compiled by MEMPHIS SPORT     comments by BRANDON HARRIS    photos by CHASE GUSTAFSON

It’s been an eventful year for sports in Memphis. From UFC, to Allen Iverson (who?), to a quick dose of reality for Tiger basketball. There have been shake-ups in Memphis sports media and even a case of life imitating art when Lionel Hollins gave Jarvis Greer a #thundastick during a post-game press conference.

And in the 2010 M Awards, we have a little bit of it all — repeat winners who don’t look like they’re going anywhere, new winners who will probably hold the crown as long as they never bolt for Kentucky and a few new winners that are tough to swallow.

A number of winners this year join an exclusive club — not one of these 4-time winners have ever lost their respective categories. Prince Mongo, heir to the throne of Zambodia, has transported himself in to bless the M Awards with his presence. Prince Mongo wanted to make some out of this world comments on these “grand slam” winners. So we obliged his highness. Without further ado, the winners of the 4th Annual M Awards winners.

The always entertaining and often controversial Price Mongo gave his first major interview since the 2009 election LIVE in studio on the Tuesday, June 29, 2010 edition of Memphis Sport Live (MSL). As part of his appearance, Mongo took phone calls and answered questions from fellow “spirits.” Listen to the full audio of the interview at Memphissport.net and tune in to MSL with Kevin Cerrito and Marcus Hunter every Tuesday at 6:00 PM on Sports 56 WHBQ.

Kentucky Losing  in the NCAA Tournament (March 27, 2010) – 32.94%
Tommy West Farewell Press Conference (November 9, 2009) – 21.24%
UFC comes to Memphis (December 12, 2009) – 14.21%

Moment We Would Most Like To Forget
Embarrassing and hilarious, Allen Iverson was labeled a “bench player” before he even got to Memphis. He would never play a game in Memphis.

Allen Iverson’s short Grizzlies career – 27.91%
The nationally televised and low attended Memphis vs. ECU game in the rain – 19.27%
Tigers losing to Ole Miss in the NIT – 15.95%

Favorite Concessions
Barbeque nachos, beer, hot dogs, hummus, veggie dogs, paninis and bruschetta. The variety in AutoZone Park’s concessions dwarfs all of its competitors combined. You can go vegetarian for the first half of the game, dive into some Memphis barbeque in the second half and top it off with soft serve before you leave — and you still won’t even be close to having tried it all.

AutoZone Park – 46.96%
FedExforum – 33.5%
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and LP Field (tie) – 5.91%

Favorite Place to Tailgate
We’re using the term “tailgate” loosely, but, a world-famous cobblestone street decorated with various watering holes, and overflowing with intoxicating spirits does sound a little bit better than a parking lot in Orange Mound.

Beale Street – 24.7%
Highland Hundred Parking Lot – 21.61%
The Grove – 16.47%

Favorite Race
Memphis’ best-attended race is the most popular. That is, unless you’re one of those downtowners who can’t get out of your garage because someone’s cramping and eating an orange in the middle of the street.

St. Jude Marathon – 42.69%
Race for the Cure – 22.89%
Redbirds Jumbotron Red, Blue and Green Car Race – 10.33%

Best Game
Kobe dropped 44 and became the leading scorer in Laker history, hometown product Lester Hudson had 11 in the third quarter, and Kobe even deferred on the final possession. In the end, Rudy Gay hit the big 3-pointer and helped the Grizzlies to a big home win.

Grizzlies Beat The Champs – Grizzlies 95, Lakers 93 (February 1, 2010) – 28.93%
Memphis wins over St. John’s in the NIT (March 14, 2010) – 22.84%
Tigers 55 vs. Kansas 57 (November 17, 2009) – 22.17%

Favorite Sporting Venue
Not only is it the best venue in the city, but it’s one of the better venues in all of basketball. The beer’s not cheap and the pro team needs to improve, but it’s so much more comfortable than the Pyramid. Now if we can just get someone over there to stop making them check upper-level tickets for Monday night games between the Grizzlies and the Pacers...

FedExForum – 54.53%
AutoZone Park – 25.04%
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium – 7.08%

Favorite Annual Event
There was standing room only outside the FedExForum before the doors opened. Once they did, we all watched Yo Gotti teach first-year coach Josh Pastner how to look for a five-star chick.

Memphis Madness – 37.31%
St. Jude Championship – 19.9%
Redbirds 4th of July Fireworks Game – 14.76%

Best Place to Stock Up for the Big Game
Grab the beer, brats and charcoal... and maybe an Ice for your bros.

Kroger – 41.22%
Buster’s Liquor – 25.51%
Schnucks – 13.51%

Favorite Local Sports Bar/Restaurant
Seat yourself, watch a game and woof down a Huey Burger. A greasy slice of heaven. The steak fries are grossly underrated.

Huey’s – 37.91%

Brookhaven Pub – 18.52%

TJ Mulligan’s – 12.69%

 

Favorite National Sports Bar/Restaurant

B-Dubs. BWW. Buffalo Wild Wings. Whatever you call it, gotta love the cheap wing nights at this grand slam winner. With joints all over town and (hopefully) at least one cheap beer special going on, B-Dubs is the voters’ choice.

Buffalo Wild Wings – 36.58%

Flying Saucer – 22.74%

Fox and Hound – 18.46%

 

Best Place to Eat Before/After the Game

Huey’s is pretty much a staple when it comes to sports, food and booze.

Huey’s – 30.09%

The Kooky Canuck – 21.54%

Rendezvous – 21.71%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Place to Take the Team after a Victory

Something about Midtown and East Memphis just scream thin crust.

Memphis Pizza Café – 35.9%

Mellow Mushroom – 17.34%

Garibaldi’s – 14.89%

 

Favorite Bowling Alley

Once again, Billy Hardwick’s bowls a perfect game.

Billy Hardwick’s All Star Lanes – 36.98%

Cordova Bowling Center – 19.49%

Bartlett Lanes – 16.58%

 

Favorite Place to Play Cards

Nothing like topping off a hot streak in blackjack with a walk down to Paula Deen’s buffet.

Harrah’s Tunica – 29.47%

Horseshoe Casino & Hotel – 27.31%

Gold Strike Casino – 14.93%

 

Favorite Golf Course

Why’d you have to go and take over the game like that, Justin Timberlake? He’s got the other courses “crying him a river.” Get it?!?

Mirimichi – 23.21%

TPC Southwind – 212.47%

The Links at Galloway – 19.54%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Favorite Golf Store

Dick’s narrowly takes home the title for “store where you most like to kill time and go play with the new putters on the artificial greens.”

Dick’s Sporting Goods – 30.1%

Edwin Watts Golf – 28.08%

Double Eagle Golf – 13.94%

 

Favorite Sporting Goods Store

Big box takes the cake. Best place to putt, suit up in catcher’s gear and roller skate across the store.

Dick’s Sporting Goods – 42.93%

The Sports Authority – 20.67%

Bass Pro Shops – 16.08%

 

Favorite Sports Apparel Store

They’re close to one in the same, but the Tiger Gift Shop takes the title. Perhaps thanks to Dave Woloshin’s commercials.

Tiger Gift Shop – 31.93%

Tiger Book Store – 25.26%

College Station – 12.46%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Favorite Healthy Store

Vegetarian? Fresh food snob? A lot better at being healthy than the rest of us? Those who are head to Whole Foods Market.

Whole Foods Market – 33.89%

Fresh Market – 30.02%

Smoothie King – 13.63%

 

Favorite Martial Arts Facility

Memphis Judo and Jiu-Jitsu dominated this category. This was a TKO in round one.

Memphis Judo and Jiu-Jitsu – 34.27%

USA Karate – 18.08%

Midtown Taekwondo – 11.74%

 

Favorite Bike Shop

The Peddler once again takes the yellow jersey in the Tour de M Awards.

Peddler Bike Shop – 34.16%

Midtown Bike Co. – 20.7%

Outdoors, Inc. – 15.53%

 

Favorite Place to Spend a Nice Afternoon

For an afternoon stroll with the pooch or alongside the bison, voters prefer Shelby Farms.

Shelby Farms – 30.52%

The Memphis Zoo – 29.54%

The Bluff at AutoZone Park – 19.93%

 

 

 

Favorite Workout Facility

You could stand in the lobby and do the dance or probably even sign up for a class and do it with 100 other people at the same time.

YMCA – 29.43%

Germantown Athletic Club – 15.85%

ATC Fitness – 12.08%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Local Sports Twitter

Despite a relentless campaign by the runner-up, Memphis’ own national columnist took home the award in commanding fashion. A nice recovery after falling short in a number of other categories.

@GaryParrishCBS – 34.11%

@FantasyTillery – 18.22%

@cdouglasroberts – 14.19%

 

Best Local Sports Blogsite

Nowhere can you find more in-depth information about Tiger basketball recruiting. Be it this year’s class, next year’s or several years down the line, Memphis Roar has it all.

Memphis Roar (memphisroar.com) – 28.9%

Chris Vernon’s Blog (chrisvernon.blogspot.com) – 19.65%

The Memphis Edge (thememphisedge.com) – 18.69%

 

Favorite Sports Radio Personality

Just listen to Memphis basketball coach Josh Pastner — Chris Vernon should be an NBA general manager. Vernon is the longtime most outspoken, grand slam-winning radio personality in Memphis, offering advice and commentary to Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace from himself and his listeners on a regular basis. He’s withstood multiple lineup and station shake-ups and is still voters’ choice for favorite sports radio personality.

Chris Vernon, The Chris Vernon Show – 33.51%

Gary Parrish, The Gary Parrish Show with Geoff Calkins – 27.21%

“Boat” Woloshin, Sportime and Sportstime Extra – 15.86%

 

Favorite Sports Radio Program

Utterly hilarious guests (read: Sonny Vaccaro) make the afternoons from 3-6 p.m. all the more enjoyable. But what’s gotten the Chris Vernon Show to grand slam status is consistent quality. The show brings to the table and breaks more Grizzlies news than your average afternoon radio show. But don’t tell him that. He might go on full segment-long rant about it and use it to explain why OJ Mayo should start at point guard.

The Chris Vernon Show – 35.96%

The Gary Parrish Show with Geoff Calkins – 27.9%

Sportime with George Lapides and “Boat” Woloshin – 9.18%

 

Favorite Sports Television Personality

Jarvo isn’t afraid to ask Lionel Hollins tough questions or to receive the subsequent #thundastick to the dome. Heck, he even got Hollins to apologize to him. From the windmill-finger point combo at the end of his sports segment to the smile that never goes away, Jarvo has no competition on the sports television airwaves. And for that, he’s all but untouchable in this category.

Jarvis Greer, Action News 5 Sports Director – 31.15%

Jerry “The King” Lawler, Monday Nght RAW – 20.77%

Greg Gaston, FOX 13 Sports Anchor – 15.30%

 

 

Best Uniforms

Though they’re painfully difficult to read and look more like silk bed sheets, they’re one of the bigger Grizzlies marketing successes since Allen Iverson. Oh wait...

Grizzlies Beale Street Blue Alternates – 34.74%

Tennessee Titans Oiler Throwbacks – 25.14%

Redbirds Blue Jerseys – 17.66%

 

Best Hair

Unless you’re from Memphis, you probably can’t read what’s written in Doneal Mack’s hair. And unless you’re from Memphis, you probably think it’s pretty stupid. But we are from Memphis, so it’s awesome. Even better than Gary Parrish’s ensemble.

Doneal Mack, UofM Basketball – 23.69%

Gary Parrish, The Gary Parrish Show – 22.01%

RC Johnson, UofM Athletic Director – 21.83%

 

Favorite Mascot

The mascot for the city’s most popular team. Stunning. But did you know this — Chris Douglas-Roberts still has a photo of Pouncer as the screensaver on his iPhone.

Pouncer, UofM – 26.58%

Grizz, Memphis Grizzlies – 24.12%

TOM III, 22.54%

 

Favorite Spirit Squad

Makes you wonder — what really goes into being the “favorite” spirit squad? Gotta be the personality.

Memphis Tigers Dance Team – 37.55%

Memphis Tigers Cheerleaders – 16.25%

Memphis Tigers Blue Crew – 11.73%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Favorite Fighter or Wrestler

The King still gets in the ring, doles out gratuitous numbers of piledrivers and pulls the strap down when it comes time to defend the crown.

Jerry “The King” Lawler, WWE Commentator and Wrestler – 46.39%

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson – 31.19%

Dustin Starr, Local Wrestler – 10.53%

 

Favorite Golfer

Good ol’ boy John has a lock on this one with Timberlake right on his heels. Who would have thought that Tiger Woods would take over John’s mantle as the bad boy of golf this year.

John Daly, PGA Tour – 27.7%

Justin Timberlake – Mirimichi owner – 25.54%

Loren Roberts, Champions Tour – 14.99%

 

Favorite Football Player

DeAngelo’s going to take this one to the grave, it seems. With one of the more overwhelming victories of the awards, the grand slam winner is still the most recognizable and beloved football player in the city and probably the most famous and successful Tiger football player ever. Why his number isn’t retired remains a mystery.

DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers - 52.55%

Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans – 14.96%

Michael Oher, Baltimore Ravens – 11.86%

 

Favorite Basketball Player

All-Star, charitable citizen, accused drug kingpin and a walking double-double all in one. How can you not like Z-Bo?

Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies – 21.31%

OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies – 19.85%

Joe Jackson, White Station High School – 18.58%

 

Most Hated Rival

Though you’ve gotta give kudos to Kentucky from coming out of nowhere (thanks to you-know-who), there’s still nothing that sucks quite like a big orange.

Tennessee Volunteers – 41.81%

Kentucky Wildcats – 24.38%

Ole Miss Rebels – 16.9%

 

Favorite Athlete

He’s on the radio. He’s on magazine covers. He’s still the face of the college football team even though he’s off scoring touchdowns in Charlotte, N.C.

DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers – 35.99%

Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies – 16.88%

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls – 13.36%

 

Favorite Coach

Is it a reach to say Pastner’s got this one on lock for, um, ever? At least until he leaves for Kentucky? Put a boyish look with top recruits as the face of Tiger basketball, and you might as well be the mayor of this town.

Josh Pastner, UofM Basketball – 63.77%

Jeff Fisher, Tennessee Titans – 12.08%

Tommy West, UofM Football – 4.8%

 

Favorite Team

Leading candidate for the “Let’s Just Name the Category After Them” award — the Memphis Tigers basketball team. Who else would nearly sell out conference games against Tulane while players make it rain at the Plush Club across the street? No, but really. The Tigers have this city and the voters on lock. Just like it’s fun to hate Tennessee, it’s even better to love the Tigers.

UofM Basketball – 57.69%

Memphis Grizzlies – 11.71%

Tennessee Titans – 7.87%

 

Grizzlies PA announcer Rick Trotter chose Memphis Sport Live (MSL) as the place to announce his decision on whether or not he will return to the Memphis Grizzlies next season.

Listen to the MSL Special "Rick Trotter: The Grizzision" right here.

Watch Rick Trotter's decision after his decision on the latest episode of MSL tv HD.

MSL is hosted by Kevin Cerrito and Marcus Hunter. New episodes premiere Tuesdays at 6:00 PM on Sports 56 WHBQ. Catch the podcasts weekly at Memphissport.net.

For more Memphis Sport Live interviews, click here.

Follow Memphis Sport Live and Memphis Sport Magazine at twitter.com/memphissport.

Behind the Scenes:  Following his live decision on the July 27, 2010 MSL, Memphis Grizzlies PA Announcer Rick Trotter makes yet another decision while talking with MSL host Kevin Cerrito.

(Listen to Rick Trotter's appearance on MSL here- http://bit.ly/9voLRB)

 

 

Grizzlies co-emcee Ashley is now WWE's Ashley Valence.

On Tuesday night, Ashley (real name Ashley Ann Vickers) made her professional wrestling debut as the newest member of the WWE NXT broadcast team.

Over the past year, Memphis Grizzlies fans got to know Ashley as the lovely in-arena host overseeing timeout activities like Grizz Tic-Tac-Toe and Shots for Tots. Less than a year after starting her gig at FedExForum, wrestling fans will now be able to watch her oversee the wild world of sports-entertainment at different arenas across the globe every Tuesday night at 9:00 CT on Syfy.

What does her Grizzlies tag-team partner think of all of this?  "She is way cooler than i will ever be," Grizzlies co-emcee Jeff White said before denying rumors he will debut in WWE next week as a masked wrestler named El Grizzo.

Watch Ashley's debut appearance on WWE NXT:

For more on Ashley Ann Vickers (aka Ashley Valence) :

Read the Q & A with Ashley from the Winter 2010 issue of Memphis Sport.

Listen to Ashley's December appearance on Memphis Sport Live.

Watch Ashley hanging out behind the scenes at MSL.

Find Ashley on Facebook and Twitter.

Visit Ashley's website.

In response to the recent Indianapolis drug arrest, Zach Randolph released the following statement through representatives.

"I am committed to my family, my career, the NBA and the Grizzlies.  Although I had a rough start, I've learned valuable lessons from all of my mistakes and I can assure my family, the Grizzlies and the city of Indianapolis I was not involved in any of the allegations. There were no controlled substances found in my locker.  The reports that have surfaced are inaccurate.

I have been very intentional in distancing myself from anything that would jeopardize my personal and professional relationships.

IMPD made an official statement around 6p Eastern Standard Time this evening stating that I am not a suspect in any current narcotics investigation.

It is so unsettling to work so hard at rebuilding the trust of the Grizzlies organization, my teammates and my family only to have my image tarnished by someone else's questionable behavior.   I would like to thank my family, the Grizzlies, and the city of Memphis for their continued support."

This story has been updated since it's original posting. New information at the bottom.

The other shoe may have dropped on Zach Randolph's tenure in Memphis. The Indianapolis Star reports the Grizzlies' All-Star was implicated in an Indiana drug arrest yesterday, after a man arrested "on suspicion of dealing marijuana" was stopped in a Cadillac Escalade registered to Randolph.

"A police detective described Randolph as a financier for known drug dealers in Indianapolis, according to court documents obtained by The Indianapolis Star."

It is important to note that Randolph has not been charged or arrested in the case.

Memphis Sport interviewed Randolph at the end of the regular season, and found him hesitant to talk about any personal issues, particularly those tied to his troubled past.

An unedited section of the interview is below.

What changed for you this year, from a personal perspective?
Not nothing. Really not nothing. People just go off what they hear from three of four years ago but they really don't know a person. What happened was so long ago so, not nothing. Just being in a great situation. Memphis is a great city and this is a great organization. I'm just surrounding myself with the organization and the team.

Is the Hoop Family here?
Naw (laughs) I got nothing to do with any of that.
Note: The "hoop family" refers to a group of individuals implicated in criminal and civil cases connected to Randolph while he was in Portland.

What would be one thing you could pick as a reason for your having such a successful season?
Just my conditioning. Putting time in, working out, shooting jump shots, running, treadmills, all that stuff. I love the game. So I'm like this 82 in and out, even before I came to Memphis. If you can't get inspired by the job you do, you shouldn't be doing it. I work hard and I love to play.

Then what do you say to those people who say you were a problem?
99 percent of the people don't know me. I work hard.

It would be wrong to start casting stones this early in the game, but the situation is very troubling, especially given Randolph's problematic past.

A longer, edited version of this interview is on stands now in the latest issue of Memphis Sport Magazine. It is available at select locations in the Memphis area including Kroger, Huey's and the Flying Saucer.

We will update here as the situation progresses.

Update 1:

Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace has released the following statement concerning the situation:

“Since Zach Randolph joined this organization, he has been an active member of the Memphis community and embraced our core values of hard work and leadership. These qualities helped him develop into an NBA All-Star this season and guided one of the NBA’s youngest teams to a 16-game improvement.

“Zach’s continued commitment to the team has been evident the last couple of weeks as he’s been working out with members of our staff on the West Coast.

“Due to the ongoing police investigation, we do not feel it would be appropriate to comment further. Unless some other information surfaces, Zach remains a valued member of the Grizzlies family and Memphis community.”

Update 2:

Things don't seem to be getting any easier for Z-Bo. TMZ.com reports Randolph was involved in an altercation at a Los Angeles strip club. Like the Indy case, no charges have been filed.

Slightly better than .500, but a lot better than last season. That’s been your Grizzlies this year, and that’s how things went last week: 3-2.

The Bizzaro run of home losses and road wins is over, and although math still says the Grizzlies CAN make the playoffs, conventional wisdom, and coach Lionel Hollins, points to the Grizzlies just coming up short (because what does math know anyway?).

Saturday, March 13: Nuggets 125, Grizzlies 108
Just like in their previous game against the Knicks, the Grizzlies laid a big fat egg in the fourth quarter of this one. Unlike that game, the egg resulted in Memphis blowing a 12 point halftime lead to lose by 17.

J.R. Smith lead the Denver charge in a fourth quarter which saw the Nuggets outscore the Grizzlies 40-23. Smith was 11-16 from the field including 7-10 from three-point range and finished with 30 points.

Worst thing about this game? Chris Anderson. The excessively tattooed (and for this game mustachioed) Denver center is usually more famous for his obnoxious hair rather than his play, but he and Nuggets starting center Nene beat the Grizzlies at their own game, dominating the pain inside.

That’s not a typo. In addition to the embarrassing dunks and open lanes created and taken advantage of by the Denver big men, Chris Andersen came down butt first on Marc Gasol’s neck while grabbing a rebound in the third quarter. Gasol finished the game but hasn’t played since, subjecting Grizzlies fans to a string of starts from Hasheem Thabeet. More on Thabeet later.

Tuesday, March 16: Grizzlies beat some guys wearing Bulls jerseys, 104-97

O.J. Mayo scores on some guys the Bulls picked up at the park on Tillman before the game.
Chicago was missing four players for the game.
Photo by Chase Gustafson

For the Grizzlies, there wasn’t a better time for Hasheem Thabeet’s first start than against a Bulls team missing four key players. Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah all missed the game with injuries and Kirk Hinrich was still serving his league suspension for attending the University of Kansas ^{[citation needed]}.

While the Grizzlies were without Gasol, guard Ronnie Brewer returned to the lineup. Brewer had not played since injuring his hamstring in his first game with the Grizzlies after being traded from the Utah Jazz.

The Grizzlies fourth quarter woes continued in this one, as they were outscored 30-19 in the final period after leading by as much as 25 in the third. The trend wasn’t lost on the team.

“We build a good lead then seem to get lackadaisical sometimes,” guard Mike Conley said after the game. “It’s definitely something we have to improve on.”

Conley himself played well, scoring 19 and racking up 10 assists. Despite an off night against the Nuggets (only 6 points) Conley’s numbers have been up significantly in March.

Oh and Thabeet? He was pretty respectable in his first NBA start, matching his career highs in points and rebounds with 10 and 9 respectively. Coach Lionel Hollins praised the oft-maligned lottery pick after the game, but recognized that Thabeet still has a long way to go, particularly on offense where he still shies away from baskets.

“He’s different in that regard,” Hollins said. “When I see a deuce I’m going for it.”

Another highlight from this game was the improved demeanor of Hollins in his post game press conference. See the colorful quote above? That was just the start. When asked about his rationale for using a unique fourth quarter lineup which featured both Marcus Williams and Mike Conley, Hollins replied with a thoughtful answer concerning the advantages of having two ball handlers on the court in full court press situation.

Compare that to previous blowups about Mike Conely, describing the concurrent home losing and road winning streaks as “We’re playing better on the road than we are at home,” and the last answer to a matchup question, “Because I wanted to,” and blowups at people other than this reporter (after the first Houston game at home and the second Laker game), and there’s a BIG improvement.

Wednesday, March 17: Grizzlies fall to Rockets 107-94
Hard evidence that the Bizarro run has ended. The Grizzlies could not keep up with their nemesis, the Houston Rockets, dropping their third matchup against the team this season.

It had all the elements to predict a Grizzlies loss. Second night of a back-to-back, on the road against a team the Grizzlies just haven’t been able to figure out. During the Bizzaro run, this inexplicably would have resulted in a win. Not so in Houston.

Even a 30 point night from Zach Randolph wasn’t enough for the Grizzlies, partially because Aaron Brooks pulled a J.R. Smith (see above) and was perfect from long range - en route to a 31 point night.

Thabeet contributed again, with 8 points and 10 rebounds, but the rest of the team had an off night. O.J. Mayo only finished with 4 points on 1-6 shooting from the floor.

The Rockets win moved them past the Grizzlies into the ninth spot in the west, but while Houston is adept at beating Memphis, they aren’t so lucky with other teams. The Grizzlies would regain the ninth spot after two more games.

Saturday, March 20: Grizzlies overpower the Warriors 123 – 107

Randolph probably could have taken on Golden State by himself.
Photo by JD Meredith

The night after dropping 147 points to the Mavericks in regulation, the Warriors continued serving as a doormat to the Grizzlies, who outplayed Golden State in the very style the Warriors are used to running.

Darrell Arthur had his best game of the season despite his alma matter, the Kansas Jayhawks, losing to ninth seeded Northern Iowa in the NCAA tournament just moments before tipoff.

“I was sad,” Arthur said of the loss, “but I couldn’t let it affect me. Just had to stay focused.”

Arthur finished the game with a season high 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Zach Randolph finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds, nothing new to one of the NBA’s most consistent 20-10 players this season, but the night was special as it put Randolph just seven rebounds shy of the Grizzlies single season franchise record.

Lionel Hollins continued his improvement in dealing with the press, even staying polite to a group of student reporters who attended the press conference as part of the Don Poier annual journalism scholarship.

Hollins had already described how he felt about any playoff talk surrounding his team (“What playoff talk?”) when one of the students asked him the same question.

“You weren’t listening,” Hollins said. The room paused, waiting for a signature Hollins moment that talk radio hosts would repeat for weeks. But that was the old Lionel. The new Lionel is different. “That’s ok, you were writing," Hollins continued. "I’ll cut you a break because you were writing.”

Hollins proceeded to repeat the answer. It wasn’t word for word, but the meaning was the same – probably not going to happen, but it’s still been a good season for the team.

Yes. For the team and for Coach Hollins, who needs a new award created to be given to him at the end of the season - “Most Improved in Dealing with the Media.”

Monday, March 22: Grizzlies blow past Kings 102 – 85
Randolph broke the rebounding mark, and the Grizzlies showed a rare second half surge as they soundly beat the Kings last night in Sacramento. O.J. Mayo caught fire in the second half after shooting dismally for the first two quarters, scoring 10 points in less than 2 minutes and putting the Grizzlies ahead for good.

The Kings were without former University of Memphis star and rookie of the year favorite Tyreke Evans, who missed the game with an injury worthy of the NHL (mild concussion, bruised jaw, lacerated gums and chipped tooth).

Hasheem Thabeet and Mike Conley both reached double digits scoring in this one, notching 10 and 12 points respectively.

Final Shots
The Grizzlies are currently in the ninth spot in the Western Conference, four games behind Portland and five games behind San Antonio and Oklahoma City, who are tied for seventh. Of those teams, only Oklahoma City has shown signs of weakness down the stretch, as they have lost their last two games.

Memphis plays next tomorrow, March 24 at Golden State followed by a matinee road game at Milwaukee on March 28. The Grizzlies will not return to FedExForum until after the conclusion of the NCAA Women’s tournament. The next home game is March 31 against Dallas.

You can follow @douggillon on twitter for live updates and insight during the games.