Tag: Zach Randolph

Personals have Popovich in foul mood

Nobody could blame Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for being in a foul mood after he watched the Grizzlies manhandle his team in the second half of Monday’s Game 4 at FedEx Forum in Memphis.

In fact, fouls committed by the Spurs in the pivotal first four minutes of the third quarter seemed to bother Popovich as much, or more, than any aspect of a 104-86 loss that has the Spurs on the brink of elimination from the playoffs.

The Spurs committed three turnovers during the Grizzlies’ game-turning 14-0 run to start the third, but Popovich was more surprised by his team’s inability to defend without fouling.

Rookie center Tiago Splitter started the Grizzlies’ parade to the foul line when he committed a shooting foul against Marc Gasol just 42 seconds into the period. He committed a second shooting foul, on guard Mike Conley, 73 seconds later. In between, Richard Jefferson and Manu Ginobili picked up personals, so George Hill’s foul on Tony Allen with 9:19 remaining in the quarter put the Grizzlies in the bonus for the remainder of the period.

By quarter’s end, Memphis had shot 12 free throws and made 10.

“I would never expect that we would play that badly to start the third quarter in a game that we were playing pretty well in overall and actually leading and have an opportunity to play those first minutes just in a solid manner,” Popovich said.

“So sure, I was surprised, more about the fouls than the turnovers. We’ve been capable of turnovers before, but we’ve been a great team all year as far as not fouling, so that was really out of character.”

Ginobili, whose only personal of the game came in the third-period foul fest, had no good explanation for the spate of fouls.

“Usually they are the team that fouls a lot and sends us to the line early,” he said. “In that third quarter, in three minutes they were in bonus and we kept fouling in bad situations. So we gave them the ball and said, ‘OK, you score from the line.’ And offensively, we were just dry. Those two things compounded for a horrible third quarter.”

HOLLINS HOLLERS: The inspiration for the Grizzlies’ third-quarter surge apparently came from head coach Lionel Hollins.

Players described an irate head coach challenging them to play with more intensity and physicality from the outset of the second half.

“He ripped us,” Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo told reporters.

Leading scorer Zach Randolph verified Mayo’s account, saying Hollins “definitely had some choice words.”

Hollins enjoyed the response he got.

“The second half,” he said, “was just incredible to watch. It was an incredible performance in the third and fourth quarters. From the second quarter on, our defense just kept getting better and better and more aggressive.”

GRIZZLIES WARY: The Grizzlies gathered as a team at center court after Monday’s victory to steel their resolve for tonight’s Game 5 at the ATT Center.

“We understand that we have not won anything yet,” Gasol said. “It was a good game. We know how loud their place can get, and we need to be ready.”

Manu doubtful for playoff opener

Their first-round playoff opponent finally decided, Spurs coaches went to work Thursday piecing together the beginnings of a game plan for the Memphis Grizzlies.

The team’s most pressing concern, however, was not something that could be solved by any combination Xs and Os, only ice and rest.

An MRI exam revealed guard Manu Ginobili has a sprained right elbow, and the Spurs are preparing to open the playoffs without him.

Ginobili is officially listed as doubtful for Game 1 on Sunday at the ATT Center, leaving his teammates to seize onto the semantics that “doubtful” does not mean “out.”

“Hopefully he can be ready to go once the playoffs start,” Tim Duncan said. “You cross your fingers and hope for that.”

Ginobili was injured in the first quarter of the Spurs’ 106-103 season-ending loss at Phoenix on Wednesday, when he collided awkwardly with Suns forward Grant Hill while cutting off a Duncan screen.

His injury throws a wild card into the matchup between the top-seeded Spurs (61-21) and eighth-seeded Grizzlies (46-36).

Throughout NBA postseason history, No. 1 seed has advanced in 51 of 54 first-round series. Since 2003, when the first-round format switched to a best-of-seven series, the No. 8 seed has moved on to the second round just once — in 2007, when Golden State upset Dallas.

With Ginobili and his 17.4 points per game possibly out for at least Game 1, and with Memphis a more rugged draw than the garden-variety eight seed, the Spurs are still favorites, but vulnerable.

“It’s going to be a tough, physical series,” Spurs guard Tony Parker said. “We’ll be ready.”

Even before a bum elbow threatened to rob the Spurs of their second-leading scorer, there were signs Memphis wanted this matchup. Eschewing a chance to elevate to the No. 7 seed, Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins rested starters — including bruising star forward Zach Randolph — in each of the final two games of the regular season.

At least one prominent Spurs player noticed.

“Obviously, they’ve chosen their matchup,” Duncan said.

There are reasons for Memphis to bullseye the Spurs. The Grizzlies split four games against them during the regular season, losing one in overtime. In addition, Randolph has been a load for the Spurs to handle, averaging 23 points and 14.8 rebounds against them this season.

In hindsight, perhaps Hollins made the right call simply in keeping his most important players out of harm’s way.

Ginobili’s injury might have opened the door for the Grizzlies to make franchise history. Memphis is 0-12 all-time in playoffs, having been swept in all three of its previous appearances — including in 2004 by the Spurs.

After Wednesday’s game in Phoenix, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich defended his use of Ginobili and other regulars in a fairly meaningless finale, saying he wanted to keep his starters in fighting shape heading toward the playoffs.

“They needed to get a good run, and they did, so they can keep a rhythm,” Popovich said.

Duncan, too, refused to play Monday morning quarterback.

“You can’t predict anything, and there’s no reason to second guess,” he said. “I don’t think any one of us is going to do that.”

All the Spurs can do now is look to the future, which in the short term means the prospect of opening the playoffs without Ginobili.

The spacious nature of the playoff schedule could aid his recovery. With Game 2 not until Wednesday, Ginobili could ice his elbow for a full week and miss just one game.

For now, the Spurs just need Ginobili to get well. The Xs and Os, much like their chances for advancement, look better with him than without him.

“If he isn’t able to play in the playoffs, it’s going to be devastating for us,” Antonio McDyess said. “We definitely don’t want to see that happen.”

Randolph’s shot sends Spurs to 2-1 deficit

By Jeff McDonald
jmcdonald@express-news.net

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis’ Zach Randolph toed the 3-point stripe late in Game 3 on Saturday, out of his range, his element and maybe his mind. Only two people in a pulsing FedEx Forum had an idea of what was about to go down.

One of them was Randolph. The other was George Hill.

“He practices that shot all summer long,” said Hill, the Spurs guard and a frequent offseason workout partner of Randolph’s in Indianapolis. “He can shoot it well.”

Randolph’s rare 3-pointer, the defining basket in a 91-88 Grizzlies victory that perhaps has swung this first-round series, gave Memphis a five-point lead with 41.9 seconds to go.

It set the stage for an ending nobody in the arena could have seen coming.

A game that began with in-house fireworks ended with a whimper, with Manu Ginobili pinned in the corner, unable to squeeze off a shot as time expired.

The Spurs down by three, Tim Duncan was trying to call ?time out during the scramble, which began when Hill snatched a Randolph miss ? with 5.9 seconds remaining.

“I should have been all over the referee to get the time, and I didn’t notice,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “That was my fault.”

Randolph had 25 points, and Marc Gasol chipped in 17 as the Grizzlies seized a 2-1 series lead.

And now, a Memphis team that earlier claimed the first postseason win in club history and followed with its first home playoff win Saturday, stands halfway to becoming the second eighth seed in the best-of-7 era to topple a No. 1.

Duncan summed Game 3 up this way: “Things just didn’t go right.”

Almost from the start.

The night began with a sellout crowd of 18,119, just the fifth of the season at FedEx Forum, whipped into a towel-waving froth. Professional wrestler Jerry Lawler and pregame pyrotechnics only added to the hysteria.

The Spurs did not handle the moment well at first. Duncan opened the game by airballing a free throw, and it would be the second half before things got better. Manhandled again by the bruising Memphis frontline, the Spurs trailed by as many as 15 in the first half.

“In the first 24 minutes, we went through the paces while they were out there playing their ass off,” Popovich said.

The Spurs came back, despite seven third-quarter turnovers, including four from the struggling Tony Parker. After trailing for all of the second and third quarters, the Spurs twice tied the game in the fourth. Then, everything went sideways on them.

Memphis coach Lionel Hollins declined to reveal exactly what he was looking for out of a timeout, up two with 56.7 seconds left, but it is certain he didn’t mean for the play to end with Randolph nearly dribbling out the shot clock 26 feet from the basket.

During the regular season, Randolph had tried 43 3-pointers, making just eight — a paltry 18.6 percent. Floating near Randolph on the perimeter, Duncan had a sense of the math.

“I didn’t assume that was in his arsenal,” Duncan said.

By then, Randolph didn’t have a choice but to let the ball fly.

“It felt good when it left my hands,” he said.

That made it 91-86 Memphis, but Ginobili — who had 23 points — followed with a pair of free throws, and after Randolph missed another jumper, Hill grabbed the rebound.

In lieu of calling time out and setting up a play with about five seconds left, Hill pushed the ball ahead to Ginobili, who got stuck between Gasol and Mike Conley as the horn sounded.

“I thought I had a little more time, but it seems that I didn’t,” Ginobili said.

In terms of the series, the Spurs do still have time, but it is rapidly running out.

“Bottom line is somebody’s got to win four games,” Duncan said. “Whoever gets there first is the winner.”

If, stunningly, that turns out to be the Grizzlies, Randolph’s rainbow — the one only two people saw coming — could be the lasting image.