Grizzlies vs Celtics Quick Recap: Luck of the Southern?

Hey! A win's a win's a win's a win? Right? The Grizzlies put up two decent quarters worth of offensive production, and it was enough to win the game, but the 2nd and 3rd quarters still left a lot to be desired.

The Grizzlies got minimal offensive production from Tayshaun Prince and Tony Allen, again, but it was just enough to give Memphis the victory. TA was, as usual against the Celtics, all over the chart with 8 pts, 3 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals, but balanced that with 4 turnovers. His backups, Pondexter and Miller, showed enough moxie to get it done at the 3 spot, but QPon needs to clean up some of his game to continue on the growth arc he's been on.

It's hard to complain about to much for the Grizzlies (ZBo with a turnover for every 3 points), but Memphis still needs to solidify much of their game to remain competitive in the Western Conference. The Celtics were a gimme that the Grizzlies let escalate into a full on brawl, but the Pelicans (I know, I'm still getting used to it) and the Warriors will present much more potent offenses that can bury the Grizzlies early in a game, much the way San Antonio and Dallas did not too long ago.

There's plenty of positives to take away from this game on the Grizzlies' account. You had very high shooting percentages, outside of everyone not named Ed Davis or Quincy Pondexter, and you had a bench player, in Jerryd Bayless, that basically put it all on his back and won the game for you offensively.

The Celtics proved to be a very stubborn bunch, which was predicted to possibly happen in our preview, but the assertion of the Grizzlies veterans, both of the starters and bench, showed that they can surmount the streak shooting of a young road team and scrape out a victory. This was a win that the Grizzlies should have had put away in the first half, but that wasn't the case. We saw a team, desperate for their first win, get hot in the moments that would have normally given the Grizzlies an overwhelming amount of momentum.

But we need to remember the Grizzlies have seen this all before. Until last year's 12-2 start, the Griz have been a totally perpetual underdog that usually only favored against top-lottery-bidding teams that were tanking from December til April. The Memphis Grizzlies may always exist as an underdog in the NBA, but that'll be just fine because Grizzlies fans are used to being counted out.

Now we just need to make sure the team doesn't count itself out.

More from Grizzly Bear Blues:

• Grind Prophecies: Preachin' the Good Word!
• Z-Bo to Stay for Less? Tread Lightly...
• ESPN Marc Stein reports: Zach Randolph willing to make sacrifices to stay in Memphis
• ESPN Marc Stein reports: Zach Randolph willing to make sacrifices to stay in Memphis
• Memphis Grizzlies vs Boston Celtics Game Poll: Gasol Go Boom?