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After getting blitzed in the opening quarter by the visiting Sacramento Kings and falling behind by as many as 26 points in the second quarter, it seemed like the Memphis Grizzlies would need a miracle if they were going to remain undefeated at FedEx Forum. They got one.
We'll let the great Pete Pranica of FOX Sports South take it away:
After Mike Conley and Zach Randolph cut toward the ball, Marc Gasol set a screen for shooting guard Courtney Lee, who curled around the far side of the paint to the basket ... where he found himself wide open. Triggerman Vince Carter lofted an alley-oop pass toward the basket, which Lee caught in mid-air beneath the goal and scooped up off the backboard, sending it through the net and sending the Grindhouse into pandemonium.
A review by the folks at the NBA's new Secaucus, N.J., replay center ensued, but the play was upheld. Good bucket. Grizzlies win, 111-110. Insanity reigns in Tennessee.
Now, if you've got a sneaking suspicion that something about this play seems familiar, you probably watched the 2009 NBA Finals:
"Coach [Dave Joerger] drew up a good play in the timeout. I don't want to give it away, because we might use it again," Lee said during a post-game interview. "But we executed [...] I was hoping [the pass] came on the right side [of the backboard] so I could just tap it, but it worked out for us."
And if you're wondering how, exactly, it worked out for the Grizz, you're certainly not alone. (And, at the risk of stealing a famously mustachioed gent's bit, you might be a Kings fan.)
For one thing, it sure seemed like an awful lot happened in six-tenths of a second:
For another, how could Lee catch the ball and do anything other than redirect it with just 0.3 on the clock? What about the Trent Tucker Rule?
Let's revisit the letter of that particular law, as laid out in the NBA's official rule book:
Now, whether the Grizzlies actually took only three-tenths of a second to complete each of these tasks, or whether they might have gotten the benefit of a split-second slow trigger on the game clock from the timekeeper at FedEx Forum, is a matter about which reasonable people can differ. A human person does have to push a button to start the clock, and sometimes that might take an extra hair of a beat longer than it should, through no malice or chicanery; until absolutely everything is automated, such slight margins of human error will remain part of the game. Sometimes that's enough to leave one fanbase elated and another infuriated.
One last bit of business that might infuriate Kings fans: the possibility that reserve center Ryan Hollins, who was guarding Carter on the inbounds pass, might have actually tipped the ball as Vince threw it in:
So after all that rewatching, rereading the rule book and re-examining the timeline of events, we're left with a Grizzlies win. The Kings, however, don't appear to be comfortable with that result, according to Sacramento radio host Carmichael Dave:
Now, all that said: Holy cow.
What an acrobatic corral and finish by Lee, who finished with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting, three assists and three steals in 36 minutes off the bench. What a phenomenal feed by Carter, who looked ancient in preseason and during the Grizzlies' first two games, but who's come on strong over his last six outings and was brilliant on Thursday. The key free-agent acquisition scored 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting to go with four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 17 minutes, and made three huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
And, lest we forget, what terrible final-play defense by the Kings, who all but abandoned the paint and allowed an uncontested layup that handed them their third straight defeat. It also marked the second straight game in which they'd blown a lead of at least 24 points, coming on the heels of Tuesday night's loss to Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. (On the Grizzlies' broadcast, Pranica said this is the first time since 2000, as far back as the Elias Sports Bureau's tracking of such things extends, that a team has blown back-to-back 24-point leads, which isn't the best bit of history to be making.)
The final-play breakdown offered a somewhat fitting end to three quarters of sloppy defensive basketball in which the Kings allowed the Grizzlies — not exactly the high-powered Mavs — to score 95 points on 33-for-55 shooting (60 percent) from the field after a first quarter in which Memphis could scarcely buy a bucket. Kings head coach Michael Malone seemed frustrated by his team's defensive breakdowns after the loss:
The tide started to turn about 4 1/2 minutes into the fourth quarter, just after Cousins got whistled for a tough fifth foul and what appeared to be an ill-considered technical. (It was just his first of the year, so that locker-room reminder must be working.) With three free throws from the personal and the T kickstarting things, the Grizzlies ripped off a 23-5 run over a six-minute, 20-second stretch to tie the game at 106 with 1:32 remaining in the fourth quarter, setting the stage for a phenomenal finish.
Cousins bulled right through former Defensive Player of the Year Gasol for a bucket that put the Kings back on top, 108-106, with 24 seconds remaining. Conley responded with a duck-under 3-pointer that pushed Memphis ahead 109-108 with 10 seconds left. Cousins answered by taking a sideline inbounds pass well beyond the 3-point arc on the right wing, beating Gasol off the dribble on a drive to the basket, getting fouled and making a pair of freebies to re-take the lead with six ticks on the clock.
A missed look in the paint by Randolph seemed to seal the deal for Sacramento's escape, but the Grizzlies quickly fouled Ben McLemore with just 0.6 seconds remaining; after the sophomore missed both his free throws, the Grizzlies rebounded and called timeout with three-tenths of a second still on the clock. That gave Memphis one last crack at a tip-in on an inbounds play to complete the largest comeback in Grizzlies franchise history.
It was a longshot — 150-to-1, to be exact — and it took a miracle. Apparently, though, those happen in Memphis these days.
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We'll let the great Pete Pranica of FOX Sports South take it away:
Wait ... what?After Mike Conley and Zach Randolph cut toward the ball, Marc Gasol set a screen for shooting guard Courtney Lee, who curled around the far side of the paint to the basket ... where he found himself wide open. Triggerman Vince Carter lofted an alley-oop pass toward the basket, which Lee caught in mid-air beneath the goal and scooped up off the backboard, sending it through the net and sending the Grindhouse into pandemonium.
A review by the folks at the NBA's new Secaucus, N.J., replay center ensued, but the play was upheld. Good bucket. Grizzlies win, 111-110. Insanity reigns in Tennessee.
Now, if you've got a sneaking suspicion that something about this play seems familiar, you probably watched the 2009 NBA Finals:
As a rookie with the Orlando Magic, Lee couldn't finish the lob layup that would've beaten the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Finals, knotted the series at one game apiece and taken away L.A.'s home-court advantage, perhaps changing the complexion of the entire best-of-seven. This time around, though, Lee converted. That won't do much to raise Lee's Q Score in Central Florida, but it sure made a whole bunch of Memphians happy on Thursday night."Coach [Dave Joerger] drew up a good play in the timeout. I don't want to give it away, because we might use it again," Lee said during a post-game interview. "But we executed [...] I was hoping [the pass] came on the right side [of the backboard] so I could just tap it, but it worked out for us."
And if you're wondering how, exactly, it worked out for the Grizz, you're certainly not alone. (And, at the risk of stealing a famously mustachioed gent's bit, you might be a Kings fan.)
For one thing, it sure seemed like an awful lot happened in six-tenths of a second:
For another, how could Lee catch the ball and do anything other than redirect it with just 0.3 on the clock? What about the Trent Tucker Rule?
Let's revisit the letter of that particular law, as laid out in the NBA's official rule book:
The game clock and shot clock must show :00.3 or more in order for a player to secure possession of the ball on a rebound or throw-in to attempt a field goal. Instant replay shall be utilized if the basket is successful on this type of play and the game clock runs to 0:00 or the shot clock expires on a made basket and the officials are not reasonably certain that the ball was released prior to the expiration of the shot clock. The only type of field goal which may be scored if the game clock and shot clock are at :00.2 or :00.1 is a "tip-in" or "high lob."
[...] if the "high lob" attempt is a distance from the basket ring whereby the ball must be controlled in mid-air, either one-handed or two-handed, a minimum of :00.3 is necessary for a field goal to score if successful.
OK, so since there were three-tenths on the clock when Carter inbounded, and since the ball left Lee's hand before the end-of-quarter red light came on, and since the replay confirmed that he got the ball off, the bucket counts. But the clock should start when the ball touches Lee's hand, right? It doesn't appear to, which will probably only incense Kings fans further:
It's a similar situation with Randolph's rebound of Ben McLemore's second missed free-throw, which allowed Memphis to call the timeout that set up the alley-oop try, according to the rule book:NO LESS THAN :00.3 must expire on the game clock when a player secures possession of an unsuccessful free throw attempt and immediately requests a timeout. If LESS than :00.3 expires in such a circumstance, the time on the game clock shall be reduced by at least :00.3. Therefore, if :00.3 OR LESS remain on the game clock when the above situation exists, and a player requests a timeout upon securing possession of the ball, the period is over.
There were 0.6 seconds on the clock when McLemore went to the stripe, so technically speaking, Z-Bo's rebound and timeout could have only taken three-tenths off the clock, leaving three-tenths for Carter's lob and Lee's finish, which — again, technically — only needed three-tenths to complete. Again. Technically.
One last bit of business that might infuriate Kings fans: the possibility that reserve center Ryan Hollins, who was guarding Carter on the inbounds pass, might have actually tipped the ball as Vince threw it in:
Hollins and several other Kings lobbied officials to make the case that he had touched the ball as Carter threw it in. If he had, by rule, the clock should have started, and more than three-tenths of a second would have elapsed by the time the ball reached Lee. In their review, however, the officials saw no clear evidence that Hollins had contacted or changed the direction of the ball's flight; one official could be heard on TNT's broadcast saying he saw space between the ball and the Kings player's fingertips (although he incorrectly identified the player as Rudy Gay, not Hollins, which is a whole other kettle of fish).So after all that rewatching, rereading the rule book and re-examining the timeline of events, we're left with a Grizzlies win. The Kings, however, don't appear to be comfortable with that result, according to Sacramento radio host Carmichael Dave:
BREAKING: The Sacramento Kings will appeal the outcome of tonight's game vs Memphis, according to sources close to the team.
— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) November 14, 2014
— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) November 14, 2014
Appeal tomorrow should be centered around the clock, and the fact that it's a pure tip situation by rule, directly affecting outcome.
— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) November 14, 2014
So now we'll see if the review of the review turns up any new and conclusive evidence that could conceivably overturn the result, I suppose.— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) November 14, 2014
Now, all that said: Holy cow.
What an acrobatic corral and finish by Lee, who finished with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting, three assists and three steals in 36 minutes off the bench. What a phenomenal feed by Carter, who looked ancient in preseason and during the Grizzlies' first two games, but who's come on strong over his last six outings and was brilliant on Thursday. The key free-agent acquisition scored 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting to go with four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 17 minutes, and made three huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
And, lest we forget, what terrible final-play defense by the Kings, who all but abandoned the paint and allowed an uncontested layup that handed them their third straight defeat. It also marked the second straight game in which they'd blown a lead of at least 24 points, coming on the heels of Tuesday night's loss to Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. (On the Grizzlies' broadcast, Pranica said this is the first time since 2000, as far back as the Elias Sports Bureau's tracking of such things extends, that a team has blown back-to-back 24-point leads, which isn't the best bit of history to be making.)
The final-play breakdown offered a somewhat fitting end to three quarters of sloppy defensive basketball in which the Kings allowed the Grizzlies — not exactly the high-powered Mavs — to score 95 points on 33-for-55 shooting (60 percent) from the field after a first quarter in which Memphis could scarcely buy a bucket. Kings head coach Michael Malone seemed frustrated by his team's defensive breakdowns after the loss:
Mike Malone: "The last two games are prime examples of when you stop defending. You get your asses kicked."
— Aaron Bruski (@aaronbruski) November 14, 2014
And Kings star DeMarcus Cousins — who finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and an assist, but also committed six turnovers and five personal fouls — offered a fairly harsh assessment of where Sacramento stands after a second straight crushing defeat:— Aaron Bruski (@aaronbruski) November 14, 2014
DeMarcus Cousins: "Tonight showed the difference between a good team and a bad team."
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) November 14, 2014
I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say this makes the Kings a "bad team." But after a remarkably similar meltdown in Dallas — race out to an early lead behind monster starts from Cousins and Rudy Gay, take your foot off the gas and lose focus defensively, allow a more experienced squad to walk you down and overtake you as you struggle to get both buckets and stops late — it does suggest they're a team that doesn't yet know how to live with prosperity or how to put opponents away when they have the chance.— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) November 14, 2014
The tide started to turn about 4 1/2 minutes into the fourth quarter, just after Cousins got whistled for a tough fifth foul and what appeared to be an ill-considered technical. (It was just his first of the year, so that locker-room reminder must be working.) With three free throws from the personal and the T kickstarting things, the Grizzlies ripped off a 23-5 run over a six-minute, 20-second stretch to tie the game at 106 with 1:32 remaining in the fourth quarter, setting the stage for a phenomenal finish.
Cousins bulled right through former Defensive Player of the Year Gasol for a bucket that put the Kings back on top, 108-106, with 24 seconds remaining. Conley responded with a duck-under 3-pointer that pushed Memphis ahead 109-108 with 10 seconds left. Cousins answered by taking a sideline inbounds pass well beyond the 3-point arc on the right wing, beating Gasol off the dribble on a drive to the basket, getting fouled and making a pair of freebies to re-take the lead with six ticks on the clock.
A missed look in the paint by Randolph seemed to seal the deal for Sacramento's escape, but the Grizzlies quickly fouled Ben McLemore with just 0.6 seconds remaining; after the sophomore missed both his free throws, the Grizzlies rebounded and called timeout with three-tenths of a second still on the clock. That gave Memphis one last crack at a tip-in on an inbounds play to complete the largest comeback in Grizzlies franchise history.
It was a longshot — 150-to-1, to be exact — and it took a miracle. Apparently, though, those happen in Memphis these days.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!Follow @YourManDevine
Stay connected with Ball Don't Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL, "Like" BDL on Facebook and follow BDL's Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.