Game On: Hornets @ Grizzlies (Live Chat!)

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Published: April 10, 2011

Matchup: Hornets(46-33) @ Grizzlies(45-34)

Off Efficiency: Hornets 104.3(15th), Grizzlies 104.3(15th)
Def Efficiency: Hornets 101.9(7th), Grizzlies 102.3(8th)

We did this not long ago, and were embarrassed by the way the Grizzlies big men controlled the paint and their perimeter defense made our offense look like Jar-Jar Binks at war – flailing about uselessly and only making something happen by sheer stupid luck.  Mee-sah worried.

The Grizzlies are going to be at home tonight and we shouldn’t expect them to let up.  Since Rudy Gay and his inefficient scoring and one-dimensional game hit the injured list, they’ve been playing Tony Allen and his vicious defense and efficient offense in his stead and it’s had a huge impact.  (The stat-geek in me enjoys the way Gay and Carmelo have once again provided examples of how high-volume but inefficient scoring is so badly overrated by the league.)  The Grizzlies are on a mission, and it looks like the 7th seed is their target.  Not sure why they’d want it and the ensuing Lakers series, but they are going after it.

The Hornets, however, are also playing fairly well.  Even with several awful starts it seems like Ariza and Paul have ramped up their intensity, generating more fast-break easy buckets in a couple weeks than we’ve seen all year.  Yes, the offense still sputters badly for minutes at a time, but their defense, with an engaged Ariza, can be chaos incarnate for stretches at a time.

As for the Hornets’ playoff race, Portland won last night.  As long as the Hornets at least match what Portland does, they take the six seed, so they need to keep pace with a win tonight in Memphis.  Also – with a win tonight, the Hornets make it impossible for the Grizzlies to move up past them in the standings, so like all games in this stretch run, this is an important one.

Injuries:

Grizzlies: Rudy Gay and Jason Williams are out.
Hornets: David West

Gonna skip the positional analysis today.  I do want to point out one fun scenario the Hornets could find themselves in on April 13th as the season comes to a close.

That night, the Hornets take on Dallas.  Thanks to the recent Laker swoon, it’s possible  that Dallas could be locked into the 2nd seed(or able to seal it with a win) at that point.  At the same time, the Hornets could have the opportunity that night to clinch the 6th seed over Portland with a win.

That, of course, would put the Hornets in the position of fighting for a win and facing the Lakers in the first round, or losing and facing the Mavericks.  You make the call in the comments – what would Monty do?  Lose strategically or fight to win on principle?

And yes, I spend too much time thinkin through all these scenarios.

Enjoy the Game!

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