Tag: FedExForum

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News The Fly-By

MEMernet: Aerial Porta-Potty and Reddit Meta

CREDIT: Posted to Instagram by tobysells.

A round-up of Memphis on the World Wide Web.

Half-Mile High Club

Roof work on the FedExForum continued hilariously last week as a crane hoisted the porta-potty from the top.

Posted to Instagram by tobysells.

Red-handed meta

We’ve been caught!

A keen-eyed Reddit user noted that someone here at Flyer HQ has been mining the Memphis subreddit for tasty MEMernet morsels.

“Memphis Flyer definitely has a Redditor on staff,” read a post last week from u/productiveslacker73. “Kudos for giving the OPs credit.”

Keep up the good work, r/Memphis!

More meta

Last week’s Flyer cover story (“By Air and by Land!”) was the 50th written by our very own sports writer, Frank Murtaugh. 50!

Here’s to 50 more, Frank!

Posted to Facebook by Anna Traverse

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We Recommend We Recommend

Celebrate 901 Day at Exposure

CREDIT: New Memphis

Since 2016, New Memphis has hosted Exposure in conjunction with 901 Day and to carry along its mission of seeing to the prosperity and success of the city through growth, exposure, and support of local businesses, talent, government, communities, and education.

This year’s Exposure event, which falls three days before September 1st, celebrates the Bluff City while connecting longtime Memphians and newcomers alike to more than 175 local businesses and organizations.

“The event is kind of twofold,” says Anna Thompson, marketing communications manager for New Memphis. “If you’re a lifelong Memphian, you might not know all that Memphis has to offer because we’re moving, changing, and evolving every year. So we help to reignite Memphians’ love of their city. The second part of that is if you’re a newcomer, we want to ‘expose’ you to all of what Memphis has to offer, which is why it’s called Exposure.”

New Memphis

Expose yourself to good times.

Organizations representing categories like arts and culture, community, volunteer opportunities, fitness and outdoors, and social and entertainment will be set up in FedExForum’s concourse, with interactive activities like Southern Reins Center for Equine Therapy’s pool-noodle horse races and Memphis Escape Rooms’ 10-minute escape room challenge.

The Beale Street Flippers, Goldperms, and Opera Memphis are just a few of the performers providing entertainment on the two stages in the plaza and on the concourse.

Other events and offerings include giveaways to the first 200 attendees, celebrity bicentennial games, New Memphis T-shirts for sale, and a scavenger hunt with prizes like tablets and Explore Bike Share memberships.

For more information, visit exposurememphis.com.

Exposure, FedExForum, Thursday, August 29th, 6-8 p.m., free.

Categories
News News Blog

FedExForum Could Get City’s First Pod For Nursing Mothers

CREDIT: Mamava

Mamava

A lactation pod like this could soon be at the FedExForum

Memphis’ first lactation pod for nursing mothers could be coming to the FedExForum later this year.

The Shelby County Commission will vote later Monday on a resolution to purchase the pod from Mamava, a company that sells free standing lactation pods for mothers to pump or nurse in public.

Mamava strives to “transform the culture of breastfeeding, “making it more optimistic, realistic, accommodating, and inviting for all mamas.”

The approximate $25,000 pod that the county is considering purchasing will provide a safe, secure, non-bathroom location for mothers to pump or nurse.

The pod at the FedExForum would be the first in West Tennessee.

There are more than 450 Mamava pods around the county, including three in Tennessee. There are currently two in Nashville and one in Chattanooga.

Mamava


According to Mamava, Tennessee is a breastfeeding-positive state, meaning there is legislation that protects nursing mothers in the workplace and in other public places.

Employers are required to provide reasonable unpaid break time for mothers to pump each day under the law. Employers are also required to make reasonable efforts to provide a space, other than a toilet stall, for mothers to pump in private.

Under state law, women have the right to breastfeed in any location, public or private, where the mother and child are otherwise authorized to be present.” Mothers are also exempt from indecent exposure laws while breastfeeding.

If the commission passes the resolution, the pod will be installed before the start of the Grizzlies’ season this fall, serving as a pilot project.

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The commission’s effort is a part of Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’ healthyShelby 19 campaign focusing on dietary, mental, and physical fitness.

The commission cites in the resolution that breastfeeding is a key first step to childhood obesity prevention. The idea is to support Shelby County mothers in breastfeeding in order to benefit the baby’s health and reduce overall healthcare costs.

The resolution is sponsored by Commissioners Tami Sawyer, Reginald Milton, and Brandon Morrison.

“It is exciting to be able to support mothers and babies at FedExForum, one of our busiest attractions.” Morrison said. “Research shows that breastfeeding is not only the healthiest option for infants, but actually saves on future health-related costs for both mother and baby.”

The Shelby County Health Department could also look to install additional pods on other county assets in the future.

Categories
Music Music Blog

Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo : Old World Circus Melodies Take Flight

Thirty-five years after its inception, most Americans are so familiar with the work of Cirque du Soleil that it’s become a cliche. Which is surprising, given the troupe’s penchant for constant reinvention. Moreover, the cliche doesn’t account for the broad diversity of musical genres used in their various productions. Last night’s Memphis premiere of Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo was a reminder of just how powerful their music can be.

If any Cirque music is famous, it is the soundtrack to their Beatles tribute, Love. which relied on Giles Martin’s startlingly imaginative mash ups of familiar Beatles tracks. Naturally, that music was all pre-recorded. So casual theatergoers (arena-goers?) might not be anticipating the power of Corteo‘s live band.

The show is ostensibly a cross between a circus and a funeral, beginning with our protagonist Mauro lying in repose on his deathbed, or perhaps dreaming of that moment. If Mauro was a clown in life, here he is bereft of greasepaint or costumes, rising from the bed in his plain suit to wistfully guide us through kinetic tableaux from his life. There is no narrative as such; rather, we take a tour through moments of his youth rather like the globe-trotting vignettes of The Nutcracker.  And, like that classical chestnut, an air of slightly threadbare Old World pageantry permeates every scene. 

The same aesthetic colors the music. While much of Cirque music tends toward a fantasy/futurist/New Age vibe, Corteo’s sounds, to their credit, are more grounded in Old World earthiness. Much of the lyrics are Italian, with sprinklings of Spanish, Portugese, and French (and a bit of English dialogue and joke-cracking). The somewhat nostalgic sounds are carried off with aplomb by the live band in the wings.

And the band lives in a plurality of wings, not an orchestra pit. The two-sided stage, set down in the center of the FedEx Forum, has band members tucked into four corners: the drummer here, the singer and accordionist there, here the bass, there the horns. That they can stay so perfectly in sync is surely a miracle of click-track sorcery, yet the unabashedly sentimental music flows like water, or tears. 

Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo : Old World Circus Melodies Take Flight

It can range from intimate nostalgia to grandiose operatic melodies. Yes, there’s more than a hint of Broadway here, but the chief departure from the music of European salon and folk idioms comes when the Cirque composers show their true postmodern colors, with bits of Brazilian samba and even Tibetan harmonic bowls making an appearance. 

Mozart meets Tibetan bowls in a scene from Corteo

Some of the most surprising musicianship comes from the onstage performers. This goes beyond moments when, say, the drummer leaps from behind his alcove to play a snare alongside the acrobats and dancers, underscoring their every feat. Mauro himself appears in one scene playing a tuba. The recurring White Clown character, it turns out, is also a consummate violinist; and the ringmaster is revealed as a virtuoso whistler of Mozart. Most alarmingly, the woman who twines herself in hanging fabrics, making death-defying drops and rolls, is, through her athletic breathing, singing the entire time.

In the end, this is show music, of course, and much of it serves to accentuate the movement, which remains the star attraction. Yet this can be rather powerful, when the band swells to every sudden lifting of angels in flight. Furthermore, accompanying mid-air twirls and hairs’-breadth escapes from danger may be one of the best uses of prog rock imaginable.

Finally, if you’re contemplating making this a family outing, I should note that our freshly minted 15-year-old, more accustomed to the cool, guarded sounds of Lorde, thoroughly enjoyed this Old World melody-laden musical experience. 

The musicians featured in this staging of Corteo include:

BAND LEADER – Roger HEWETT (United Kingdom)
VIOLIN – Stéphane ALLARD (Canada)
BASS/CONTRABASS – Robert BRENNAN (USA)
MALE SINGER – Alain LABRIE (Canada)
FEMALE SINGER – Aurélie DEROUX-DAUPHIN (France)
SAX/KEYBOARD 2 – Philippe POIRIER (Canada)
DRUMS/PERCUSSION – Alexandre REIS (Brazil)
GUITAR/ACCORDION – Eve WILLEMS (Belgium)

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Cough Up 17-Point Lead, Lose to Raptors 122-114

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

The Memphis Grizzlies entered Tuesday night’s homestand on a two-game losing streak, and faced the top team in the East in the Toronto Raptors. After a brief stint at the top of the West, Memphis has hit a rough patch, having trouble closing out close games and giving up sizeable leads.
Larry Kuzniewski

The Grizzlies had an abysmal start to the game. Jaren Jackson picked up two fouls in the first minute of play, and took an early seat on the bench. Meanwhile, the Raptors jumped out to an 8-0 lead.

The Grizzlies defense eventually settled in, slowing down the game and allowing the Grizzlies to battle back to take the lead with 4:13 remaining in the first period.

Both teams got it going later in the first quarter, with the Grizzlies finishing with a 1-point lead over the Raptors at 32-31.

The Grizzlies’s defense on Kawhi Leonard was particularly strong to start the game, holding him to 4 points on 2-5 shooting, and no assists. Overall, team defense played a big part,.I n his pregame availability J.B. Bickerstaff talked about how the Grizzlies would throw a lot of bodies at Leonard. Kyle Anderson’s effect cannot be diminished, however, as he played fantastic individual defense on Leonard.

The Grizzlies continued their surprisingly high level of scoring in the second quarter, finishing with 39 points. Mike Conley also had a nice block on Kyle Lowry at the buzzer that left the home crowd on their feet heading into halftime.

Marc Gasol led all players in the first half with 15 points, dished three assists, and played with a great rhythm on both ends of the floor (shooting 6-9 and registering 2 steals). Garrett Temple also had an impact with 12 points and two made threes.

Overall team defense was stout in the first half, accumulating tons of deflections, 7 steals, and making it difficult for Toronto to get into their offensive sets.

The Grizzlies went into halftime with a 71-59 cushion over the Raptors, and extended the lead to 17 early in the third. On the first possession out of the half, Conley and Gasol executed a brilliant two-man game that was essentially a give-and-go vortex with both players swirling around one another’s screens and cuts, resulting in both defenders following Conley’s drive into the paint before he kicked the rock back to Gasol for an open three-point make.

But the Raptors battled back to cut the Grizzlies lead to one point, as Memphis’ defense fell flat for most of the period. At one point the Raptors were shooting 11-14 in the quarter, and the Grizzlies didn’t seem to get any stops, until they strung several together to end the period. The Raptors finished the third quarter shooting 11-21 from deep, and trailing the Grizzlies 97-93.

The stellar defense on Leonard fell apart in the second half. He finished the third quarter with 9 points and shot 7 free throws after scoring just 5 in the first half. He finished the game with 17 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, and one turnover.

Jaren Jackson picked up another couple of fouls in under a one-minute span early in the fourth quarter, and things continued to go downhill from there. Memphis has been giving up a lot of three-point looks from the corner this season. The Grizzlies have been relatively lucky, with teams not converting on those open looks at as high of a rate as they should, but they got bit in this game, as Toronto buried corner three after corner three down the stretch to put the game out of reach. The Raptors hit 7 threes in the final quarter.

Conley also missed consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter. He’s done that several times this season, and I can’t tell if it’s fatigue late in games or if it’s a mental thing.

In his postgame press conference, Bickerstaff said the Grizzlies got rushed as the Raptors dialed up the defensive intensity, forcing Memphis to play at a pace too fast for its comfort. He also characterized the open three-point looks granted to Toronto in the corner as non-structural, saying “there were some errors we made to create those situations. We’re not trying to give up corner threes by any means.” Still, this has been a problem pretty much all season, and tonight was the first time the Grizzlies paid for it. It probably won’t be the last.

Marc Gasol rolled his ankle late in the game, finishing with a noticeable limp. Fortunately, his injury appears to be a day-to-day thing.

In the locker room after the game, JaMychal Green (13 points, 7 rebounds) said: “We just got to bounce back. Ain’t no excuse. We just got to come in, play hard, and when it gets down to crunch time, lock up.”

The Grizzlies will have two days of rest before they travel to Brooklyn on Friday to play the Nets.

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

Stand Up for Memphis

CREDIT: Maya Smith

This time of year, when the sun leaves the sky before 5 p.m., Memphis Grizzlies games are among the few things that get me motivated to do anything in the evenings. One recent dark, cold evening, I got home feeling glum, until I remembered the Grizzlies were playing. Making a beeline toward the TV, I was hit with a wave of excitement.

A few minutes later, my dad moseyed in and made his way to the couch. Not long after, my sister woke up from a nap (a rare miracle) and joined us. In that moment, watching the Griz dominate whatever doomed opponent they were playing that night, my endorphins were flowing, and I forgot all about the ubiquitous darkness outside. The Griz made that gloomy night into a mildly glorious one with my family.

Maya Smith

Standing up at a Griz game

The same is true when you’re in the FedExForum or at a bar watching the game or just strolling down Beale Street getting score updates from strangers. You can feel the unified energy.

The Grizzlies bring people together. People that don’t look like each other, representing different neighborhoods of the city, are united by a common goal: grit and grind.

When the Griz win, the city is winning. But the next day or during a slump or the off-season, that excitement is gone. It’s tossed aside and forgotten. That unity subsides. And what’s left? A sometimes divided city.

How can we carry that unified spirit beyond the FedExForum and into everyday life? One way is good public spaces.

I recently visited Denver, where nice public spaces are as common as sidewalks. There were chess games set up on pedestrian plazas, a mini golf course tucked in the middle of downtown, and art in nearly every park I came across.  

The infrastructure there sparks connectivity and community. How can Memphis be designed in such a way that it promotes and brings communities together?

The city is definitely making strides to improve shared public spaces. Just look at what’s happening on our the riverfront (see the Flyer‘s November 15th cover story for details). But, we can’t stop only at the city’s hot spots and tourist hubs, because a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. That means the city of Memphis is only as great as its struggling neighborhoods.

Have you ever noticed the amount of people that loiter at corner stores and gas stations in poorer neighborhoods? Ever wonder why that is? Well, when your neighborhood parks are rife with knee-high weeds and littered with trash, there are few places left for people to just be people together. Uplifting those neighborhoods starts at the top.

A few months ago, I sat down with Paul Young, director of the city’s Housing and Community Development division to talk about his role there. Young told me HCD works hard to equally elevate and support small-scale neighborhood projects as it does larger projects designed to bring in revenue. That sentiment is a good step in the right direction.

On Monday, the state reviewed the city’s Tourist Development Zone application that would help finance the $100 million Fairgrounds project. If approved, I hope that when it’s completed, the space is inclusive and that those living literally across the street are able to benefit from it. They deserve access to clean, free, quality spaces with public amenities.

The development’s flagship feature — the youth sportsplex and event center — is fine in theory and will probably bring in lots of revenue, but at the end of the day, what good does it do to accommodate tourists if we do it at the expense of — or exclude — the families who for generations have lived and worked in the community? We need to make sure they are included.

I truly believe that Memphis can be great. It has the potential to be a progressive city that’s rich with culture and blooming with diversity and that, most importantly, empowers all of its residents.

Memphis is nearing its 200th year as a city. That’s 200 years of history, movements, and progress. It’s been a long time coming, but this city is moving in the right direction. Still, there’s more work to be done. If you call yourself a Memphian, then stand up for this city and all of the people in it.

Stand up for the poorest neighborhoods, housing parks with broken-down playgrounds, schools in need of modernization, and busted, unwalkable sidewalks. Stand up and make Memphis — all of Memphis — great.

Maya Smith is a Flyer staff writer.

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Beat Mavericks 98-88, Tie for #1 in West

CREDIT: Matthew Preston

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Grizzlies returned to FedExForum hoping to secure another win, and a tie for first in the Western conference, after 16 games.

The Dallas Mavericks arrived in Memphis on a four-game win streak, having beaten the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. Jaren Jackson had faced off against every other top 5 2018 draft pick except the Mavs’ Luka Doncic before tonight.
Matthew Preston

In his pregame availability, Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the foundation has been set after 15 games and lauded the team’s solid identity and culture. In terms of improvement, Bickerstaff said better offense will come along as the Grizzlies get more comfortable with one another, and learn each others’ games and how to play toward their teammates’ strengths and tendencies.

The Mavericks started the game on a 5-0 run, but the game sank waist-deep into that Grindhouse mud soon after and remained bogged down, per the Grizzlies’ liking, from that point onward. Neither team pulled away by more than a few points, with the lead changing hands 17 times.

The Mavericks got an early boost from Dorian Finney-Smith’s two threes. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies shot 0-4 from deep to begin the game.

Jackson put on a showcase in the first quarter. Though he and Doncic were the star rookies in this matchup, Jackson spent more of his time guarding and being guarded by DeAndre Jordan.

Jackson made Jordan look downright foolish on a handful of possessions. On one play, Marc Gasol kicked the ball out to Jackson in the corner. Jackson dribble-drove into Jordan, backed up, then drove past him for a reverse-layup.

Grizzlies Beat Mavericks 98-88, Tie for #1 in West (2)

In another sequence, Jackson hit a deep two in Jordan’s face, then blocked Jordan’s dunk attempt on the other end. Jackson registered another block on Jordan in the post soon after. The Mavericks finished the first period shooting 29.2 percent from the field.

Between the first two quarters, the Grizzlies game-break entertainment featured a three-way competition between dental equipment. I’m only pointing that out because the competition and accompanying video made less sense than episode 8 of the recent Twin Peaks. I don’t know if it was ineffectual production or high art, but I didn’t like it (unlike episode 8 of Twin Peaks).

Another absurd thing that happened: Jackson had multiple highlights in one sequence. Doncic had a look from three, but didn’t want to take it with Jackson defending the perimeter. Instead, he drove towards the rim, but only made it about a step before Jackson picked his pocket, ran the court, and finished at the other end with an and-one spin move. It was sublime and deserving of the Black Unicorn nickname I’ve seen spreading on Twitter.

Grizzlies Beat Mavericks 98-88, Tie for #1 in West (3)

Mike Conley also had a sweet assist to Jackson in the second quarter, where he drove to the rim and no-look flipped the ball over his shoulder to the trailing rookie. I’m interested to see how the Grizzlies’ fast break offense unearths ways to leverage Jackson’s abilities for easy points.

After the game, Bickerstaff said Jackson has “… an offensive skill set that we’re just beginning to see.” I agree.

Through good overall team play, the Mavericks pulled ahead early in the second quarter, and held that lead til near the end of the half. But the Grizzlies clawed their way back to a four point lead after two quarters.

One thing I liked seeing: Gasol looking great on one of his rumbling hook shots in the paint, with bouncy footwork and an elastic finish. It’s nice to know that shot is still very much in his tool belt.

Bickerstaff called a timeout less than a minute into the second half, after Doncic and Smith Jr. hit quick threes. Doncic would finish with 8 points in the period.

The teams finished the third quarter tied at 74.

Memphis suffocated Dallas in the fourth quarter, holding the Mavericks to 14 points. I repeat: the Grizzlies held the Mavericks to 14 points in the final period of play, and did so on the second night of a back-to-back (when their previous game was on the road).

Meanwhile, solid and clutch play by Conley, Shelvin Mack, Garrett Temple, and Gasol enabled the Grizzlies to close out the game on the offensive end.

Grizzlies Beat Mavericks 98-88, Tie for #1 in West (4)

Conley had another stellar shooting night, filling the basket to the tune of 28 points, and going 7-11 from deep! Five of those triples came in the second half. He also dished seven assists, had two steals, and five rebounds.

His shooting was efficient — 10-18 from the field. Conley made it to the line for only two free throws, but I don’t mind him pouring in nearly 30 points without having to put his body on the line to get to the charity stripe this early in the season.
Larry Kuzniewski

Kyle Anderson was effective in this game as well. His passing and defense were stellar, and he’s shown much better touch around and near the rim in the last two games. He finished with 8 points on 4-6 shooting, and had 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He had one particularly clutch play late in the game, where he missed a corner three, stole the rebound away from the Mavericks, and finished with a jam.

JaMychal Green buoyed an otherwise disappointing performance by the Grizzlies bench. Wayne Selden and Marshon Brooks had trouble making good decisions with the ball, especially in the pick and roll, and combined for just 5 points. Mack had a lackluster shooting night, taking a small number of shots, but he made a timely three in the fourth quarter, and didn’t turn the ball over once.

Green had a nice return to the home court after his jaw surgery. He had a nasty block on Dennis Smith Jr., and scored 12 points on 5-8 shooting, 2-4 from three. He was one rebound shy of a double-double.

Gasol had a solid night on offense, contributing 17 points on 6-16 shooting, but missed all five of his three point attempts. He made up for it on the boards, however, pulling down 15(!) rebounds (all defensive).

Grizzlies Beat Mavericks 98-88, Tie for #1 in West

Memphis beat Dallas on the boards (45-43), and in the paint (44-36).

Defense won the game again for the Grizzlies. The Mavericks average about 110 points a game this season, but couldn’t break 90 at the Grindhouse. Gasol and Jackson had 4 blocks each. The team had 11 overall. The Mavericks finished shooting an anemic 34.1 percent from the floor.

One thing Dallas did differently for stretches at the beginning of the game and second half, pointed out by Chris Herrington, was put Jordan on Jaren Jackson and smaller forwards on Gasol. As a result, Gasol’s three-point game was taken away, and he spent much of his time down low with Jackson on the perimeter—when their positions are usually the other way around.

After the game, Bickerstaff and Gasol said they weren’t too worried about other teams trying a similar tactic, and attributed the scheme and its success to the type of personnel the Mavericks have.

The Grizzlies are now tied for first in the Western conference after 16 games. That’s not a tiny sample size. But the team isn’t thinking much about that. Bickerstaff said he won’t be paying too much attention to the rankings until after the All-Star break, and Gasol said he was happy, but that being happy isn’t the same as being satisfied.

The Grizzlies are off until Wednesday, when they’ll take on a dangerous and similarly slow-paced Spurs team in San Antonio.

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Lose First Home Game to Utah Jazz 96 – 88

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

The Grizzlies hosted the Utah Jazz at FedExForum Monday night, where Memphis had been undefeated for the first five home games of the season. It was the third matchup between the Jazz and Grizzlies, with Memphis winning the first two.

Memphis entered the night having played their most exciting home game thus far with Saturday’s Wrestling Night win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Mike Conley’s shooting bounced back in a major way (32 points on 12-24 shooting, 4-8 from deep).
Larry Kuzniewski

The win against Philly was a trademark Grizzlies nail-biter, with Memphis coming back late, and winning by 6 in overtime. Unfortunately, they lost Dillon Brooks to a freak injury that will leave him sidelined 6-8 weeks with a Grade 2 MCL sprain.

The Grizzlies started Monday night’s game in a stupor, playing sloppy on defense and shooting poorly (1-9) from the field, and stumbling out of the gate. Meanwhile, the Jazz got a Thanksgiving spread’s worth of open looks from three in the opening period, but only converted on four of 12.

Larry Kuzniewski

The Grizzlies defense stabilized, however, holding the Jazz to 36 percent FG shooting for the half, and Memphis was able to claw ahead midway through the second quarter to head into halftime with a 43-40 lead.

Mike Conley and Marc Gasol led the way in scoring for the Grizzlies in the first half, pouring in 16 points. Despite missing Dillon Brooks’ punch on both sides of the ball, the Grizzlies bench contributed 14 points in the half between Wayne Selden, Shelvin Mack, and MarShon Brooks. Surprisingly, Jaren Jackson led all Grizzlies in assists with 3 dimes in the half, and Memphis crushed the Jazz in the paint, 28-14.

Things were pretty much the same after halftime, with both teams struggling to score in a brawling defensive matchup. Both the Jazz and Grizzlies remained very much in the mud.

Grizzlies Lose First Home Game to Utah Jazz 96 – 88 (2)

One notable defensive stop (that featured two new Grizzlies) happened when Donovan Mitchell drove to the hoop and Garrett Temple kept his position between Mitchell and the basket, and guided Mitchell right into a Jackson weak-side block.

Speaking of Jaren Jackson, his defensive impact was felt throughout the game, and he avoided foul trouble (earning his first personal with 5:59 left to go in the third quarter). Moreover, he notched his first NBA career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Strangely, he only played 25 minutes, though he finished with 3 fouls, and wasn’t on the court at the end of the game.
Larry Kuzniewski

The Grizzlies tied the Jazz at 62 with about 3 minutes left in the third, but Utah pulled ahead and didn’t relinquish the lead. Memphis kept the game within striking distance until late in the fourth, and looked like they might make another late comeback, but couldn’t hit enough shots (especially from deep).

Grizzlies Lose First Home Game to Utah Jazz 96 – 88 (4)

Defense was the star of the matchup tonight, with Gasol continuing to helm the Grizzlies on that end of the floor in Defensive Player of the Year fashion. Unfortunately, Rudy Gobert (15 points, 16 rebounds, 3 blocks) looked very much like the reigning DPOY, and held Jackson at bay. True to form, the Jazz played tremendous, and highly physical, team defense.

One area of weakness for Memphis on defense was their coverage on the perimeter. The defense gave up a lot of open looks beyond the arc, and I’m surprised the Jazz didn’t convert on more of their three-point attempts. Monday night also marked the first time this season the Grizzlies had more turnovers than their opponent, and the Jazz capitalized on those opportunities. Memphis lost on the offensive boards as well, pulling down 8 to Utah’s 13.

In his postgame press conference, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the game got away from the Grizzlies due to choppiness. He said the game was choppy in the way it was being called, and the team struggled to find a rhythm amid funky, injury-adapted rotations and offensive disorganization.

Bickerstaff also spoke about how the Grizzlies need re-establish the strong bench chemistry they had before Dillon Brooks’ injury.

Joe Ingles played exceptionally well for the Jazz, finishing with 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists. Garrett Temple’s defense on Donovan Mitchell was pretty impressive. Mitchell had 12 points on 3-14 shooting and went 0-2 from deep.

Mike Conley had another good shooting game, leading all Grizzlies with 24 points on 43.8 percent shooting from the floor, and converted on 3 of his 8 attempts from three.
Larry Kuzniewski

Gasol looked way more aggressive in this game, and has been talking about how he needs to step up his game in that regard. He banged around in the paint, took quick shots, and made assertive moves to the rim. He finished with 16 points on 7-13 shooting (missing all four of his three-point attempts), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. The Grizzlies need everything they can get on the offensive end, so hopefully Gasol maintains this level of aggression.

Kyle Anderson had a horrid shooting night, failing to convert on his sole three point attempt, leaving shots short at the rim, and shooting 27.3 percent from the floor on 11 shots. Anderson had a positive impact in other areas, however, gobbling up 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal. But the Grizzlies will need Anderson to pick up his shooting if they want to stay above .500.
Larry Kuzniewski

Garrett Temple’s defense was on point, but he had a cold shooting night, contributing just 6 points on 25 percent shooting, and missing all four of his attempts from deep. Shelvin Mack also failed to hit a triple.

MarShon Brooks had 10 points off the bench, shooting 4-9 and 1-2 from deep, but was often trying to manufacture a shot totally on his own when the Grizzlies offense went stagnant. The Grizzlies can’t toss the rock to Brooks and expect him to pluck buckets out of thin air against an elite defensive team like the Jazz. Memphis definitely needs him to take shots, but he needed help getting better looks in this game.
Larry Kuzniewski

The Grizzlies return to action on Wednesday, when they travel to Milwaukee to take on the Greek Freak Bucks.

Spicy Stat of the Night:

Grizzlies Lose First Home Game to Utah Jazz 96 – 88

Cursed Tweet of the Night:

Grizzlies Lose First Home Game to Utah Jazz 96 – 88 (3)

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Is It Time To Worry About Mike Conley?

What’s going on with Mike Conley? His shot is cold from midrange and from deep. While he’s shown surprising speed and burst — considering he’s only been playing full speed basketball for about a month after having not played since November 13th, 2017 — his floaters and shots close to the rim aren’t falling.

I think it’s still too early to know for sure what Conley’s new normal is, but currently he appears to be experiencing a shooting slump and hasn’t gotten his legs back. He’s consistently mentioned the importance of — and that he’s working on — his conditioning in the few weeks he’s been back on the court.

In Ten Takes after Ten Games, Chris Herrington broke down a couple things that alarmed him about Conley in Wednesday’s game against the Nuggets. There was a moment where Conley sped between two Nuggets defenders to tap a loose ball downcourt for a Garrett Temple dunk, instead of handily beating his defenders to the ball and pushing the fast break himself. Herrington also pointed out that Conley often looked a little tired, and struggled to turn the corner like he used to in the game against Denver.

Are these things indicative of new physical limitations that Conley (and the Grizzlies) will have to deal with? I don’t know yet. But consider that the Grizzlies played Wednesday night’s home game coming off of a West Coast road trip that featured the Jazz and a back-to-back ending against Golden State.

Conley played heavy minutes in each game, including both back-to-backs. He was guarding Steph Curry till late Monday night in Golden State, flew back to Memphis, and played the 9-1 Nuggets on Wednesday. Jamal Murray nearly had a 50 point game against the Celtics before his visit to Memphis. I don’t think we have to hit the panic button on Mike Conley yet. We’ll need more time, and he’ll need more time to get his legs back.

It is somewhat alarming that Conley is playing heavier minutes this year (31.5) than he did in his short stint last season (31.1). And this is happening when Conley has much better backup in terms of handling the ball and initiating the offense.

We’ve seen Wayne Selden, Kyle Anderson, and especially Shelvin Mack afford Conley the ability to play off the ball, and that’s kicked the Grizzlies offense up a notch from when Conley had to facilitate everything. If Conley’s experiencing a shooting slump and conditioning is a work in progress, I think the Grizzlies offense could vault higher than where it currently resides, in the middle of the pack.

I’m not sure what Coach Bickerstaff could’ve done to get Conley more rest on the West Coast road trip and the home game against Denver. The Jazz and Nuggets games were close, and the Grizzlies collapsed in the second halves of the Suns and Warriors games. As improved as the roster is, the Grizzlies can’t live without Conley when trying to come back or close out a game.

Conley remains the crux for the Grizzlies’ hopes for a meaningful playoff run. To me, his game looks like it’s almost back where it used to be, minus shooting and conditioning, but maybe he isn’t the player he used to be. How will it all play out?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Bounce Back, Defeating Suns 117-96

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

Uncertainty hung in the air going into Saturday night’s home game against the Phoenix Suns. After a compelling win against a scary Utah Jazz team, the Grizzlies suffered a disappointing loss in Sacramento. The Grizzlies coughed up a halftime lead when the Kings clamped down on defense and clawed their way to victory.
Larry Kuzniewski

Worse than the loss, Marc Gasol suffered what appeared at the time to be a potentially season-altering injury when De’Aaron Fox came down on Gasol’s upper back area fighting for a rebound. The good energy from the win over Utah evaporated.

Fortunately, Gasol wasn’t seriously injured after all. “It was a pretty bad scare when it happened. Thankfully, everything is okay. No structural damage or anything too serious to worry about,” he told The Daily Memphian.

Doubts remained elsewhere, however, regarding the team’s rebounding, defense, and especially with Kyle Anderson. Anderson’s length, ball-handling, and IQ portended to him quickly fitting in with the Grizzlies, but he’s struggled to find his groove.

While Anderson didn’t make much headway acclimating himself to the team in this one, the Grizzlies were able to hold their own on the boards, gobbling up 39 to the Suns’ 35. The Grizzlies performed better on defense, as well, with Ayton being the only Phoenix player to score in the 20s, but the Suns’ offensive woes were more indicative of their youth, inexperience, and lack of Devin Booker tonight.

The matchup also featured another marquee rookie matchup between number one overall pick DeAndre Ayton and fourth overall pick Jaren Jackson. With Saturday night’s game, Jackson has faced off against every top-5 draft pick except Luka Doncic.

The Grizzlies built up a sizeable lead in the first half, creating a 25-point cushion behind 61 percent shooting, including 7-13 from deep.  The high shooting percentage may speak more towards the Suns’ defense than the Grizzlies offense. The Grizzlies are currently rated last in the league in offense, and it shows. The offense frequently falls stagnant, and fails to generate good or easy looks for anyone.

Grizzlies Bounce Back, Defeating Suns 117-96

Ayton, the lauded #1 overall pick for the Phoenix Suns, didn’t impose himself at all in the first quarter. He routinely passed out of the paint despite having the physical advantage against his defender, and finished with 2 points on just one shot.
Larry Kuzniewski

Ayton turned that around, however, in the second quarter, going 6-6 and scoring 6 straight on Jaren Jackson when Gasol sat. He would finish the game with 25 points on 12-13(!) shooting, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

One thing that stood out in the first half was the Grizzlies’ offense not immediately going down in flames when Conley exited the game for rest. Shelvin Mack buoyed the team nicely and dished 4 assists as backup point guard, and Wayne Selden chipped in 10 points and 2 two assists.

Gasol, Conley, and Selden all finished the half in double digits, with five other Grizzlies scoring at least 5 points. Ayton was the only Suns player to finish the first half in double-digits with 14 points, with only 3 players notching at least 5 points.

Anderson continued to struggle finding his groove with the team. After starting, he got the hook with 7:46 remaining in the first quarter after missing a couple bunny shots near the rim, and going 0-3. He finished the half with 0 points on those three shots.

The Grizzlies maintained their advantage in the second half, keeping a healthy points margin over the Suns. Their solid lead late into the game allowed Yuta Watanabe to check in, and become the second Japanese player to play in the NBA in league history. Japanese NBA Twitter definitely paid attention to the moment. My two most viral tweets, by an enormous margin, were crappy handheld phone videos of Yuta dunking in the warmup line, and spinning to the hoop, missing, but drawing the foul. Virtually all of the RTs and favs were from Japanese basketball fans.

Grizzlies Bounce Back, Defeating Suns 117-96 (2)

Grizzlies Bounce Back, Defeating Suns 117-96 (3)

Jaren Jackson had a rough game defensively. He wasn’t able to deter Ayton, got into foul trouble early, and earned the first technical of his NBA career after receiving his 5th personal foul. It’s funny that his offense has come along more quickly than his defense.

Grizzlies Bounce Back, Defeating Suns 117-96 (4)

Garrett Temple has absolutely locked down the starting shooting guard spot. His defense has been crucial, his ball handling on point, and he finished the game with 15 points on 4-6 shooting. It appears to be for the best, as Dillon Brooks gets to come off the bench with more freedom to impose his will as a dynamic playmaker. Brooks actually ended up playing about four more minutes than Temple, but that’s partially indicative of the Grizzlies comfortable lead for most of the game.
Larry Kuzniewski

The Grizzlies bench contributed nicely in this win. Wayne Selden continued to impress. He finished with 16 points on 6-8 shooting, and provided a nice punch at the two spot. Marshon Brooks played his role perfectly as instant offense off the bench, pouring in 18 points in 19 minutes. Larry Kuzniewski

Gasol didn’t look limited in his return to action. He finished with 19 points on 8-16 shooting, and hit 3-6 from deep (including a Steph-range near buzzer-beater to end the first half). Larry Kuzniewski

Mike Conley had a solid game without having to soak up super-heavy minutes. He scored 11 points and tallied 7 assists in 28 minutes. Usually when Conley leaves the game to rest, the Grizzlies offense goes down in flames. Garrett Temple and especially Shelvin Mack were able to buoy the offense when Conley exited, and to not immediately enter a tailspin without Conley is a new development.

When I asked Conley what it’s meant to be able to go to the bench and the offense stay afloat, he said Mack, Temple, and Anderson have been huge. “[It] allows me to keep fresh legs longer.” He also noted that their play will allow him to regain his conditioning with each game as he returns to pre-injury form. J.B. Bickerstaff understood the importance of being cautious with how much the Grizzlies lean on Conley, saying “I feel bad because there’s been times where it feels like we’re wearing him down, so we’ve got to do a better job of giving him some breaks.”

The Grizzlies are now 3-2 on the season, and return to action on Tuesday when they take on the Washington Wizards at FedExForum.

Epilogue: the Grizzlies blared Kid Rock’s Bawitdaba to pump up the crowd late in the fourth, and I’ve never seen less of a reaction. Let us pray that this trash song gets retired and forgotten sooner rather than later.