By Michael Wallace
Grind City Media
BOSTON – The Grizzlies don’t consider it an identity crisis.
“We know who we are,” Vince Carter dismissively grunted. “So we just have to burn this film and play our game and be who we are … we’re a defensive team, very tough-minded and have the ability to win the tough games. We have slippage sometimes. It hurts. But that’s something we’re trying to avoid.”
Those wise words from the NBA’s oldest active player came as Carter and the Grizzlies were gathering themselves after Monday’s puzzling performance in Orlando and shifting their collective focus to an opportunity to regroup on Tuesday night in Boston against the Celtics. But one thing remains clear about this Memphis team: taking inventory of where it stands from one night to the next is a tedious process.
The same Grizzlies who broke through for a brilliant offensive performance in Friday’s 115-109 home win over the Rockets proved equally capable of catching a thorough beatdown two nights later in Orlando, where they trailed by 29 in the first half on the way to a fifth double-digit loss of the season. It was in the aftermath of the triumph against Houston when coach David Fizdale first boasted the Grizzlies were good enough to beat any team on any court, then cautioned they were just as prone to “slippages” that could leave them vulnerable to efforts such as the one they delivered on Monday.
Striking a balance and steadying this group continues to be this team’s biggest challenge this season. The most intimidating opponent Memphis faces on any given night are the Grizzlies (20-13), who are 4-4 during a stretch in which Carter, Mike Conley, Chandler Parsons and James Ennis returned from injuries.
“We haven’t built any consistency yet,” Fizdale said. “We haven’t shown that we can put together a true consistent effort with the guys that really are going to play minutes for us. I think the most consistency we’ve shown was when we had nine (available) guys. So we all understand what we’ve got to do.”
Fizdale continues to speak with fondness of what clearly was the most tumultuous time of the season for his team. That was when a combination of injuries and absences left the Grizzlies with just nine players for a week that saw them put up a tough fight in Toronto, then beat the Magic and Lakers to launch a season-best, six-game winning streak to open December.
There since has been a series of uneven performances. None was more demoralizing than last week’s home loss to the Celtics as the Grizzlies saw Isaiah Thomas erupt for a career-high 44 points to rally Boston from a 17-point deficit in the second half for a 112-109 overtime win. That game propelled Thomas to Eastern Conference player of the week honors for the third-place the Celtics (18-13).
Grizzlies’ center Marc Gasol said the sets Boston ran down the stretch to get Thomas going remain frustratingly fresh in his mind. Defending the Celtics better than they did a week ago at the finish is just one adjustment the Grizzlies must make. The other involves redeeming themselves from the previous night’s lackluster effort from the start in Orlando.
“We always have the mentality to (move ahead) to the next game and get guys comfortable on the court, doing whatever we have to do,” Gasol said. “We have to do better. We have to be better.”
Ultimately, the Grizzlies see themselves as one of the league’s best teams.
The path toward proving so is paved with consistency.
“It’s just going to take a lot of hard work to be able to consider ourselves one of the elites,” Fizdale said. “And you’ve got to come out and perform in games like this. If you’re not up for that game, you’re in the wrong business. I’m glad we play right away after getting our butts kicked. We don’t deserve a day off after that. It’s time to get right back to work. And it’s a team you’ve got to instantly respect walking in.”
HEALTH REPORT
For the Grizzlies, both Deyonta Davis (foot) and Brandan Wright (ankle) are out for Tuesday’s game in Boston, however both are on the trip. Other than the precautious minutes’ management process that could slightly impact Conley, Gasol, Parsons and Ennis on the second night of this back-to-back set, the Grizzlies are expected to have everyone else available. No injuries are listed for the Celtics, who have won five of six with Thomas and Al Horford in the lineup.
NUMBERS WATCH
10. The Grizzlies have a chance to extend franchise history in one regard and establish it in another as it relates to the number 10. When Troy Daniels drilled a three-pointer while being fouled late in the fourth quarter Monday, it marked a team record fourth consecutive game Memphis has made at least 10 treys. Coincidentally, that streak started in last week’s overtime home loss to Boston. Also, at 9-5 this month, the Grizzlies have three more shots to snag a 10th win, which would set a franchise record for victories in December. After Tuesday, Memphis closes out the month at home against the Thunder on Thursday and start a four-game trip at Sacramento on New Year’s Eve.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Chandler Parsons. The bumpy road back continues for Parsons, who played just 12 minutes Monday in Orlando and sat the entire second half after Ennis replaced him at small forward to start the third quarter. Fizdale didn’t offer much clarity about the decision after the game. Perhaps it was designed to hold Parsons’ minutes down on the front end of the back-to-back set in order to give him dose of action tonight in Boston. After going scoreless on four shots in his Orlando homecoming game, Parsons is now 3-for-16 from the field and has yet to make a three in his first three games back after missing a month with a bruised left knee. With Ennis more quickly regaining his rhythm and conditioning after missing nearly a month himself with a strained calf, it will be interesting to see if Fizdale stays with Ennis as the starter – at least for now – until Parsons is more up to speed. Parsons acknowledged last week there has been internal discussions as to whether initially bringing him off the bench would be a better option for the team.
GRIZZ-TAKE
Zach Randolph on Monday’s lethargic loss in Orlando entering Tuesday’s game in Boston – Just one of them nights. It just wasn’t our night. We kind of got punked … and let them do whatever they wanted to do.
Tune In
Catch tonight’s game on FOX Sports Southeast presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners, follow along with the Grizzlies Mobile app available at itunes or Google Play store, or listen to the radio broadcast on 92.9 ESPN Radio.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.