Losses have been frequent for the Memphis Grizzlies, although they usually aren't as painful as Tuesday's come-from-ahead 83-82 defeat to the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Grizzlies blew a 10-point lead with 3:01 remaining as their record fell to 13-32.

 




"We weren't as sharp defensively. We got out of character a little bit and that carried over to the offensive end," said swingman Shane Battier, who scored a game-high 27 points.

The Indiana Pacers made up for 24 minutes of horror with five minutes of heroics Wednesday.

Naturally, Reggie Miller was involved.

 




Deservedly down 13 points in the final five minutes, the Pacers closed with a 15-3 run for an 83-82 victory over Memphis at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Miller, who had missed his first seven shots, hit two 3-pointers in the final minute to steal

Doug West used to miss a dozen games in a stretch with an inflamed hangnail.  Even though Jason Williams wasn't with the Grizzlies at the time, he seems to have picked up a few pointers long distance.

Ron Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that J-Will missed Monday and Wednesday's games after having ingrown toenails removed from each foot on Monday.  Williams had played with the condition all season

The timing is interesting.  Coach Sidney Lowe blamed Williams for the Grizzlies' loss to the Bulls on Saturday.  Williams was, um, not responsible in his care of the ball during the fourth quarter as the Bulls overcame a 10 point deficit.  Backup Brevin Knight started in Monday's overtime win over the Clippers, and Wednesday's one-point loss to the Pacers.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Billy Knight, a name once synonymous with Indiana Pacers basketball, comes to town tonight as a visitor.

Knight is in his second season as the Memphis Grizzlies general manager, a position he prepared for through a myriad of jobs under Pacers president Donnie Walsh.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Before donning a Grizzlies uniform for the first time, Shane Battier acknowledged he knew as little as most folks about the NBA's newest city.

"Memphis? All I knew about the place was Elvis and barbecue," said the former Duke All-American.

 




"But I've been pleasantly surprised. There's a good vibe around the city, and it's fun to be part of the revitalization process, especially downtown where I live."

The Associated Press is reporting the retirement of Bryant "Big Country" Reeves of the Memphis Grizzlies due to excruciating back pain from several degenerative spinal discs.  Stories out of Memphis lately have been that Reeves can't even pick-up his toddlers or sit for any length of time.

Reeves was one of those players that never seemed to realize his potential in the league despite being picked number six in the draft.  Many fans mocked him for a body that was obviously never meant to be subjected to the rigors of the NBA, his somewhat hickish demeanor and a large contract that he was given the same year that Kevin Garnett broke the bank.

Despite what some supposedly-knowledgeable people think, Reeves was an excellent student of the game and when his offensive skills left him, he became a consumate team player and top-notch help defender.  In his heyday, he gave fans in Vancouver many memorable moments, including several 30+ point nights where he carried a miserable franchise to some of its biggest wins.

His parting words were typically classy: "I am grateful to the entire Grizzlies organization for their support and encouragement throughout my career," Reeves said. "Playing in the NBA allowed this small-town country boy from Gans, Okla., to share the court with the greatest players in the game."

Good on you, Bryant.  Here's hoping your back gets better so you can enjoy the rest of your life.

Jeff McInnis seethed on the bench for most of the second half. But that was nothing compared to what spilled from his mouth Monday night after the Clippers' 119-115 overtime loss to the struggling Memphis Grizzlies, according to the Orange County Register.

"If you don't play at a high level in the NBA, it doesn't matter who you play," Clippers coach Alvin Gentry said. "You can't play well for a half. You can't play three quarters. You have to play 48 minutes and in this instance, 53 minutes."

McInnis made all five of his field-goal attempts in the first quarter, and his 14 points and five assists by halftime helped stake the Clippers to a 12-point lead. But McInnis only played 13 of the 29 minutes in the second half.

"I'm tired of being the scapegoat," said McInnis, visibly upset as he left the locker room. "It's like everything is Jeff McInnis' fault when we lose. I play with emotion. It's not the first time, and it's not going to be the last time.

Gentry spoke about McInnis in terse tones after the game. He pulled McInnis with about five minutes left in the third quarter, shortly after McInnis was slow getting back on defense because he was arguing with an official.

Michael Olowokandi screamed at McInnis to forget the play and get back on defense. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies motored up court with a numbers advantage, and Tony Massenburg hit a jumper that tied the score, 65-65. Memphis had trailed by 14 points 41/2 minutes into the second quarter.

"We can't be like that, with the bickering," Elton Brand said. "All that bickering comes out, and all of a sudden, you're down four."

Ron Tillery of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports that the Grizzlies have dropped out of contention for the services of Marc Jackson.

With their $4.5M disabled player exception (DPE) for Bryant Reeves expiring in a week, it appears the Grizz will not use the exception.

With a Team Salary of $51M, the Grizz can afford either to use the DPE this season or their mid-level exception during the summer.  Not both.  They've chosen the latter.

Basically, the cost to get Jackson would be the first round pick the Rockets owe Memphis.  Memphis thinks Jackson is worth no more than that.  Perhaps less.  Tillery speculates the Warriors aren't playing Jackson because to 'showcase' his talents might decrease his trade value.

The ink on his team's 12th consecutive win wasn't dry in the books Monday night when Kings coach Rick Adelman pointed out that reality was lurking.

After Sacramento's 112-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, who played without former King Jason Williams, Adelman noted that the stretch of 10 home games in 12 contests was over.

When the Pistons visited Memphis, Tenn., on Nov. 1, Michael Curry visited the Civil Rights Museum, the site of the hotel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was slain.

It was Curry's first visit. Growing up in Augusta, Ga., Curry has vivid memories of the King era.

"In an hour visit there, it brought back so many experiences in my life, the lessons I've been taught, the things you learn at school and the things you learn at church," Curry said. "All the stories you've heard -- you got to see the reincarnation of them. It was very touching. It showed how strong and how much control people had when they were fighting for civil rights. They were treated very badly. They cared more about what they were fighting for than how they were treated."