Will the Grizzlies Prevail in NYC?

Coming off of two impressive victories over playoff bound Western Conference foes, the Grizzlies will face the New York Knicks. The Grizzlies are trying to stay second in the Western Conference and gain ground as division leaders in the Southwest Division.

With a win over the Knicks, the Grizzlies will improve their record to 50-21. The question is: which Grizzlies team will show up?

Key Game Thoughts

1) The aggressive and confident Jeff Green should show up once again. Whether he’s coming off the bench or starting, he’s become more comfortable. If Courtney Lee is still on the injury list, look for Jeff to be in the starting line up. It also would help if he can shoot 5 three pointers again like he did against Portland. The Grizz were 11/18 from three.

2) The bench production need to be better than it was against Portland on Saturday. The Grizzlies had 3 bench players in double figures the night before against Dallas. Beno and Vince must step up to give the bench that scoring power. Fatigue might have set in.

3) Marc and Zach should be dominant. But they must not be complacent against this young team.

4) Is this game the time where Joerger should trust the other bench players such as Jordan Adams and JaMychal Green? I think both can be really productive against this young Knick team.

5) The Grizzlies should continue to limit turnovers.

6) Defend the perimeter at all costs. Don’t let this team gain confidence early, especially from the 3 point line.

7) Tony Allen and Nick Calathes must continue to do what they do best. Tony had 6 steals in the last game against Portland. Nick only had one steal; however, if he gets ample playing time..he should have 2 or more.

8) Mike Conley should have another impressive game both offensively and defensively.

Analysis

The Grizzlies should be up for this game like they were against Dallas and Portland. They tend to play down to the competition and look past certain teams. They just have to take the Knicks seriously. The Grizz may get embarrassed just like the Spurs did last week against the Knicks. Teams may be lottery bound but they’re still NBA teams and sometimes they beat elite team. A loss to the Knicks would be a stinker and in my estimation even a worse loss than the Piston’s loss.

They just have to take this team seriously. The Knicks have nothing to lose and probably would love to play spoiler. The Grizzlies just have to take their confidence early and keep pounding until the end.

Fans want to see this team aggressiveness for the full 48 minutes. This game is a must win to build upon the great play of the last two games. Will this game be a shellacking or a heartbreaker? We will see tonight as the Grind to Greatness continues….

Tip Off

When: 6:30 PM, CST

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City

TV/Radio Broadcast: Fox SportSouth/92.9 FM ESPN