The Grizzlies beat the Magic in the greatest game ever played (almost)
Chris and Rudy celebrate after the win.
Wow. Just wow. Last night’s Grizzlies home-opener goes down as an instant classic and immediately finds itself in the Top 5 Greatest Grizzlies Games of All-Time. Some thoughts from the game:
- I think that fans can identify more with this Grizzlies team already than any Grizzlies team since the ‘03-04 playoff team. Fans expressed the desire for change after playoff sweeps and Fratello ball. It took awhile but those changes were made from a core of Gasol/Miller/Battier to a core of Gay/Mayo/Conley. The team also transitioned from a slow-paced team to a fast-paced one. Last night, everything came together and the fans couldn’t help but cheer loudly as the product they’ve wanted was finally on the court. What a long strange trip it’s been.
- Kyle Lowry and Hakim Warrick were integral in the 2nd half comeback. Both of these guys are tailor-made to be energy guys off the bench. It’s nice to see we can finally use these guys in this role. Lowry had a sequence where he just took it to Magic point guard Jameer Nelson. Lowry drove the lane, drew the foul and hit an off balance shot for a three-point play. Nelson came right at Lowry on the next play to exact revenge only to have Lowry swat his shot. Sorry Jameer, thanks for playing.
- Rudy, Rudy, Rudy. This guy is a scorer, plain and simple. There’s no reason he can’t average 25 points a game. His shooting percentage will be down this year as defenses focus on him but he showed that double-teams still can’t stop him at times.
- The game-winning shot is probably the most exciting play in all of sports. Not only were my fiancée and I screaming our heads off when it happened but I also found myself with chill bumps. To say I was ecstatic is an understatement. I also want to give props to the crowd that didn’t immediately rush for their cars after the game winner. The majority of the people just stood and cheered on Rudy and the team as they gave post-game interviews. It felt like a playoff atmosphere for the majority of the 2nd half. The fans were going crazy and seemed to will the young Grizz to victory at times.
- The Grizzlies went on a mini-run at the end of the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Magic by 5 and stopping them on defense. With the crowd rocking and the Magic reeling, Marc Iavaroni called a timeout, swiftly killing the momentum. I was perplexed.
- The 1st half was choppy with lots of fouls and turnovers. The Grizz were neck and neck with the Magic until the last couple of minutes of the 2nd quarter. There were multiple breakdowns that allowed Rashard Lewis to drill several three-pointers. It was nice to see the team come back in the 2nd half but they’ll need to be better about closing out halves in the future, especially on the road.
- Marc Gasol is a beast. He frustrates opponents with his creative and physical defense. Rashard Lewis started to have words with Gasol after a foul and Gasol didn’t back down one bit. He also frustrated uber-nice guy Dwight Howard into a technical foul. To say that Gasol is my favorite player is an understatement. Are we sure that we wouldn’t have just traded Pau for Marc straight up?
- O.J. Mayo is going to have a roller coaster rookie season. He torched J.J. Redick in the 1st half but also ended up taking some bad shots. Overall, he had a nice home debut with 17 points on 5-11 shooting.
- Darrell Arthur is going to be a rebounding machine. He’s big, physical and athletic and should’ve been a lottery pick. He’ll end up being the steal of the 2008 draft.
That’s all I got. What a great game. I can’t say enough about how fun it was and how exciting this team is going to be. It won’t be smooth sailing for 82 games but when it’s good, like last night, it’s great.
Comments
NBA.COM is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network.
Advertise on NBA.com | Career Opportunities | Help
It was so much fun! I hope we have more games like this one!
Awesome photo! You’re much taller than I thought.