Defense comes through in clutch
Fiz’s adjustments, fire getting it done
Grizzlies coach David Fizdale is operating with an undermanned roster.
But Fizdale’s “Nasty Nine” have taken on his personality with their play.
Fizdale notoriously never holds back at halftime when it comes to making adjustments, and neither have the Griz in the second half of recent games.
“If you know Fiz, you know that he is going to tell it like it is. He’s not going to sugarcoat anything,” Griz swingman Tony Allen said. “He came in and gave us a scolding (at halftime last Saturday night), and guys responded in the second half. It showed in our effort. It showed in the way that we gathered ourselves defensively down the stretch.”
The Grizzlies (13-8) eked out a win over the Los Angeles Lakers by holding them to 2 of 9 shooting and forcing two turnovers over the final five minutes. Memphis enters Monday night’s game at New Orleans as winners of two straight with just nine players available.
Against Orlando two nights earlier, Memphis forced five turnovers in the game’s final 5:52 and won by a point.
Fizdale & Co. own a 9-0 record this season in super-clutch games (margin +/3 points at any point in the final minute of the fourth or overtime).
“I was really unhappy with our effort,” Fizdale said Saturday after allowing 62 points to the Lakers in the first half. “I only yell at the guys for that. I don’t yell at them for execution or break downs in coverage or anything like that.
“But when we dog it and we don’t get back on defense or when we don’t compete on a high level, I lose it. I lost it extra because I was in Indiana for Z-Bo’s (Zach Randolph) deal, and I was a little emotional. I told them you’re playing like you’re supposed to be in a uniform and you’re not playing like it’s a privilege and right. Z-Bo would do anything to play for us and to be with us and to be able to do it with a clear mind. I just want them to take that to heart. So they came out in the second half and I don’t know if it was me yelling or that’s just who we are when it gets tough. But we dug in.”
Fizdale referred to attending a visitation before the funeral of Randolph’s mother, Mae Randolph, early Saturday. The Grizzlies took a picture holding Randolph’s jersey after their seventh win in the past 10 outings.
Randolph’s return still is uncertain. He’s missed six games. However, the Grizzlies haven’t missed a beat defensively.
They rank sixth in the NBA at 101.4 in defensive efficiency (the number of points allowed per 100 possessions) and fifth in the league by allowing 98.3 points per game. Opponents shoot 44 percent overall (34 percent from three-point range) and average 14.6 turnovers — each of which rank in the top 10.
“It takes a little prodding to get them there sometimes,” Fizdale said.
Tip-in
Fizdale, general manager Chris Wallace, scout Glynn Cyprien and radio analyst Elliot Perry were part a Grizzlies contingent that traveled to Marion, Indiana, early Saturday to support Randolph on the day his family laid to rest Mae Randolph.
“We couldn’t stay for the funeral obviously because I wanted to get back. We definitely wanted to go up and pay our respects to his family and to his mom,” Fizdale said. “We just wanted to let him know how much we care about him. It was good to get up there and make sure we show our faces and let him know that it’s important to us.
“Z-Bo is down. He is really struggling. All of the calls — he and his wife have both said this to me — that all of the text messages, the calls, the prayers, coming from the fans and from our team, from everybody, really has helped. The best thing that’s going to help him is getting back with his team when he’s ready. Once he is ready to come back, we will be very happy to have him, not just from a playing standpoint, but just to have our brother back.”