DOUBLE LOSS
GRIZZLIES’ WIN STREAK SNAPPED BY SPURS; GASOL INJURED.
Got a candle? You might light it. Or go pick up one of those magic potions at A. Schwab.
This is the South, so a prayer chain could be in order.
Would a laying on of hands be too extreme?
Marc Gasol will be having an MRI exam on his left knee Saturday. Griz fans will be hoping for some good news.
COLUMNIST
“I don’t know what his status is,” said Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger. “He has a sprained knee and will get an MRI.”
Joerger’s comments came in the wake of a 102-86 loss to the Spurs on Friday night, and I think I speak for Memphians everywhere when I say that team from San Antonio is getting to be a real pain.
“They have our number,” said Tony Allen.
Said Zach Randolph: “Shoot, what can you do? They do everything right.”
Once upon a time, the Grizzlies knocked the Spurs out of the playoffs. They have been paying for it ever since.
The Grizzlies were swept out of the playoffs by San Antonio last year. They were
Without (Marc Gasol), we turn into a makeshit team.”
Tony Allen, Grizzlies forward
blown out by the Spurs in the first game of the season. The Spurs are to the Grizzlies as the Grizzlies are to the Warriors. Or as a hammer is to a nail.
So it wasn’t exactly a surprise when the Spurs rolled out of the locker room Friday and started doing their Spur-ish things, swinging the ball and dropping in 3-pointers and sending 17 guys at Z-Bo in the post.
“They play four on one,” said Randolph, who is getting weary of the attention. “It’s the best team in the league, the best coach in the league.”
But all that would have been bearable. What happened at the start of the second quarter was not.
The Spurs had possession. Spurs backup center Jeff Ayres stuck out his butt to seal off Gasol in the post. And Gasol started limping. It was as simple and as innocent as that.
Gasol reached down, holding his left knee. He grimaced, along with the 17,109 watching from their seats.
The rest of the night felt beside the point, almost. The Griz fought back and the Spurs kept making fabulous plays and, really, who could focus on any of it?
Coming out of a timeout, San Antonio point guard Tony Parker asked Allen if he had heard anything about Gasol. Tim Duncan asked Randolph the same thing.
On media row, talk turned to knee injuries of Griz seasons past. Two years ago, a torn MCL sidelined Randolph from Jan. 1 until March 19. Z-Bo wasn’t fully recovered until the start of the next year.
“I just want Marc to be healthy,” said backup center Kosta Koufos.
Out of the mouths of Greeks.
Koufos, of course, is the man who would be called on to fill in for Gasol in the event of injury. He’s one of the best backup centers in the league. But Gasol is one of the best centers, period. Everything the Grizzlies do begins with him.
So you can imagine the mood in the Memphis locker room after this one. Everyone was hoping against hope. “Praying,” said Z-Bo. “Hoping for the best,” said Koufos.
Said Allen: “Without him, we turn into a makeshift team.”
Makeshift is a hard way to win in the NBA. Not many teams can win if their best player goes down.
So light a candle, have a chat with your higher power, or rub your lucky Growl Towel.
The Griz season may hinge on the results of Saturday’s MRI. Here’s hoping Big Spain just has a small sprain. To reach Geoff Calkins call 901-529-2364, or email calkins @ commercialappeal.com.
A—
CLE
Totals
NO
Totals
A—
BRK