1995]

If Huerter wants to be, he can be Hayward esque (when healthy version that is). If he doesn't want it than he's more Batum like at mainly SG.

[King Ken]

This is just one of those amazing OMG games!

[benhillboy]

I’m gonna call the Grizz to see if they need me. I don’t want no 10 day though, 3rd year option.

[King Ken]

Hawks are a 2 point underdog.

I doubt Dallas or Memphis loses more games than us so Chicago winning all of their games is key.

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2 point underdogs?

[peoriabird]

Perfect stat line for everyone...Everyone except Bazemore.