If you looked at my preview for this game, the one matchup that I stressed as a key to this game was the centers down in the trenches, Andrew Bogut against Marc Gasol. To win this game, I really believed that we had to win this matchup. And Marc won, badly. 24 points, 16 rebounds for our favorite Spaniard. That’s why he might be the only Grizzly in the All-Star game (which is a travesty, might I add. Unfortunately voting ends tomorrow). Bogut had a mediocre 14 and 9. Sure, Earl Boykins put up 23 on us, but we won the battle down low, and that is what made the difference. That and some pretty stellar defense. The Bucks were held to a measly 37% shooting (To give some perspective, UConn Women’s Basketball shot 65% in their last route of a game. And they are girls).
The Grizz were a little sloppy with the ball tonight, amassing 20 turnovers. Not a great night in that respect, but when shooting 14% better from the field than the other team, that’s not a bad number. Also giving some pretty solid performances tonight were Zach Randolph, with 16 and 11, and Darrel Arthur, with 14 and 4.
Not all from tonight, however, was good. Some concerns still linger. Namely, the Grizz keep letting teams back into the ballgame late. After an 18 point halftime lead, the lead dwindled to 4 with 3 minutes left following an 17-4 Bucks streak. The Grizz need to have that killer instinct when it comes to the fourth quarter. Look at teams like the Spurs, Mavs, or Lakers. They rarely take their foot off the throttle late in games. They keep putting pressure on the other team until the game is absolutely out of reach or the buzzer sounds. The Grizz need that desire to win, especially if we hope to reach the playoffs.
But all in all, a win is a win. Let’s go get another against the Canadians (gross) Monday night.
Grizzin’
MEdwards
USER COMMENTS
Track comments via RSS