Or maybe the players got together before the game and had a team meeting. Rudy Gay confirmed that, yes, absolutely, the players had been talking more.

Or maybe it was the national television audience. Or maybe it was Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"The MLK anniversary was big for us," said Marc Gasol .

Here's how big: The Griz lost.

Yep, lost.

Again.

Detroit 87, Memphis 79 .

But this time, hey, at least they didn't quit!

This is what passes for good news for the Memphis NBA franchise these days. This is reason to celebrate.

"We played tougher, we rebounded the ball," said head coach Marc Iavaroni .

Altogether now: Yip-de-dang-do.

And, yes, I know this is probably not the day to be all glum and pessimistic, not given what's happening in Washington D.C. Plus, the Grizzlies did their usual fine job with the MLK Day celebration.

"It's the highlight of my year," said majority owner Mike Heisley.

Well, of course it is! What other day would he pick? The loss to Utah? The loss to Cleveland? The loss to Toronto or the loss to New Jersey or the loss to Minnesota before that?

This loss beat all those other losses, by golly. Heisley wasn't willing to say if it was enough to save his head coach.

"I'll make a decision when I make a decision," he said. "I'm not going to make an endorsement, but I'm not not going to make an endorsement."

So at least we cleared that one up. As for the players' public sniping at Iavaroni?

"They're unhappy," he said. "I'm unhappy."

See, fans? Togetherness.

Thus inspired, the Grizzlies came out and actually, you know, tried to win the game.

Which could be a marketing slogan for the team, or at least a bumper sticker.

The Grizzlies: "We quit quitting!"

Grizzlies Basketball: "We're trying again!"

Gay did not roll his eyes at Iavaroni even once. Nor did Iavaroni curse under his breath at Gay.

The Grizzlies had the lead going into the fourth quarter. After that, well, you can't have everything.

Allen Iverson hit a bunch of shots. The Grizzlies missed a bunch of shots.

Someone asked Gay if it was hard not getting the ball down the stretch.

"It's hard," he said. "That's all I'm going to say."

This last bit is no accident, by the way. Iavaroni evidently let the team have it for squabbling in the press.

"We run around like chickens with our heads cut off," said Gasol, over the weekend.

Monday?

"Everyone saw today how we can play as a team," Gasol said.

So it's not like Iavaroni can't get through to the players. Now he just has to do it on the court.

"You have to keep a positive spirit," Iavaroni said.

Or at the very least, try.

To reach Geoff Calkins, call him at 529-2364 or e-mail calkins@commercialappeal.com