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Memphis Grizzlies Gameday HQ

Often overlooked, the long-running trio of Zach Randolph, Conley (#11) and Marc Gasol (#33) have quietly made the Grizzlies into regular contenders. good leader in our locker room,” Joerger said. “We want to play him in a role where we give him the ball and let him do his thing.” OUTLOOK Last season, Memphis showed great consistency in winning games at home (27-14) and on the road (23-18). But one area where Joerger seeks improvement is in how his team starts games. Last season, the Grizz made a habit of starting slowly, so slowly in fact that they often had to come from behind in the fourth quarter. Naturally, that made them one of the NBA’s top fourth-quarter teams, but Joerger would rather not travel down a similar path this year. “We got to get a quicker start. We’re one of Kevin C. Cox/NBAE/Getty Images the best fourth-quarter teams and we go like crazy. It just can’t be that way,” Joerger said. “We have to get quicker starts in games and to the season.” If the Grizz can start games better and keep Gasol and Randolph healthy, then they could win 50 games for a third straight year and be a factor in the West. SPOTLIGHT: Marc Gasol There isn’t a more important player on Memphis than Marc Gasol. Thanks to a sprained MCL in his left knee, one of the best defensive centers (along with Dwight Howard and Joakim Noah) was limited to 59 games last season and when he wasn’t on the floor, there was no doubt about just how important he is in helping forge Memphis’ strong defensive identity. But Gasol is now healthy and looking to return to the top of his game, like in 2012 when he was an All-Star for the first time. “When Marc got hurt, it totally changed our team. When he came back, you saw what the difference was. He’s our catalyst. He anchors the defense and he runs the team. Without him, there are no Grizzlies,” Randolph said. “This year, he’s going to be aggressive and he’s going to be one of the best centers in the NBA.” In the offseason, Gasol worked on becoming more active on both ends of the floor and would also like to play at a faster pace. Of course, if Gasol can stay healthy, the Grizz could contend in the West. But if he is again slowed by injury, they could struggle. “I’m a big believer in overall consistency and discipline,” Gasol said. “I think when you don’t have a good game or if things don’t go the way you planned, if you rely on those, you execute the gameplan, you’re disciplined and consistent with it, you can pull out some games you’re not supposed to.”


Memphis Grizzlies Gameday HQ
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