Memphis Game Preview
Here's the Bill Simmons Eastern Conference preview. I'll just let Bill describe tonight's opponent, the Memphis Grizzlies, from his West preview of a few days ago:
8. Memphis Grizzlies
(I'm sorry ... I can't resist.)
"Okay, you're Hubie Brown. You have an underrated point guard in Jason Williams, a guy who LED THE LEAGUE in assists-to-turnover ratio. He can push the ball and create scoring opportunities for his teammates. You have athletic bodies in Lorenzen Wright and Stromile Swift, two guys with TREMENDOUS upside potential who can rebound and finish. You have a seven-footer with some upside in Jake Tsakalidis. You have two guys who love doing the Little Things in James Posey and Shane Battier. You have two terrific shooters in Mike Miller and Wesley Person, guys who can EXTEND THE DEFENSE and create space for Pau Gasol. And in Gasol, you have a horse who commands double teams and scores two ways, either FACING THE BASKET or with his BACK to the basket.
"Now, you know your team is gonna come to play every ... single ... night. You're deep, you can run, and you can defend. And Gasol gives you a GENUINE OFFENSIVE OPTION at crunch-time, someone who is ready to take his game to the next level. You also know that, if you are close in February, Jerry West will make a move to PUSH YOU over the top. You aren't even thinking regular season upside anymore ... you are thinking PLAYOFF upside."
Yes, the inimitable Hubie Brown will be pacing the sideline tonight in Memphis as he tries to mold his collection of promising young players into a cohesive, winning team. In the East they would have a shot at the playoffs. In the West, they don't. It should be interesting to see how some of the new/young players respond to playing on the road. Can Vin Baker deal with the pressure and distractions of not having the crowd behind him as he did at the Fleet on Wednesday?