The Memphis Grizzlies continued their best start in franchise history, beating the Boston Celtics 117-100 last night at FedEx Forum. For 21 straight regular season home games, Memphians have left The Grind House with DJ Khaled's "All I do is win" blaring over the sound system.....another franchise best. Chants of "Let's Go Grizz-lies" can be heard on the post game radio shows. Fans are starting to believe that something special may be brewing down in the We Don't Bluff City.
And shockingly enough, so are the national pundits.
As a born and raised Tennessean, and admitted Grizzlies fan from day one, it's awesome to see a small market team that brings it's lunch pail to work game in and game out get some well deserved recognition.
Memphis, and their hot start, is now mentioned in the same lead segment as the Cavaliers and Lakers. And there's two big reasons for that.
Zach "Z-Bo" Randolph and Marc Gasol.
Randolph and Gasol are without question the most dominant and versatile power forward / center combination in the league. And they are without question the reason the Grizzlies...at 11-2...were the league's best team the first month of the season.
What's so awesome about these two is the fact that their rise was not meteoric. They put the "Grind" in the Grind House.
Randolph has been associated with the Grizzlies for so long that people forget who they both were prior to his arrival in 2009. He was not known as Z-Bo with the Clippers, he was known as the "Black Hole".
Why?
Because if you passed him the ball..it would disappear. You might as well crash the boards because Zach ain't passing it back...even if he was quadruple doubled. He was the same way with the Knicks....where he played prior to being shipped to LA. Randolph would get his 20 and 10, but the team would suffer...and ultimately underachieve.
The Clippers didn't trade Z-Bo to Memphis...he was jettisoned. I mean...they got back Quintin Richardson in return.
Who?
Let me digress.
When Randolph arrived in Memphis...they bore no resemblance to the Grit & Grind team you see today. In fact, they looked more like the Vancouver Grizzlies. But Z-Bo did something that changed everything...he openly embraced the city of Memphis, it's fan's, it's struggles, and it's reputation. Maybe they were mirror images of his own.
As Randolph blossomed into a team first...locker room leader...face of the franchise type of player....so did the Grizzlies. Each year after his arrival Memphis got better and better...and now they are knocking on the door. Maybe Randolph saw being traded to the Grizzlies as a proverbial "last chance warning" from the basketball gods...and kudos to him for responding like he did.
His payoff?
He's winning far more than he's losing now...and he's still posting his double doubles. Funny how those things tend to happen (message).
For Gasol, he was a mere throw in on the trade that sent his older brother Pau...who was one of the best players in the league...and Memphis' only star...to the Lakers in February 2008. That trade infuriated Grizzlies fans. The Lakers got two more titles from it, and we got back his pudgy younger brother....who was out of shape and raw as an uncooked onion.
No one at that time could have ever predicted that young Marc would blossom into what he is today...which is the best overall big man in the league. He can score inside...he can step back and nail a 20 footer. He can lead the break...he's an excellent passer and free throw shooter. He's a staunch defender (Defensive Player of the Year two years ago)...and he's tough as nails. He likes contact...he likes to mix it up...he ain't scurred.
All of the things that would endear you to a Memphian.
When Gasol missed considerable time at the start of last season...the Grizzlies struggled mightily. Upon his return in January, Memphis went on a tear and never looked back. If he's not an All Star this season...they need to stop doing it all together.
What makes the Randolph-Gasol tandem so potent is their unselfishness. Both are worthy of being double teamed, and both are more than willing to find the other if that happens. Both can bring their defender out of the paint with deadly mid range accuracy, and both wear down their opponents by leaning...pushing...holding...and intimidating.
I've watched plenty of Big's in the league waive the white flag late in games....they just don't want any more of those two behemoths. If you don't believe me, then ask Blake Griffin.
Ok...digressing again.
Credit head coach Dave Joeger for continuing to run his offense through these two. It's a recipe for playoff success. Z-Bo and Marc have responded to the tune of a combined 35 points and 20 rebounds a night. Not to mention the countless Big's they get into foul trouble on a nightly basis.
Memphis did the right thing by re-signing Z-Bo this past off season. Gasol is having a career year in the final year of his deal.
No way the Grizzlies let him test free agency.
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