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Happy Friday, Enjoyers! Whether you’re finishing up spring break, about to start spring break, or not even THINKING about spring break, we hope you’re as excited as we are that the weather is starting to feel a little nicer. Let’s talk hoops, shall we?

Today’s Lineup

Last Night’s Action

Brown, Boston put Suns away 127-112

If you looked at the Phoenix Suns’ box score for this game, you probably would have guessed they came away with a win. After all, four of their players (KD, DBook, Brad Beal, and Grayson Allen) scored at least 20 points!

But don’t forget who the Boston Celtics are. Jaylen Brown (37 PTS, 5 REB) put on a scoring masterclass and Jrue Holiday (10 AST, 0 TOV) passed the ball beautifully as Boston overcame the star-studded Suns and won comfortably.

Thunder survive Mavericks in 126-119 home win

We lost out on the MVP-candidate matchup we were hoping for due to Luka Doncic’s hamstring soreness, but the Thunder definitely weren’t as upset as we were. SGA (31 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST) and Jalen Williams (27 PTS) took advantage of his absence and led OKC to an impressive win over Kyrie (36 PTS, 12 AST) and company. Every time it looked like Mavericks were gonna make a run, OKC came up with a big play to steal all of their momentum—this JDub dunk was the best of the best of those moments.

Also, Daniel Gafford ended his streak of made field goals with a missed layup in the first quarter. Looks like Wilt’s record will remain on the books… for now.

Elsewhere around the Association…

• Despite a poor showing from the perimeter (6-29 3PT), the Knicks handled the Blazers 105-93 thanks to a great game from Jalen Brunson (45 PTS, 4 AST).

• In Coby White’s first missed game of the season (due to a mild hip injury), the Bulls fell to the Clippers 126-111. Kawhi and PG combined for 55 points in the W.

• The Bucks beat the Sixers by nine in a classic Eastern Conference matchup thanks to a great Giannis (32 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST) performance.

• Jalen Green’s super efficient night (37 PTS, 15-23 FG, 5-9 3PT) led Houston over Washington, 135-119.

Check out all of last night’s box score HERE.

Wednesday Night Notes

• Jalen Duren’s (24 PTS, 23 REB) third 20-20 game in as many months lifted Detroit over Toronto 113-104. Don’t look now, but the Pistons have won three of their last four!

• Despite a 40-point performance from Dejounte Murray (only his third this season), the Blazers put the Hawks away 106-102 thanks to the domin-Ayton forces of Deandre Ayton (33 PTS, 19 REB).

• And after a stellar showing throughout the entire game, De-Marvelous DeRozan (46 PTS, 9 REB) hit not one but two clutch shots to seal the Bulls’ three-point OT win against Indiana. This middy sent the game to overtime as time expired, and this three gave Chicago the lead for good in overtime. Clutch Player of the Year?

See all of Wednesday’s box scores HERE.

Hoops History: The Grit and Grind Grizzlies

Throughout the majority of the 2010s, the Memphis Grizzlies were known for their signature style of play that focused on inside scoring and suffocating on-ball defense. While they didn’t shoot the ball all that well, legendary players like Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol led these Grizzlies squads to numerous playoff series wins by doing everything else just a little bit better than everyone else.

This was the Grit and Grind era of Memphis Grizzlies basketball.

Throughout the head coaching tenures of Lionel Hollins (2009-2012) and Dave Joerger (2013-2016), Memphis was encapsulated by this tough mentality. And they did it while staying relatively clean, too! During those seven years, the Grizzlies:

• Ranked 1st in the league in total steals

• Ranked 4th in the league in points allowed

• Ranked top-ten in paint scoring in all but one season (‘15-’16)

• Had an over-.500 record in all but one season (‘09-’10)

• Consistently ranked low (17th in the league) in personal fouls

The grit and grind era’s most successful season was 2012-13, when Memphis reached the Western Conference Finals behind a top four of Conley, Gay, Randolph and Gasol. They ended up losing to the San Antonio Spurs, which was a disappointing yet not totally unexpected end to their season given that the Spurs’ roster included Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and a young Kawhi Leonard.

In today’s high-flying 3PT-centric NBA, a team like the grit and grind Grizzlies would more than stand out amongst the crowd. It just goes to show how basketball trends ebb and flow like other things in life—if Memphis had won a championship in the 2010s, who knows? We could be living in a Zach Randolph NBA instead of a Steph Curry NBA. 😄

Three in the Key

Signing Off

If you’re reading this, it means you made it through the whole newsletter. And we think that’s pretty cool. See you on Monday! ✌️

-Austin Zeglis