The scrimmage centered on situational Basketball with several timeouts peppered in, having to score with one second or 24 on the shot clock, having a foul to give and what to do when the opposition misses its final shot with time left on the clock.

"We had different situations creep up that we put them in," Iavaroni said. "The message was concentration. If you can't concentrate then you're going to be a drag on your team."

Iavaroni & Co. will try to snap a three-game losing streak tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. The Griz have dropped six of their last seven contests with the past three being decided in double overtime, overtime and the final few minutes of the fourth quarter.

"Frankly, we were good enough to beat Phoenix the other night," Iavaroni said. "We were good enough to beat San Antonio and Minnesota."

In their 101-89 loss to Phoenix on Tuesday, Memphis missed 15-of-18 shots and was outscored 31-11 in the fourth quarter. On Monday, the Griz missed 10-of-12 shots in an overtime loss at Minnesota. The Griz were held to 1-for-8 shooting in the second overtime of their defeat last Saturday against the Spurs.

Memphis was outscored 57-24 and shot 15.7 percent (6-for-38) in the final stanza of the past three games. That the Griz were in control until the waning minutes of regulation is what each of those contests have in common.

"We realize that," Griz forward Rudy Gay said. "That's why we spent (Thursday) getting back to the basics."

Iavaroni softened but remained consistent with his earlier assertion that the Griz weren't playing smart late in games.

"The schedule jumps every team in the league," Iavaroni said, referring the Grizzlies' recent stretch of four games in five nights. "Everyone understands that it's more than just physical four games in five nights, it's mental. And having the ability to concentrate for the final moments of the final quarter is most important. That's where we have to go to another level. That's the final piece we have to achieve."

Disjointed performances in clutch situations have been mostly characterized by one-on-one play from key scorers. Add curious substitutions to the mix and the Griz saving their worst for last has been a total team effort.

That's the bad news.

The good news is that the Griz arrived with a sense of renewal for their first practice in 2009.

"We just wanted to come back more focused than we were before we started the four games in five nights," point guard Mike Conley said. "When things aren't going our way, we've got to stay together as a unit. That's the only way we're going to make it through."

- Ronald Tillery: 529-2353

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Grizzlies vs. Spurs

When, where: Today at 7 p.m., FedExForum.

TV, radio: SportsSouth, WRBO-FM (103.5)