Few sports franchises embody the city they represent like the Memphis Grizzlies. Their no-nonsense, blue collar grit and grind style of play struck a cord with a fan base that has to roll up their sleeves and work for everything they get.
Like the Grizzlies, the city of Memphis is not flashy. There are no downtown sky scrapers, and aside from Graceland, there are no world renowned tourist attractions.
In a state that has few major cities, Memphis is still overlooked, creating an us against the world mentality among the locals.
And as a result, outsiders are often welcomed with a long-handled spoon.
That was the case for first year head coach David Fizdale, until an epic rant turned the tide in his favor...and turned a potential sweep into a playoff series.
A few days ago the Grizzlies were on the wrong end of yet another blowout playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Down 0-2 and appearing lifeless as the series headed to Memphis, coach Fizdale sat at the post game podium Monday night and went ballistic on the referees.
He called the refs unprofessional as he pointed to the huge disparity in foul calls. He said their actions were unacceptable. He acknowledged that, as a rookie coach of a team with no championships under their belt, he understood that the perennial playoff powerhouse Spurs earned the benefit of the doubt on most occasions.
Then he rebutted with..."But y'all ain't gonna rook us!"
He praised point guard Mike Conley for being mild-mannered and professional for far too long, and applauded his team for showing the grit and fight that Memphians had grown fond of.
Most importantly, he stood up for a team and city that no one stands up for. And the gesture was not lost on the fan base.
As he emerged from the locker room to take the floor last night, coach Fizdale was met with a standing ovation from the sold out crowd, something I have never witnessed in my 30 plus years of watching the NBA.
And speaking of the players, Conley acknowledged sending coach Fiz a text at four in the morning following the press conference, thanking him for having the team's back. As a whole, the Grizzlies' roster pledged to pay the $30,000 fine levied by the NBA for his tirade.
When they finally took the court, the Grizzlies played their most complete game in weeks, let alone in this year's playoffs. The Grind House was rocking, and the team was flying around and making plays.
So much so that Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich waived the white towel early in the second half as the Grizzlies' lead ballooned to as much as 20 points. His starters mostly watched from the bench from that point..
To put things into perspective, former Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger broke down and was reduced to tears at a post game press conference in last year's playoffs.
Tears? There's no crying in Memphis!
He was fired shortly after the Grizzlies were eliminated last season. I guess the We Don't Bluff city don't play that....
But I digress....
Yes, Memphis will and should be underdogs in game 4. And yes, the Spurs are still the prohibitive favorites to win the series, but what happened on Monday night was bigger than the end result.
On Monday night, Grizzlies fans let down their guard in appreciation for being fought for. On Monday night, Fizdale found a home in Memphis.
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