The Grizzlies breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday when the club learned that Pau Gasol's foot injury isn't serious.

The 7-foot Spaniard underwent imaging tests that confirmed he suffers from a mild arch strain in his right foot. Team physicians at the Campbell Clinic re-evaluated Gasol, who is listed as day-to-day.

Gasol had converted 8 of 9 shots and tallied 16 points when he left the game with 3:35 left in the second quarter. He attempted to run and jump on the foot before the start of the third quarter, but decided he couldn't continue. Gasol watched the game's conclusion from the bench in street clothes and walked out of Philips Arena with a slight limp.

"I didn't want to force it," he said Monday night. "I want to be healthy and finish the season strong. I tried to run and jump and it was hurting."

Since the beginning of time, newspapers have identified teams that have nailed down playoff spots by putting an x next to their names in the standings.

After nine years, 86 players, 199 wins, 498 losses, six head coaches and two countries, the Grizzlies now have an x of their own.

"X marks the spot," said Andy Dolich, the team's president of business operations. "It keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) A winning record seemed like a challenging enough goal for the Memphis Grizzlies this season.

After all, as a team that routinely had one of the worst records in the league, the Grizzlies were coming off a franchise-best record of 28-54 last season _ and were mighty proud of it.

But Memphis has pulled off a stunning turnaround this season and is now in fifth place in the tough Western Conference.

The team's success has fans thinking about more than just making the playoffs; they are talking about home-court advantage in the first round.

What accelerated the team's turnaround?

``It's Hubieball,'' said Grizzlies fan Paul Trzil, whose 10-year-old son Peter wore a Shane Battier jersey to a recent home game at the Memphis Pyramid.

Hubieball is best described as the defensive intensity and teamwork instilled by coach Hubie Brown, who at age 70 is the oldest coach in the league and a clear front-runner for coach of the year.

But much of the Grizzlies' success can also be attributed to team president Jerry West, the former Lakers player, coach and executive who assembled this team without a single All-Star.

Together, Brown and West have taken the third-youngest team in the league and taught it how to win. The Grizzlies' record since Feb. 1 is the league's best.

The secret, Brown said, is showing young players how discipline and hard work _ not marquee players and star scorers _ can win games.

``As soon as this franchise makes the playoffs, the young players who excel will be recognized as All-Star players,'' Brown said. ``If you're not in the playoffs, you're going to get overlooked.''

Brown's use of a 10-man rotation has built a productive group of reserves and given the Grizzlies the stamina to maintain a pressure defense when opponents begin to tire.

The Grizzlies' swarming defense leads the league in steals (9.6), forced turnovers (17.2) and blocks (7.3) per game. Rolling over the Knicks in New York on Wednesday, the Grizzlies scored 27 points on 16 first-half turnovers.

The 10-man rotation also means experienced reserves are ready to step in when a starter is hurt. The team began its current run without starting forward Mike Miller, who was sidelined a month with back spasms.

Pau Gasol, the Grizzlies' leading scorer at 18 points and eight rebounds per game, is averaging a team-best 32 minutes. But seven other players average 25 minutes or more, and another four get at least 10 minutes a game.

Six Grizzlies are averaging in double figures with three others just shy of 10-point averages.

``The worst thing for young players, the worst thing, and I've been around since 1973,'' Brown said, ``is they come in and they play 22 minutes tonight. The next game they come in, they don't even get in.''

Brown had been out of coaching for 16 years when he got a call from West, and there were some who doubted if he could do the job. But Brown has won over the young Grizzlies with fairness and a strong knowledge of the game.

``He's a motivator,'' said Miller, who was traded to Memphis from Orlando last year. ``The guys understand he knows how to win and we play to win. He's fun to play for.''

Bo Outlaw, who at 32 is the oldest member of the team, said the key to the Grizzlies' success is easy to sum up.

``It's teamwork,'' Outlaw said. ``It couldn't be any simpler than that.''

And the fans love it.

``If you see some teams on TV and compare them with how the Grizzlies play, there's just a world of difference in the teamwork,'' Trzil said.

But the team's unlikely success appears to have surprised Memphis fans, who had every right to expect a not-so-stellar season.

The Grizzlies' home attendance averages 14,746, and the season's two sellouts of 19,300 came when the Los Angeles Lakers were in town.

``I didn't think they'd improve this quickly. It's much faster than I expected,'' said fan Geoff Wyonzek. ``But it's great to see, and it's exciting.''

Part of the problem is the Grizzlies' arena, a giant reflective pyramid designed to be a symbol for the city. But the 13-year-old building is located on a dark site along the riverfront that many local residents find less than attractive.

A new $250 million arena will open next season beside the Beale Street entertainment district, the city's main tourist and nightclub strip.

It will be a new home for a new team. The Grizzlies this season have nine players added by West since he came out of retirement to take over the team in April 2002.

Brown said he has faith that any personnel changes made by West will be for the team's benefit _ whether they're popular with the fans, the media or anyone else.

``He's not who he is because he's worried about what anybody else is thinking,'' Brown said. ``He has the big picture always in perspective and he's courageous about making moves.''

Brown also makes it clear to the players that success depends on them _ not on the coaching staff.

``That's why we're very big on always telling them when we win that they won the game,'' he said. ``We go right around the room and we talk to each guy. That's important because they might not have had the winning points or the big shot, but they were in the game and what they did was instrumental.''

Hubie Brown has turned a perennial loser into a probable playoff team _ and a tough one, at that, leading many to surmise that he'll trounce the competition in Coach of the Year voting.

Not so fast, Brown admonished.

``Right now in this league you have a ton of guys doing fantastic jobs. Now it comes down to the fickleness of the guys that are voting, whether or not they like the guy.''

There's not a lot to dislike about Brown, the 70-year-old grandfather figure who has gotten a team of primarily 20-somethings to buy into his system.

Entering this weekend, no NBA team had a better record since Feb. 1 than the Grizzlies. And sometime in the upcoming week they are expected to clinch the first postseason berth in the franchise's nine-year history.

Other coaches in contention for the award include:

_ Stan Van Gundy, who took over on the eve of the season opener and started 0-7 before turning the Heat around. Miami had won nine of 10, moving up to second place in the Atlanta Division, heading into Friday night's game against Dallas.

_ Jerry Sloan, who has kept the youthful Utah Jazz in contention for a playoff spot all season long despite being in the first year of the post-Malone, post-Stockton era.

_ Rick Carlisle, who has the Indiana Pacers competing for the NBA's best record and the players believing they can bring the title back to the East for the first time since 1998.

_ Terry Porter, Milwaukee, who took a roster gutted by ill-advised trades and turned it into an above-.500 team for most of this season.

Brown said the bulk of the credit for the Grizzlies' success should go to team president Jerry West for making nine changes to the roster over the past two seasons.

``If we get this done here, Jerry made a statement the other day this would be the greatest satisfaction and creation of his career. Now think about how fast he's done that.''

Brown said he's satisfied _ award or no award _ with this being the fourth time he has turned around a team considered hopeless.

The first was the Kentucky Colonels, who won an ABA championship the year Brown took over. The second was the Atlanta Hawks, who went to the playoffs in Brown's second season _ 1977-78 _ despite having the league's youngest team and lowest payroll. Brown won the Coach of the Year award that season.

The third big accomplishment, in Brown's opinion, was making the playoffs in his first two seasons coaching the Knicks _ '82-83 and '83-84 _ and losing to the eventual champion.

``This would be like the Atlanta thing for me, if we can get it done. I would feel a major accomplishment that way,'' Brown said.

___

OLYMPIC DAVE:@ Count NBA commissioner David Stern as someone who's looking forward to the Olympics _ regardless of who plays for the U.S. team.

While the Americans wait to hear whether Shaquille O'Neal and Kevin Garnett will play, the list of players unwilling to go keeps growing.

Jason Kidd said the possibility of knee surgery could keep him out of Athens, and Jermaine O'Neal has been wavering because of injuries, too. Ray Allen said the upcoming birth of a child could preclude him from attending, and Kobe Bryant's sexual assault trial in Colorado could make him unavailable.

Vince Carter had begged off, even though he hasn't been formally invited, and Elton Brand _ also uninvited, although a member of last summer's qualifying team _ has said he has no interest in going to Greece.

``If the U.S. can't, from among the top 50 players in the NBA, come up with a team capable of competing at the highest level, we sure aren't as good as we think we are. So let's go, and take people who want to play for their country,'' Stern said.

When asked if another country's top basketball stars can beat the NBA players, Stern replied: ``Eventually.''

``It's just a question of how many elite athletes gather on the team,'' he said. ``I had hoped that when we lost in the Olympics it would be after I was commissioner, but who knows?''

___

DOUBLE STANDARD?:@ Lakers coach Phil Jackson was unhappy with the difference in punishments handed down to Shaquille O'Neal and Steve Francis for cursing on live television.

O'Neal got a one-game suspension that cost him $291,000 in salary and kept him out of a big game at Indiana. Francis was fined $25,000.

``They didn't suspend him?'' Jackson asked reporters in Los Angeles. ``Francis was not suspended after saying that? And Shaq was? That's incredible. The inconsistencies of the NBA amaze me.''

O'Neal cursed twice, the second time after an interviewer reminded him they were live. Francis cursed during a halftime interview last Sunday but went back on the air at the end of halftime to apologize.

Lakers officials noted that O'Neal's remarks were broadcast only on local TV, whereas Francis made his comments on a national broadcast.

``If they're going to mete out punishment one direction, they've got to be consistent,'' Jackson said.

___

STRAW POLL:@ The Rocky Mountain News polled 66 likely Rookie of the Year voters. Of the 57 who stated a preference, 51 favored LeBron James over Carmelo Anthony.

``I'm very, very surprised,'' James told the newspaper when informed of the results. ``Shocked, really. I think we've both had great seasons.''

Anthony said he had heard rumblings in the past few weeks about James gaining support in the rookie race because of Cleveland's push toward the playoffs.

``I knew it,'' he said. ``I just try to keep it in the back of my mind and don't listen to it. ... If I could get the award, it would be a great honor. If I don't, it's not going to be the last of anything. It's just the start of my career.''

It didn't take long for Jerry West to prove yet again that he's a winner.

After a Hall-of-Fame playing career with the Lakers that saw him win one championship and a front-office stint with the same team that saw him win five more, West signed on as president of basketball operations for the Memphis Grizzlies in April 2002.

In April 2004, it's very likely his team will be playing in a postseason game for the first time in its nine-year history.

``We just wanted to get to 41,'' forward James Posey said after the Grizzlies clinched their first winning season Tuesday night. ``We've got it right now, but we're looking at the bigger picture.''

The bigger picture is this: Going into Friday's action, Memphis is 42-26, seeded sixth in a superior Western Conference, and just a half-game back of Dallas for the No. 5 spot. Prior to this season, the team's best record was 28-54 in 2003-04.

``If we take care of business at the end of the season, then the opportunity will present itself,'' Posey added.

No one is more responsible for that opportunity than West, a person who has arguably accomplished more in basketball than anyone ever associated with the game.

It all started in 1956 at East Bank High School in West Virginia, where he was an All-American as a senior, led the school to the state championship and became the first prep player in state history to score 900 points in a season.

Then it was a remarkable four years at the University of West Virginia, where he averaged 24.8 points and 13.3 rebounds, was named an All-American twice and led the team to the NCAA title game in 1959 _ earning the tournament's outstanding player award along the way.

In 1960, he was a co-captain of the 1960 gold medal-winning Olympic team, which also featured Hall-of-Famers Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas and Walt Bellamy.

Following his Olympic triumph in Rome, West became the Lakers' first draft pick after the team moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, when they selected him with the second overall pick in the 1960 draft.

From there, he began a 14-year career with the Lakers that saw him make the All-Star team every season, go to the NBA Finals nine times and become the franchise's all-time leading scorer with 25,192 points. His 27 points per game is the fifth-highest average all time.

After retiring as a player, West would return to coach the Lakers during the 1977-78 season, then served as a consultant before being promoted to general manager in 1982.

During his 19-year tenure as GM and later as Executive Vice President, the Lakers made eight NBA Finals appearances. In 1996, West signed free agent Shaquille O'Neal on July 8, then traded for the rights to 17-year-old Kobe Bryant on July 11 _ three days of work and a ``three-peat'' from 2000-2002.

``Mr. Clutch'' was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1980 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history in 1996. Completing his legacy is the fact that his silhouette makes up the NBA's official logo.

West retired from the Lakers front office in 2000 but was lured back by the Grizzlies when they relocated from Vancouver before the 2002-03 season.

``There's a tremendous amount of pride it brings to a community to have a great team,'' West said. ``That's the fun part of being on the ground floor and watching it grow.''

So far this season that community has been treated to one of the most exciting shows in the league. The Grizzlies, 27-8 since Jan. 1, are one of the best home teams in the NBA with a 26-8 record at the Pyramid. A new arena, the FedExForum, is scheduled to open next season.

West has orchestrated several deals, including the acquisitions of Posey, Mike Miller and Bonzi Wells, to put together a strong cast of young, emerging talents and a roster that has only one player over 30 _ veteran forward Bo Outlaw.

Led by Pau Gasol and Jason Williams, Memphis boasts one of the NBA's deepest rotations, with five players scoring in double figures and only Gasol averaging over 30 minutes per game.

Keeping the cast of youngsters on track and playing like a team is veteran coach Hubie Brown, a former NBA Coach of the Year who West convinced to come out of retirement in November 2002.

``We've been fortunate because we have one of the best evaluators of talent ever in the history of the game,'' said Brown.

With the season winding down and the playoffs approaching, don't be too surprised if these young Grizzlies are still playing into May.

``We are so far away from peaking,'' Brown said. ``I'm being serious.''

With ``Mr. Clutch'' leading the way, no one's taking it lightly.

___

John Kosik is a writer for AP MegaSports. Write to him at jkosik(at)ap.org.

The Seattle SuperSonics' 97-94 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night at the Pyramid took an ugly turn as soon as the horn sounded, when Brent Barry and James Posey got into a confrontation.

After Grizzlies forward Pau Gasol missed a 3-pointer to potentially tie the game, Barry got the rebound and threw the ball to the other end of the floor.

When he did that, Posey shoved him into the seats along the baseline.

As Posey stood there looking at him, Barry came running out of the stands and nudged Posey as he ran by toward Seattle's locker room.

Posey took off after Barry, chasing him down near halfcourt. Just before he reached him, Seattle forward Rashard Lewis interceded and grabbed Posey.

Barry turned around and told Posey to take a swing if he wanted to, but Lewis had Posey's arms locked. By that time, order was restored and both teams went their ways.

"The play was over, and he gave me a little cheap shot out of bounds," Barry said. "He hit me, and it's a man's league, so when I was running back I brushed up against him, letting him know I felt you hit me, I'm going to let you know, the game's over. You might have hit me, but we are leaving your building with a win."

NEW YORK (AP) Memphis guard Bonzi Wells and New Orleans center Jamaal Magloire were fined $5,000 a piece by the NBA on Thursday for throwing a basketball into the stands.

The fines were announced by Stu Jackson, the league's senior vice president of basketball operations.

Wells tossed the ball into the stands during the third quarter of the Grizzlies' 82-79 win over Philadelphia in Memphis on Tuesday. That night, Magloire did the same thing in the third period of Miami's 96-83 home win over the Hornets.

San Antonio had nowhere to turn without its biggest star.

With Tim Duncan sidelined by a leg injury, the Spurs struggled down the stretch and lost 81-80 at home to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. The Spurs made only one field goal in the final 9 minutes and 27 seconds.

And while they lauded Memphis' defense, it was clear that Duncan's absence was a huge factor.

``We have to give them credit, though for the great defensive pressure,'' said Manu Ginobili, who finished with 15 points and a career-high nine assists. ``We stopped moving the ball. ... There was no movement, so we couldn't take open shots.''

The Grizzlies, meanwhile, had a 14-point rally in the fourth quarter and won it on Lorenzen Wright's putback with 19.2 seconds remaining.

``I wanted to be aggressive and go after the loose ball and get the rebound,'' Wright said. ``Then, the ball ended up in my hands and I went back up strong.''

Elsewhere, it was Boston 117, Orlando 96; Utah 94, Detroit 86; Washington 111, New Orleans 106 in overtime; and Chicago 92, Cleveland 81.

The Grizzlies' strong defensive made the difference. On San Antonio's final two possessions, Memphis had its best defensive stands.

First, the Grizzlies forced point guard Jason Hart into a shot-clock violation with 28.9 seconds left. After Wright's putback, Memphis' suffocating defense made it hard for the Spurs to get off a final shot. Malik Rose drove the baseline in the waning seconds, but he took his shot while falling backward. It hit off the front of the rim and Memphis' James Posey hustled for the rebound as time expired.

Earl Watson led the Grizzlies with 13 points.

``Earl Watson was key,'' Shane Battier said. ``He really did single-handedly turn the momentum of the game in our favor.''

Hedu Turkoglu paced San Antonio with 19 points. Rasho Nesterovic added 18 and 10 rebounds.

Celtics 117, Magic 96

At Boston, Mark Blount had career highs of 28 points and 21 rebounds _ the Celtics' first 20-20 game in 10 years.

Boston scored the first 25 points of the fourth quarter and won its third consecutive game. Blount had his fifth consecutive double-double, Paul Pierce scored 25 points with nine assists for Boston.

Tracy McGrady, the NBA's leading scorer, had 29 points for Orlando after playing just two minutes in the first quarter because of foul trouble.

Jazz 94, Pistons 86

At Salt Lake City, Reserve Gordan Giricek scored 24 points in Utah's fourth straight win. Giricek had his best game since coming to the Jazz in a trade from Orlando for DeShawn Stevenson six games ago. Giricek made 10 of 17 shots, including all four of his 3-point attempts.

Rasheed Wallace scored 27 points in his best outing since arriving from Portland.

Wizards 111, Hornets 106, OT

At Washington, Gilbert Arenas scored eight of his 35 points in overtime, and the Wizards recovered after blowing a 21-point second-half lead.

The Wizards scored more points in the five-minute overtime (15) than they did in the entire fourth quarter (10).

Baron Davis scored 18 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and added 11 assists for the Hornets.

Bulls 92, Cavaliers 81

At Chicago, Kirk Hinrich outplayed his more-heralded rookie counterpart, LeBron James.

Two days after becoming the first rookie with a triple-double this season, Hinrich came close to a second with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. When Hinrich left with less than a minute to play, Bulls fans gave him a standing ovation.

James had 18 points, but he shot just 7-of-17 with three rebounds and three assists.