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Philippines, 11 May 2024 |
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NBA -- The Memphis Grizzlies: A team to watch By Adeline Deladisma PhilBoxing.com Thu, 29 Jan 2015  Zach Randolph. DALLAS -- The Memphis Grizzlies came into the American Airlines Center without a whole lot of fanfare on Tuesday night. Arguably, you'll find games like this every night in the loaded Western Conference, where even the weeknight League Pass games have meaning in the race to the playoffs. On tap this night was a heavyweight showdown between the Grizzlies and the Mavericks from Dallas. Let's face it? the Grizzlies are not among the most well-known of NBA teams in the Philippines. Unlike the larger markets of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, this city just north of the Mississippi Delta does not boast a particularly large Filipino population and their team does not sport a starting point guard or head coach with Pinoy blood. But they are a team to watch. Though their play is not as flashy and splashy as the current conference leader, the Grizzlies are equally formidable competition. They defeated the Golden State Warriors in their first match up of the season on December 16 and returned the next night to defeat the defending champions San Antonio Spurs in a triple overtime thriller. The core of this team, forward Zach Randolph, center Marc Gasol, and point guard Mike Conley, have been together for the last five years. They showed promise in the post-season two years ago when they made it to the Western Conference Finals before succumbing to the Spurs. Last year, however, Memphis was unable to advance past the first round of the playoffs. This year, Memphis is off to their best start in franchise history (32-12), a record built on the talents of that core. Gasol, who is averaging 19 points and 8.2 rebounds per game was voted to start for the West team in upcoming NBA All-Star Game at the Madison Square Garden. Conley is considered among the more unheralded point guards in the league and is on his own campaign to become a first-time All Star. On Tuesday, the Grizzlies posted a 109-90 win over the Mavericks. Randolph, rather quietly, was the star of the night. He was 10 of 15 from the field, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. It was his tenth straight double-double and his 15th in the last 16 games. Known mostly for his inside work, Randolph displayed another facet of his game against Dallas: a midrange jumper that seemed to catch the Mavs off-guard and kept them from making any significant runs in the second half. The Grizzlies are 4-5 this season without Randolph and 29-7 when he is in the line up. He missed a stretch of games earlier this season due to a sore right knee but has been solid since his return. For Randolph, who was a free agent this summer, these performances seem to affirm his offseason decision to stay in Memphis. Randolph exercised his player option and signed a two year $20 million contract extension last summer, effectively taking a pay cut from his current $16.5 million salary after this season. When asked if it was "worth it," he responded, "It definitely is. It's about sacrifice for your team, your teammates, your organization." It was a move to continue to grow what this core has spent the last few years grinding to build. And if it is truly "their year" as they believe, the Memphis Grizzlies are a team to keep an eye on. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Adeline Deladisma.  |
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