This just in : Zach Randolph is a beast. Everyone who has said he would be a cancer and wouldn't play hard and is the same thug he was in Portland isn't looking very smart right now. Randolph can single-handedly dominate the post for the Grizzlies this season. He proved as much last night against the Toronto Raptors as the Grizz earned their first win of the season 115-107 on Friday. Randolph led the Grizzlies with 30 points and seven rebounds.
Chris Bosh led all scorers with 37 points. Sure, that is a high number, but the Grizzlies forced him to try to beat them single-handedly, focusing their defense on Hedo Turkoglu, who burned them in the past as a member of the Sacramento Kings. Turkoglu managed only 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
The Grizzlies showed some of their youth with an inability to close the Raptors out when they built a double-digit lead in the first half, and lost the third quarter scoring battle as usual, but they outscored the visitors 39-28 in the fourth quarter to snuff out any hope of a comeback.
Along with Randolph, the Grizzlies got double figures from the other four starters, as well as 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench from rookie Demarre Carroll, who looks like he could be a stud. Who needs DeJuan Blair when you can get a guy who will sacrifice his body for a loose ball, snatch rebounds out of nowhere and knock down a shot in the clutch? Carroll earned a reputation as a scorer at Missouri, but he has shown there is little he can't do on the professional level, and he doesn't appear rattled yet in his first two appearances. I'm sure his day will come, though. It's a long season, and it drags down every rookie sooner or later.
Rudy Gay fell a rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 17 points and nine boards. Mike Conley also came up big with 10 points and 10 assists. He really seems to fit his role well this season coming off the bench. Last season, he wasn't sure where he fit into the team's plans, and I'm not sure Marc Iavaroni knew how to use him.
The stat that stood out for the Grizzlies was the fact that they shot over 50 percent for the game after a poor showing against Detroit. They will win some games if they can do that consistently. Of course, consistency is usually their problem. They did turn the ball over 17 times, but most of those came in the first half. They took better care of the ball late in the game.
The Grizzlies outscored the Raptors in transition 15-6, and that is going to be crucial this season. They have to be able to get easy baskets and take advantage of their opponents' mistakes.
The Grizzlies needed to win Friday's game because up next is the dreaded West Coast road trip, beginning Sunday in Denver. They will visit Sacramento, Golden State and both Los Angeles teams before returning home for a matchup with Portland on November 10.
