So is the Bizzaro run over? Maybe. At least the agonizing home defeats are. Last night the Grizzlies used solid production from their bench and the terrible play of the New Jersey Nets to end an eight game losing streak at home and finally hear Rick Trotter yell “Grizzlies Win!” as the confetti fell for at FedExForum for the first time since Feb. 1.

It wasn’t exactly pretty…
The Grizzlies third quarter woes continued in this one, as they were outscored 26 to 14 there. Despite the miserable quarter, the Grizzlies never trailed after the first, as they had built a 20 point lead in the second quarter, and went into the half up 16. The closest the Nets got was two points.

Coach Hollins said after the game that the lackadaisical play in the third quarter was perhaps his team not realizing how important it was for them to snap their losing streak at home, but was happy with the win.

No Z-Bo, no problem?
Well not exactly. While the Grizzlies rebounding numbers were still ok (52 compared to 45 from the Nets), Grizzlies big men Marc Gasol and Hamed Haddadi were stretched defensively, picking up fouls more quickly than usual without Randolph to help on the defensive end. Gasol and Haddadi both finished with 5 fouls.

The team did not discuss Randolph’s absence before the game, staying focused on playing with who they had. Hollins said the real detriment to having Randolph out was missing “that dominant post player who always draws a double-team,” but added that they were still able to win because of the bench players stepping up.

Big Night for the Bench
When asked about how Randolph’s absence affected their game, center Marc Gasol looked irritated.

“We’ve got a lot of good guys here,” he said. “We’ve got enough good guys that we should be able to win without him for a few games.”

At least last night he was right. Sam Young continued his solid production with 10 points, Marcus Wliams had 8, Hamed Haddadi added 3 points and 2 rebounds, and Darrell Arthur had 7 points and 3 rebounds in his first start of the season. The bench star of the night however, was DaMarre Carroll, who finished with a season high 10 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals.

Benefiting from a small New Jersey lineup that allowed Hollins to play him at power forward rather than small forward, Carroll got most of his points the same way he did in college, from offensive rebounds and putbacks, but he even added a jump shot for the first time in a while. Carroll clocked 24 minutes and almost hit his first NBA double-double.

Carroll had not been playing much in February or March, and saw Randolph’s absence as an opportunity.

“I’ve just been sitting at the end of the bench, patiently waiting, lifting weights and coming in at night to get in extra shots, and tonight I just tried to come out and stay true to myself,” Carroll said.

But Carroll also said that Lionel Hollins gets on him more than any other rookie, which is odd considering Carroll wasn’t demoted to the d-league.

You had to be there
The crowd was tiny - announced at over 10,000 but appeared to be about half that in reality. First signs of life from the crowd came when Tiger favorite Chris Douglas-Roberts checked in. The crowd responded with a big applause even before Grizzlies announcer Rick Trotter said his name.

Really he should just add the Chris to make a complete circle.
Photo by Chase Gustafson

Although small, the crowd was excited the entire game, cheering loudly during the first half, booing even louder during the third quarter, and enjoying the win at the end. They even paid enough attention to boo a botched game of Grizzlies Tic-Tac-Toe during a timeout in the second.

Dunk of the Game
There were a bunch in this one, especially in the first half. Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo kept in simple with their dunks, preferring to just get the ball in the basket, rather than show off (which is probably good when you’re on an eight game losing streak). His dunks still looked good, but we’ll have to give this one to DaMarre Carroll, who found a wide open back door late in the fourth and pounded home a two handed jam to put the Grizzlies one point shy of 100 and essentially put the game out of reach for the Nets.
Dunk Count: 5, Carroll - 1 Gay – 1, Gasol -2, Mayo -1,

Twitter Watch
Hasheem Thabeet
GoodMornin Wonderful World!!!!! I’m Back.. Ya’ll Have a nice and Blessed Day!!!

Rudy Gay
No disrespect to Hurt Locker! But Avatar was the greatest of all time! (Kanye shrug) lol

Grizz
Well it’s the end of my b day weekend, thx to all my furry homies for coming out and hangin with me. Best b day game yet!!

Final Shots
Hasheem Thabeet was back in Memphis after being recalled from the D-League (See tweet above). He sported a new, shorter haircut and sat the bench. New Jersey guards Courtney Lee and Devin Harris lit up the Grizzlies for a combined 58 points. Games are much more comfortable without Ronald McDonald ruining Black History Month. The Grizz should keep honoring players through March without the clown just to make up for February.

The Grizzlies next game is on the road at Boston Tomorrow at 6:30 pm. You can follow @douggillon and @cerrito for tweets during the games, or come watch the game with the entire Memphis Sport crew and rapper Teflon Don tomorrow night at the Poplar Lounge.

Five straight losses – three at home. 1-7 over the last eight games. It was less than a month ago that Memphis fans were reveling in the glory of their home team which was unbeatable at home and a scary matchup on the road. Fans were flocking to FedExForum, the Grizzlies were getting national recognition, and the playoffs seemed a sure thing. Now they are treated to old school Grizzlies basketball, with eyes already starting to turn towards the college game and the draft.

Last night it was easy mistakes – missed layups and free throws, slopping positioning, lack of cohesiveness – that doomed the Grizzlies. This time it wasn’t lack of rest (the team had an entire week off for the all-star break) according to the coach it was rust.

Case of the Missing Layup
Or free throw, depending on the time of the game. It was one of the worst shooting performances of the season from the team, who shot a dismal 35.6% from the floor. The Grizzlies missed easy shots all night, with Mike Conley and Marc Gasol being the worst offenders (3-12 and 4-12 from the floor). Despite posting a double-double, Gasol was particularly off last night, also missing eight free throws, a strange night for the 71% career free throw shooter.

Super Sam
Sam Young was one of the lone bright spots for the Grizzlies (that’s excluding Zach Randolph, who put in his work with a solid 18-15 game) scoring 15 off the bench and making two three-point shots in three attempts. Young and Lester Hudson have been the Grizzlies only scoring options off the bench this season, with Young being the more consistent of the two.

Support WHAT movement?
Just before the Grizzlies went to training camp in Alabama, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo held a joint press conference to talk about the upcoming season. Both players talked about how hard they had been working in the offseason, often being the only two players in the gym. Halfway through this year, that work paid off. Mayo and Gay played vastly improved games while Marc Gasol continued to mature and Zach Randolph came in as the missing link. Then the team hit 25 wins.

It was one more win than the entire previous year, with more than 30 games left to play. The Grizzlies were six games above .500 – set up for a playoff spot if they maintained their pace. The whole town was thinking it and the Memphis Flyer put it on the cover, “Look! They Might Be Good!”

Yeah… go ahead and bring that back in. The start of the second half of the NBA season has treated the Grizzlies much like the first: 1-7. Coach Hollins is quick to dispute words like “unmotivated,” but when the team drops off this drastically, it’s hard to think that a lack of focus isn’t a factor.  Hollins admitted to “rust” affecting his players, and lamented that over the five day break there were “some guys that didn’t do anything.” No shoot around. No working out. No practice. Time off. “That’s unfortunate,” he said, “but that’s the way it goes.”

Not really. Not if Hollins goal is to “get respect around the league” as he told us last week. To accomplish that – to get into the playoffs, to win a playoff game, to be an elite team in professional sports, “that’s the way it goes” can’t ever be part of the equation. Even in Hollins voice – in the way he answers questions, the coach’s attitude shows a lack of fire. When asked the reason for a recent rotation change Hollins replied, “Because I wanted to,” and only went into rationale for the strategy of the decision when further pushed.

After spending the first half of the season pushing to break .500, then doing it, then exceeding it, Hollins and his team will have to regroup like they did after Allen Iverson left if they want this to be a season to remember, rather than a streak to remember.

You Had to Be There
The announced crowd of 11,508 was small but lively, bringing some excitement back into the forum after two dismal showings from the spectators in the Atlanta and Houston games.

A welcome addition was the group of guys in section 220, who brought their own flavor of rowdy to the contest, chanting "U-S-A!" at Steve Nash, and "Trade Bait" at A'mare Stoudamire. Also notable was Grizz coming out in an Olympic Uniform and giving flowers to Steve Nash.

Dunk of the Game
Nothing special last night. Just two and a block. Marc Gasol slammed in two equally forgettable dunks, on in the third and one in the fourth. The first came as the game was slipping away and the second after the game was out of reach. Rudy Gay had his only dunk attempt blocked in the first quarter. On a night when the team can’t even make layups though, it would be hard to expect much in this area.
Dunk Count: Gasol – 2

Twitter Watch

Rudy Gay
I got a random question. Who is my youngest follower? 10:58 Feb 16
I gotta watch what I say! 11:04 Feb 16

Hasheem Thabeet
Go Hash Its Ur BDAY… LOL Mane Thank God I’m Able to See Another Day!! It’s a Blessing To Be ME!! & i’m Grateful about this! Sagga Continues!

Sam Young
who knows how to work the skype

Final Shots
The NBA trade deadline is tomorrow at 2pm Central. So far the Grizzlies have not leaked or shown anything (despite the normal talk of considering several possible scenarios) that would lead us to think a trade is coming despite rampant speculation around town and the recent losing streak. If a trade were to occur it would likely be for Sergio Rodriguez of the Kings, Chris Douglas-Roberts of the Nets or Ronnie Brewer of the Utah Jazz. The trade that could have helped the Grizzlies the most last night, Phoenix dealing A’mare Stoudamire, didn’t happen, and the Grizzlies paid for it. Their recent losing streak has put them back in last place in the Southwest Division and four games out of the last playoff spot. That final spot is currently occupied by Portland, who just acquired Marcus Camby in a trade with the Clippers. Ronald McDonald is still coming out with the Black History Month honoree, but something even stranger is how he sits it the tunnel, in full costume, just relaxing, until the honoree is introduced. Zach Randolph became the first Grizzly to score in an NBA all-star game over the weekend.

The Grizzlies play the Toronto Raptors tonight at 6pm. Follow @douggillon or MSL editor @cerrito on Twitter for live updates and thoughts during games.

UPDATE: Trade rumours circling today include having the Grizzlies acquire Spurs shooter Roger Mason. ESPN.com reports that the Grizzlies have also put Mike Conley on the trading block.

If you’re like me, then you can’t afford season tickets. I’m just a poor college kid trying to make it to see my favorite team play. So if I had to choose one game per month to go see, what games would I have circled? Here is my list of my ‘must see’ home games this year.

October - Detroit Pistons

Why: It’s the Grizzlies home opener. These game are generally fun and it’s your first chance to see the much improved Grizz squad in (meaningful) action. It could also set tempo for the rest of the season and I like our chances of pulling out a ‘W’ in this game.

Runner Up: Toronto Raptors; because I don’t have any other choice and I’m sure the Grizzlies marketing department will run some promo for half price tickets if you wear a Halloween costume.

November -Sacramento Kings

Why: Former Memphis Tigers standout Tyreke Evans make his first trip back to the Bluff City when the Grizzlies take on Sacramento on November 23rd. Will he make the Grizzlies pay for passing over him with the #2 overall pick in the NBA Draft or will Hasheem & Co. get the best of him. This should be an exciting game.

Runner Up: Los Angeles Clippers; Z-Bo gets his first shot at his former team and the man they traded him because of, Blake Griffin.

December - Cleveland Cavaliers

Why: Why not? Lebron James is not of this planet. Shaq isn’t half bad either. I would never pass up the chance to see these two play, but please Grizzlies fans, cheer for the home team.

Runner Up: Boston Celtics; KG,Pierce,and Allen, not to mention this game is on my birthday so you can all come down to the Forum and drop off a present before the game

January - San Antonio Spurs

Why: Grizzlies vs. Spurs games are always fun. I can’t stand the Spurs. I don’t know if it’s Manu Janosebleed’s flopping like an Italian soccer player or Tim Duncan’s whining like a 13 year old girl, but I do know that beating them would be one of the sweetest wins of the year.

Runner Up: Phoenix Suns; MLK Game. It’s our only nationally televised game of the year and it sure would look nice if the Forum was full. The pre and post game cermonies might be worth the price of admission alone.

February - Los Angeles Lakers

Why: It’s Kobe…and Pau. The Lake Show are in town twice in February and it would be nice for once to have more Grizzlies fans in the stands than Fakers fans. Let’s fill the Forum and drown out the ‘MVP’ cheers with boos. This is our house.

Runner Up: Miami Heat; D-Wade is a beast. It’s a longshot, but there is also a small chance we may get to see former Memphis Tigers stars Robert Dozier and Antonio Anderson. Scratch that. My man Bull-Dozier just signed  on to play in Greece this year, but that doesn't negate the fact that Wade is a monster.

March - Portland Trailblazers

Why: I would say there is some bad blood here. Portland’s fans hate our team. Their front office hates our front office, and I’m pretty sure Brandon Roy hates Zach Randolph. It should be interesting.

Runner Up: New Jersey Nets; CDR CDR CDR!

April - Houston Rockets

Why: Who doesn’t love Shane Battier? Who doesn’t love former Memphis Tiger Joey Dorsey? Who doesn’t love to see Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady in street clothes?

Runner Up: Philadelphia 76ers; this was a tough one between Philly and New Orleans. Chris Paul is an amazing player but Philly has Memphian Thaddeus Young and it’s fan appreciation night.