Grizzlies Win 1st Regular Season Game
Grizzlies depth was too much for the Hawks
By Ronald Tillery
November 5, 2004
Hawks-92
Grizzlies-111
Gasol shoots the hook-shot, as he grabbed Player of the Game honors after the game
Hubie's philosphy of the 10-man rotation came in handy once again for the Grizzlies as they turn it up a notch in the 4th quarter to pull away against the Hawks. The Grizzlies had 8 players in double figures last night as their depth continued to bother the Hawks.
Atlanta did not have enough players to contain the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies kept running and running to tire out the Hawks and they finally we're too tired to guard anyone. The game was very close early on as the Hawks led after the 1st quarter 20-18. "In the 1st quarter, they we're forcing us to play the type of style they wanted to play, which was slow the pace down. After that, we turned our defense up a notch and we just start running the rest of the game," Mike Miller said.
The Grizzlies scored 34 pts in the 2nd quarter and went on a 15-2 run during that spurt. Memphis led 52-43 at the end of the 1st half, as the Hawks we're frustrated with their defensive effort against the Grizzlies. "It was a terrible effort out there for us. We played 1 good quarter and that was it from then on. Their depth is amazing," Jason Terry said. Terry was one of the few sparks the Hawks had in this game as he had a game-high of 31 pts and 12 asts. Rookie Josh Childress scored 21 pts for the Hawks as he continued his great rookie season.
Bonzi gets the easy dunk on the fastbreak
Erick Dampier was one of the key factors in tonight's game as well. He filled up the lane with us huge body and finished the game with 12 pts, 11 rebs and 3 blks. "I love it here in Memphis. The fans are loyal to the team and they love me here. I want to be here for a long time. We played great tonight and I want to do my best to keep this winning up," Dampier said.
Grizzlies move to 1-0 this season as the Hawks are 1-3. Memphis are in Salt Lake City tonight to take on the Utah Jazz.
Team Stats
Grizzlies
Points-111
Bench Scoring-40
Field Goals-40/78
3-Point-4/10
Free Throws-27/28
Rebounds-44
Blocks-5
Steals-10
Assists-22
Turnovers-15
Hawks
Points-92
Bench Scoring-20
Field Goals-41/80
3-Point-7/29
Free Throws-3/4
Rebounds-29
Blocks-2
Steals-5
Assists-22
Turnovers-14
Player Stats:
Grizzlies
J. Posey-18 pts, 4 rebs, 3 asts
P. Gasol-16 pts, 11 rebs
J. Williams-13 pts, 7 asts
E. Dampier-12 pts, 11 rebs, 3 blks
M. Miller-12 pts, 4 asts
B. Cardinal-12 pts, 2-3 3PFG
S. Swift-11 pts, 5 rebs
B. Wells-11 pts
Hawks
J. Terry-31 pts, 12 asts
J. Childress-21 pts, 4 rebs
J. Smith-10 pts
A. Harrington-10 pts
_____________________________________________________________
Memphis @ Utah
November 5, 7:30 PM
Grizzlies, 1-0; Jazz, 0-2.
Back-to-Back-to-Back!
Grizzlies are showing the league that they are a playoff bound team
Last night, the Grizzlies performed as if they we're teammates for a decade. The chemistry was there, the sold-out crowd was like wild animals, the arena was rocking, and the Grizzlies depth was unbelievable.
The Grizzlies had a total of 8 players with double figures in last night's game and Hubie's 10 man rotation tortured the Hawks late in the game. "This was a very important game for us because with this win we now know how each other play. Everyone works hard on the court and it's a team effort, Gasol said.
Tonight, the Grizzlies are playing one of the many back-to-back games. The Grizzlies wil have 3 more straight games coming up after tonight's game against the Jazz. "We are already experiencing the toughest part of our schedule. For us to play these many games at the start of the season is a joke, but we aren't going to let that bring us down," Posey said.
The Grizzlies matchup tonight against the Utah Jazz who have a surprisingly 0-2 record to start the season. "Don't let that record fool you at all. This is one of the tougher teams in the West and you can expect a very hard fought game from them tonight," Hubie said.
After acquiring both Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, the Jazz have av ery tough frontcourt featuring Okur, Boozer and all-star Andrei Kirilenko. Kirilenko leads the team in scoring with 22.5 ppg and also grabs 7.5 rpg. In Okur's 2 games with the Jazz, he is averaging 11.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg. Boozer averages are 10.5 ppg and 8 rpg.
Utah is the 3rd to last in the league in scoring, only scoring 87.5 ppg a contestm while they give up 102.5 ppg.
Key Matchup:
Grizzlies front-line vs. Jazz front-line
This will be an all out war in the paint tonight as Dampier, Gasol and Posey take on Okur, Boozer and Kirilenko. It's front-line vs. front-line and both of these teams have worked hard to get a solid front-line during the off-season. The Grizzlies front-line averages a total of 46 pts, 26 rebs and 5 blks. The Jazz front-line averages a total of 44.5 ppg, 21 rpg and 3 bpg. This will be a very exciting match-up for the fans. Utah will have the advantage as they will host their first home-game of the season and you can expect a sold-out crowd.
Probable Starters:
Grizzlies
C-Erick Dampier- (3 BPG)
PF-Pau Gasol- (11 RPG)
SF-James Posey- (18 PPG)
SG-Mike Miller- (4 APG)
PG-Jason Williams- (7 APG)
Jazz
C-Mehmet Okur- (1 BPG)
PF-Carlos Boozer- (8 RPG)
SF-Andrei Kirilenko- (22.5 PPG)
SG-Matt Harpring- (13.5 PPG)
PG-Carlos Arroyo- (4 APG)
- Ronald Tillery: 555-5555