The View From the Mississippi

[G-Man]

Memory of two-game deficit to Rockets spurs Dallas against Griz
By Don Wade
Memphis Commercial Appeal


April 23, 2006
DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks were finishing their work Saturday afternoon on the practice court inside the America Airlines Center.
Elsewhere in the building, the NHL's Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche were playing the first game of their playoff series. Tonight, the Mavericks and Grizzlies open up their first-round NBA playoff series.

As Mavericks coach Avery Johnson came over to speak with reporters, he either already had on his game face or was still wearing his most serious practice face. Somebody casually mentioned he looked, well, tense.
"I'm really tense," Johnson said excitedly, and then added, "Is that tense or intense? There's a difference, right?"

There is. And with a nod to the nearby hockey game, Johnson doesn't want to start this postseason on thin ice.

His team tried that in the first round a year ago when it dropped the first two games to the Houston Rockets.

While the Mavericks recovered to win that series -- their season ended in a Game 6 loss in the Western Conference semifinals to Phoenix -- Johnson is enough of a historian to believe in that old warning that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

"We absolutely discussed it today for the first time in a long time," Johnson said of the poor start against Houston last year. "And we just had to make some points about it.

"We don't want to dig ourselves a hole like that. This is a very unique team we're playing. This first game is awfully important."

Point guard Jason Terry echoed his coach's sentiments, saying the Mavs need to "come out and be more aggressive from the beginning. You can't wait around and see what adjustments they're going to make ... we'll come out in Game 1 and try to establish that (aggression)."

The Mavericks are aware, of course, that their opponent is still looking for its first playoff win in franchise history. But they also remember the 20-point whipping the Grizzlies gave them in the first meeting last November when Pau Gasol scored 36 points with 15 rebounds, and that the other three games -- all won by Dallas -- were competitive.

"They played us tough all four games," said forward Dirk Nowitzki. "They beat us here by 20. Obviously, everything starts with Gasol.

"He can hurt you not only with his scoring, but his passing and rebounding.

"He's a complete player. And they spread the floor with their shooters. And they're very good defensively. They make things hard on us."

The Grizzlies allowed just 88.5 points a game, which led the NBA.

"Points are hard to come by against Memphis, and it's been that way for everybody because of their tempo ... and their defensive scheme," Johnson said. "We've got to place a premium on getting good shots."

While the Mavericks have their sights set beyond the first round -- "if we play up to our potential, we have a good shot at winning it all," Nowitzki said -- they pledge not to overlook the spunky team from Memphis that now has a veteran presence in Eddie Jones, Chucky Atkins and Bobby Jackson.

"They play well," Terry said. "They play very well. They're getting what they want. They're playing their system.

"When you look at them on tape, they're getting the ball to Gasol, they're getting the ball to Mike Miller in rhythm. All their guys are very confident right now, and it'll be our job to take that confidence away."

Several Mavericks have had nagging injuries, including Josh Howard (sore back), Marquis Daniels (strained left hamstring), Devin Harris (sore left quadriceps), and Darrell Armstrong (sprained left ankle).

Everyone practiced Saturday, though Howard and Armstrong did not participate in contact drills. Howard said he'd be ready to play and is expected to start. "I just tweaked it," he said of his back.

[G-Man]

Grizzlies to tweak their play
Don't expect makeover; changes will be nuanced
By Don Wade
Memphis Commercial Appeal

April 23, 2006
DALLAS -- They can't change who they are.
And they won't drastically change how they play.


Pau Gasol still will be the No. 1 option on offense.
When he's double-teamed, he'll still pass out to an open man on the perimeter.

"We're built for inside-outside play," says Mike Miller, the Grizzlies' Sixth Man of the Year candidate.

Of course, the foundation of this 49-win team, which will open the playoffs in Dallas tonight, is defense.

The Grizzlies led the league in team defense by allowing just 88.5 points per game, which is basically five points better than the Mavericks' 93.1 per game. There's no reason to believe the Grizzlies won't play the same determined defense they have played all season.

"We knew we had to hang our hat on something that would be a constant for us," says Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello. "You'll get our arguments that we don't run the ball as much as other teams do, but we don't rebound the ball as much as other teams do, either (and rebounds start fastbreaks).

"So there are a lot of things that go hand-in-hand here, why you play the style you play -- what you're able to do and what you're not able to do."

Expect the Mavericks to give more effort on defense in the playoffs. That's the first switch that gets flipped going into the postseason.

"You have to change in the playoffs," says Grizzlies backup point guard Bobby Jackson, recalling his days with the Sacramento Kings. "Even though we wanted to score, we knew we had to play at least some decent defense to have a chance to win the game. So we made a valiant effort."

The Mavericks scored an average of 99.1 point per game; the Grizzlies averaged 92.2. Here's the potential problem this poses for the Grizzlies:

How much can they stay with their usual offensive game plan and how much should they tweak it in an effort to make it tougher for Dallas to defend them?

"The playoffs are all about adjustments," says Shane Battier. "Everyone knows what you do. They've got 82 games of you on film, knowing what you like to do every night.

"That's why coaching is so important in the playoffs. You have to be able to put nuances and wrinkles in your schemes that make you successful.

"We're dependent on our best offensive guys, like every good team. Look at the Spurs, they're dependent on Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan. And Dallas is really dependent on Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry. So we're no different in that sense."

Gasol led the Grizzlies in scoring, averaging 20.4 points. Miller was second with 13.7 and is the team's most dangerous 3-point shooter.

In the regular season, teams made an effort to keep track of Miller, but he got more than his share of open shots. Keeping a hand in his face will become more of a priority now.

Jackson expects teams to become more physical with Miller, too.

"They won't stop us because we'll be able to push the ball a little bit and get him jump shots," Jackson says. "But they definitely are gonna trap him on the pick and rolls, try to force him to go one way.

"He's going to have to be a little more creative as far as how to get his shot off. But it's nothing we're worried about. If he doesn't score, we've got other people that can pick up the slack and make things happen.'

After Gasol and Miller, three other Grizzlies averaged in double figures this season: Eddie Jones (11.8), Jackson (11.4), and Battier (10.1). Starting point guard Chucky Atkins was right behind them with 9.5 points for the season, but 11.4 as a Grizzly.

Just as the Grizzlies know they allowed the fewest points in the league, they also know they were one of the top 10 3-point shooting teams.

And that's a good thing ... unless it becomes a bad thing.

"We've got some great shooters," Jackson says. "But we can't get caught up in shooting 25 to 30 threes a game. If they're going in, they're going in.

"But if not, we've got to switch it up and drive to the basket or get the easy two-pointer -- pull-up jumper"

Several times this season, a poor shooting night from 3-point range undid the Grizzlies' hard work on defense.

"Defense as a whole is going to be very big for us," says center Lorenzen Wright. "We're going to have to team rebound. Our aggressiveness is going to be the key and how mentally strong we're gonna be."

Says Jones: "Teams are gonna walk (the ball) up. It's going to be who's playing better in the half-court."

And while matchups and schemes will all play a part in the half-court game within the game -- especially in the fourth quarter -- Atkins says, "The playoffs are all about imposing your will on the other team."

The Grizzlies have led with their willingness to play defense and by remembering who they are and how they got here.

It's how they plan to be in the playoffs, and if some observers want to "pick" at the Grizzlies for the way they play, so be it.

"We do not try to slow the game down," says Fratello. "We play at a pace that is good for our team. To try and play somebody else's style doesn't make sense for us. A great way to play for us, is a way that will help us win games."

-- Don Wade: 529-2358 (G-Man comments- A 7 digit phone number. How Quaint.)

[G-Man]

Fratello in command
The Commercial Appeal

Grizzlies coach ignores the critics, prepares his team for the Mavericks
By Ronald Tillery

April 23, 2006

Look around Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello's office in FedExForum and there is a 3-foot plush Grizzlies-clad bear commemorating his 600th NBA coaching victory.
Until last Thursday, it was the most recognition Fratello had received all season.

The NBA's Coach of the Month for April has guided the Griz to a playoff berth for the second time in as many seasons. Yet critics remain cautiously optimistic about the job he's done, rather than confident about what the Griz are prepared to do better than ever before.
No one doubts that the Grizzlies can make it a series against the Dallas Mavericks beginning tonight with Game 1 of the best-of-seven, first-round series.

Fratello will walk into American Airlines Center with the hottest team in the Western Conference, and the trust of his players.

Is Fratello packing enough respect for the job he's done in Memphis?

That's a different story.

But coaching makes a huge difference in the playoffs. The postseason is when coaches earn their paychecks by determining which adjustments to implement.

Perhaps nobody is wrapping their arms around Fratello except his players and the little bear.

Then again, Fratello and the Grizzlies don't mind playing the underdog.

"We were picked 13th in the conference at the beginning of the year. It's no secret," Fratello said. "I had to honestly say, 'Are we the 13th best team in the conference?' If you're picked 13th there are only two guys left that's worse than you. So you get after (the team) and then you set out to do it."

Nearly 50 victories later, the fifth-seeded Grizzlies are poised to end an eight-game playoff losing streak.

Critics dwell on Fratello's 2-16 record in his past five playoff appearances. Disciples of Fratello's system point toward his determination.

"He's got a big heart, and he challenges guys," veteran guard Eddie Jones said. "He gets up in guys' (faces) and makes guys play harder. I like coaches like that. He's emotional and enthusiastic about the game."

Like retired coach Hubie Brown before him, Fratello can be abrasive.

The Boston Herald used Celtics coach Doc Rivers -- an Atlanta Hawk point guard under Fratello -- to describe his experience with The Czar. The Fratello method, according to Rivers, works in today's NBA.

"It absolutely made me a better player," Rivers said. "He was coaching me, but I was hoping to get to the point one day where I could be known as Doc or Glenn instead of (expletive) or Stupid. He was brutally honest -- a yeller -- and I was the guy who got yelled at."

Rivers found that it was possible to win Fratello's respect. When that happened, your career took off.

"I lost my cool in my first training camp -- Wes Matthews was basically trying to bully me," Rivers said. "He elbowed me in the back of the head, and I reached and flipped him over my back and onto the floor.

"I thought that was it for me. But (Fratello) called me over and said, 'You're on this team.' And then after 10 games when Eddie Johnson got hurt, he called me over and said, 'You're starting,' and not just until (Johnson) got better."

Everyone who plays for Fratello ends up respecting his knowledge and ability to create a situation for players to succeed.

Take forward Pau Gasol for instance. Fratello arrived in Memphis with a plan to use Gasol around the paint and not just keep him stationary on the low block. Gasol keeps defenses active by operating from the baseline, the post and the elbow (the free-throw line extended).

"The confidence level that he gives me out there is huge," Gasol said. "He puts the ball in my hands a lot and trusts that I'll make the right decisions. Playing 39 minutes a night puts a lot of confidence in me. I don't feel any pressure when I make mistakes and that's important for any player. ... He's told us sometimes that this team goes as I go."

The idea, according to Fratello, was simply to take advantage of Gasol's skills, and not have teams pick a spot and load up on him.

Fratello is in the second season of a reported four-year deal. He doesn't know if this is his last stop. Fratello admits he's learned plenty in this experience, and he hopes he's imparted important basketball values.

"I would hope that when my time is up in Memphis that people would say that 'he worked hard and didn't cheat the organization and the community,'" Fratello said. "I'd hope the players would say 'he tried to help them as much as he could.' They could say that guy had us ready.

"As a coach you owe it to your team to try and have them ready for any situation. If we get down and we're in a one-point game, 'Oh by the way, this is what they might be running.'"

No team feels more prepared than the Grizzlies.

"The amount of preparation and the amount of time you put in just to win one game is unbelievable," forward Shane Battier said. "I don't think most people realize that. That's where I give our coaching staff a lot of credit. They put in the time, and we're always prepared. They should get a lot of credit on that front."

That sentiment leaves detractors with nothing to claw at with Fratello.

"A wise man once said that the further you get away from the game, the easier the game becomes," Battier said. "That's probably the truest statement in professional sports."

That, and coaches sometimes can't win for losing.

"All I know is that I've been blessed with good players and a guy at the top making good decisions in every organization I've worked for," Fratello said. "Overall, I've been involved with good guys. They want to practice. They want to play hard. They want to play together. I've had great assistant coaches ... can't complain."

-- Ronald Tillery: 529-2353

[G-Man]

Memphis vs. Big D? Really, it's no contest

Give us a 'W' and then we'll be spellbound

April 23, 2006
Geoff Calkins
The Commercial Appeal

In 1841, John Neely Bryan found a spot he liked on the Trinity River, claimed 640 acres and sketched out a town.
That town became Dallas.

Bryan was from Tennessee.

So I'm not saying we own Dallas or anything, but we certainly created the place.

Bryan wound up shooting a man who insulted his wife. He fled the city and returned only after being offered a contract to play receiver for the Dallas Cowboys.

Ha. I'm kidding, of course.

Bryan played defensive back.

No, Bryan was actually admitted to the State Lunatic Asylum in February of 1877. Which says something about the dangers of spending too much time in Dallas, doesn't it?

Fortunately, the Grizzlies only have to stay long enough to whip the Mavericks. If you look at the matchups -- not the basketball ones, the ones that really matter -- it's hard to imagine anything other than a Memphis sweep.

Barbecue

Us: Pork

Them: Beef

Ever hear of mad pig disease? Edge, Memphis.

Rivers

Us: The Mississippi

Them: The Trinity

When asked what should be done with the Trinity River, Will Rogers said, "Pave it." Edge, Memphis.

Owners

Us: Michael Heisley

Them: Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban was the star of a short-lived reality show called "The Benefactor." Not to say Cuban is a meany or anything, but Daniel Schneider, the fiance of a contestant named Linda Caruso, told the Dallas Morning News that Cuban caused Linda's mother, "a single mother with cancer, with diabetes, with an amputated leg and without means (to cry) herself to sleep after watching the finale." Edge, Memphis.

Houses

Us: Graceland

Them: Southfork Ranch

Elvis never lived at Southfork. Edge, Memphis.

Doctors

Us: Dr. Peter Doherty

Them: Dr. Phil

Dr. Peter Doherty of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1996. Dr. Phil once said, "You're only lonely if you're not there for you." Edge, Memphis.

Recent Winners

Us: Three 6 Mafia

Them: Kelly Clarkson

An Oscar vs. an American Idol. That's a tough one. Edge, Memphis.

Cheerleaders

Us: Memphis Pom

Them: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

Memphis Pom has never made a movie. Edge, Memphis.

NFL Stars

Us: None.

Them: Terrell Owens.

Another tough one. Edge, Memphis.

Retail Chains

Us: Piggly Wiggly

Them: Neiman Marcus

Go ahead. Just try to buy a quart of milk at Neiman Marcus. Edge, Memphis.

Whodunits

Us: O.C. Smith

Them: J.R. Ewing

"Who shot J.R.?" was good. But imagine "Who wrapped J.R. in barbed wire, strapped a bomb to his body and burned him with acid?" Edge, Memphis.

Famous Debbies

Us: Debbie Fields

Them: Debbie Does Dallas

What would have happened if our Debbie had given their Debbie a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie? Might that have reminded her of what is good and right and wholesome in the world? You think? Maybe? Edge, Memphis.

Tough Guys with Beards

Us: Pau Gasol

Them: Walker, Texas Ranger

Why do people tell Chuck Norris jokes? Because they're scared to tell jokes about Pau Gasol, of course. Edge, Memphis.

Contact Geoff Calkins at 529-2364 or send an e-mail.

[dude1394]

I'll tell you one thing...That pork bar-b-que thing is right on. Memphis is hands down got it on that score..

But when it comes to bball, they aren't going to like the menu we will be serving up.