Image by Getty Images via @daylifeWe’re at the point now where it will be a surprise if Memphis does not make its first post-(Pau) Gasol playoff appearance, which shouldn’t be shocking, considering how close this group got last season and the talent level of its young core. Toss in another monster season from Zach Randolph — a guy who is totally unguardable for at least 75 percent of the league — and a win total in the mid/high-40s should have been the expected outcome for the Grizzlies.
What might be a bit surprising is how the Grizzlies have made their push over the last 20 games, in which they are 14-6. Over that span, they have played defense at a level only a half-dozen or so teams have reached this season. Those teams are known defensive royalty. The Grizzlies are not, and it was their borderline top-10 offense that carried their shaky defense to 40 wins last season.
That has flipped this season. The Grizzlies have jumped all the way to eighth in points allowed per possession, and in their last 16 games, they have allowed just 101 points per 100 possessions, according to Hoopdata. That is just about what the Hornets, Bucks and Spurs have done for the course of the season, and it’s a stingier mark than the Lakers and Mavs have put up.
http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011/03/03/grizzlies-pulling-off-rare-feat-on-defense/
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