The Grizzlies opened their preseason with a win tonight over Spanish League franchise Real Madrid, playing something close to a regular-season rotation and looking further along than perhaps they ever have this early in the process.
I had been hearing more positive, early chatter from team insiders than I can ever remember, and you could see why.
“Yes, we are further along,” Lionel Hollins acknowledged after the game. “That’s what happens when you have continuity and a core group that’s been together.”
In lieu of the traditional regular-season post-game notebook style, a few quick observations from tonight:
Starters looking sharp: All five Grizzlies starters looked ready for primetime, both individually and as a unit.
Zach Randolph’s increased quickness and lift was evident during his pre-game shooting routine and carried over into the game, where he twice pinned a taller defender under the rim and finished easily over him.
After the game, Randolph was so bouncy and animated it seemed like he was ready to play another game immediately. I told him he looked like he was back to his pre-injury form. He smiled, put his finger to his lips and said, “Shh. It’s a secret. It’s coming. I’m getting back to the old Z’Bo.”
Tony Allen looked fine physically coming off his summer knee surgery, though he told me after the game, with both knees packed in ice, that he’d have a better feel for things in the morning.
Rudy Gay (game-high 27 points on 11-18 shooting) scored easily, in the flow and all over the court, while handling and moving the ball at a higher level than has been his norm.
And Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, in particular, looked in top form, both in terms of conditioning and sharpness. Gasol dominated the defensive boards and was decisive on offense (16-16-6 stat line), while Conley (18-5-8) seemed quicker than ever despite adding a little more bulk over the summer.
