When Lionel Hollins replaced the fired Marc Iavaroni in January as the Grizzlies' coach, Hollins became one of seven interims in the league, except the fact Hollins is guaranteed through next year. Having that security has made all the difference in the world, Hollins said, not only in the way he's viewed by his players, but the way he has been able to implement his philosophy without feeling pressure to win night in and night out.
"As an interim, you're trying to win, that's all you want to do is win and show people you can do the job," Hollins said. "You wind up making quick fixes that don't help in the long run. "It's always hard taking over, first of all, because the team has already established a style. When you take over, you're trying to change that because, obviously, it's not working. In my situation, this has allowed me to lay a foundation and try to build for the future and not just for tomorrow."
The Grizzlies have had some long dry spells under Hollins, but for the most part, the team has changed for the better.
"People will look at the record, but the people who are coming to the game and who are very knowledgeable know that we've made a lot of changes," Hollins said. "There's a big difference in our team and how we play and how we approach things. There's a better work ethic and better team play even though we haven't been rewarded with a lot of wins."
GRIZZLIES 112, WIZARDS 107: The Grizzlies survived Washington's 34-point fourth quarter to win a home game for the first time since Feb. 9 and beat the Washington Wizards, 112-107, Wednesday night. Memphis snapped a six-game home losing streak. The Grizzlies won despite being out-rebounded and outscored in the paint. Point guard Mike Conley made two key plays down the stretch. First, he made two free throws to give the Grizzlies the lead for good at 107-105. Then, the Grizzlies had a three-point lead when Conley stole the Wizards' inbounds pass, was fouled and converted two free throws to seal the win. Rudy Gay's 25 points led the Grizzlies, with Conley scoring 22 and O.J. Mayo and Marc Gasol each adding 18.
