The Grizzlies beat the Jazz in a hard-fought game tonight to move to 18-17. As the final horn sounded, streamers dropped, and the Gap Band’s “You Dropped the Bomb on Me” blasted, an announced crowd of 14,213 in FedExForum got to cheer on an NBA team with a winning record. The last time that happened was in April of 2006.
A few quick thoughts late on a Friday night. (I’ll make up for this relative brevity in the coming week.)
1. Toughness: This was not a typical Grizzlies win. The last time the team won without scoring at least 100 points was December 4th, when they scored 98 to beat Dallas. And the previous season-low point total in a win was 97 (twice, both against Minnesota). Friday night, the Grizzlies exploded in the first quarter, outscoring the Jazz 33-14 in large part by forcing turnovers and getting out into transition. In the second and third quarters, Utah dictated, turning it into a slower, uglier, more physical game, and the Jazz outscored the Grizzlies 53-38. The fourth quarter was a war, and the Grizzlies have not been a team likely to slug it out against the likes of the Jerry Sloan-coached Jazz and come away victorious.
