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00:00Looney stops in the paint to Draymond, handoff Curry, deep three on the way with one on the clock, back rim miss, Looney again, finds Thompson, loads up a triple, good!
00:10It's madness, just madness!
00:15Dub Nation, it's Kevon Looney, you're listening to Wheeler and Dibs on 95.7 The Game.
00:19Woo, game six, 2022, Warriors Grizz. Love hearing Tim Roy when that's where the voice goes. Love it.
00:30The last one you played when John Morant knocked the Warriors out of the play-in tournament a handful of years ago.
00:37Less fun! Less fun, but that's where we are, folks.
00:42Yeah, it's a little bit nerve-wracking going into a monster game tonight.
00:45One thing that's fun, though, is we get to welcome someone who's come on the show a number of times, the River Islands guest line.
00:52He is a local guy and also the voice of the Memphis Grizzlies.
00:57Eric Hasseltine joins us here on Wheeler and Dibs.
00:59Hey, Eric, how's it going?
01:01I'm good. You guys teased me with a little mirror in the bathroom and then just kicked me right below the belt with that highlight.
01:06I remember that, Eric.
01:08Yeah, that Looney just killed the Grizzlies that year.
01:11It was unbelievable how good he was.
01:1324 rebounds in game six is how I remember it.
01:16Yeah, he was just tough.
01:18He was just a problem.
01:20You know, look, I remember that series and what I remember most about that year was the Grizzlies ended up passing the Warriors for the two seed
01:28and probably could have gotten the one seed, but as every coach does, you sit guys down.
01:33But in reality, when the series came up, I was like, hey, people realize that the Warriors should have been the two.
01:39If Curry hadn't gotten banged up, I think that was the year Marcus Smart dove and rolled into his knee and he missed like two weeks.
01:46That's when the Grizzlies overtook the Warriors.
01:48I thought the Warriors were a slightly better team and the seeds were a little off at that time.
01:54But, yeah, man, it was a these are fun.
01:55These guys, these are so much fun.
01:57And just telling somebody today, coming home and remembering going to Oracle with my dad and watching run TMC and, you know,
02:05going to the point of Vista and being able to share that now with my colleagues and be able to share my hometown and then, you know,
02:11do what we love to do, even though now I'm on the other side.
02:15You know, it's like a dream come true.
02:16And then to hear those highlights and just all these great memories, it's just a blast.
02:19We love that for you.
02:21Yeah, Eric Hasseltine, for those who don't know, is a local guy.
02:23And so it's a pinch me moment for you.
02:26It's a kick us in the shin moment for us, though, because the Warriors have never won one of these.
02:32And we've spent the better part of the last month kind of thinking that they wouldn't be here.
02:37But here they are.
02:39So I wonder what your thoughts are on that.
02:42Not that Memphis is happy to be here either.
02:44A handful of weeks ago, they were the three seed.
02:46But do you think that that affects the game tonight?
02:49Sort of the fallout from losing Sunday and the Warriors rolling their eyes and even being in this game?
02:56I hope it lights a fire under both teams.
02:59So we see a game like we saw with you guys in the Clippers.
03:02And although I was calling a glorified G League game in Memphis that day, I raced to the back knowing that with the national TV coverage, I'd catch most of the fourth quarter, which was just terrific to watch.
03:14But I hope it lights the fire because, yeah, both teams did not want to be here.
03:17The Warriors made the Butler trade, and they've been fantastic ever since.
03:21And the Grizzlies at the All-Star break were 36-18.
03:24And I was planning a vacation to Florida with my son to say, hey, we got the week off.
03:29Let's go down and ride a couple of rides at Disney World, and then I'll get you back up for your stuff.
03:34And then I'll get ready to go wherever we're going, hopefully host.
03:37And then you start dropping a game here or there and drop three straight last possession games.
03:43And so you're like, they may be in the play-in tournament.
03:46So, yeah, both teams are not happy about being there, but it's better than the alternative.
03:51And I think what you get is a game where if you go into tonight and think, yeah, you know, we'll get through tonight.
03:57Let's see how it goes.
03:58And if it doesn't work in our favor, we can always have one Friday.
04:01But that mentality, if the Grizzlies take it in there, the Warriors will bury them where they stand.
04:06And I don't think the Warriors will have that.
04:09You know, my fear of this night is, you know, in terms of going the wrong way for the Grizzlies is that this Golden State team has that championship pedigree where the Grizz don't.
04:19And it's a relatively new group together.
04:21That chemistry has been one of the issues as to why they've been struggling at times.
04:26They look disjointed at times late in games against good teams where good teams have that.
04:32I know where this guy is going to be.
04:33I know where the pass needs to go.
04:35I know I've got this trust in help side defense.
04:38It hasn't always been there for the Grizzlies.
04:40So hopefully that doesn't come to fruition tonight.
04:43And, you know, it's just a well-played game where both teams go out and play with that fire of knowing we want to get to Houston on Sunday and play game one and not worry about having to win another one on Friday.
04:55Yeah, and that's kind of scary for Warrior fans knowing that you're 0-3 in the play-in tournament.
05:00So it's been a little bit of a PTSD experience.
05:03I want to ask you about the last 28 games, Eric, because you mentioned the record at the break.
05:0712-16 since with a coaching change.
05:10What has made it so that Memphis kind of went sideways?
05:12Most notably, the defensive lapses at times, big quarters allowed.
05:21You know, take, for example, you go up to Denver and you're leading by five.
05:26And then one of the worst back-to-backs I've ever seen in 24 years of being with this organization, playing at home on an 8-30 tip in central time and then having to fly to Denver where the Nuggets aren't playing and playing the next night.
05:37Like, that's tough, but, you know, no one's going to feel sorry for you.
05:40It's the NBA, and they just ran out of gas.
05:42But other nights where you give up 40-plus point quarters, they've given up two 50-plus point quarters.
05:49The Minnesota game the night before, that's a national TV game.
05:53You're winning that game at halftime, and you're really outplaying the Timberwolves, although the score probably should have been more in your favor.
06:00And you come out in the third quarter and you try to slow roll into it, and all of a sudden, they're not.
06:05They come out with more aggression, and that's been the Achilles' heel is the one big stretch.
06:11And you let teams get on a roll in this league, and you're in real trouble.
06:14And Minnesota got on that roll right out of the all-star break in Indiana.
06:18They had the same thing.
06:19The Pacers had a 50-point quarter, and you're just not going to be able to withstand that.
06:23So the defensive lapses, it's coverages where, as you guys know, sometimes your help guy gets a little too deep, and then the ball moves around.
06:32And, I mean, the Grizzlies, by these metrics, and I don't always get into the analytics stuff, but I thought this one was interesting when someone pointed it out.
06:40They give up the most open threes in the league, and it's not close.
06:44And when I'm talking open, we call it the three o'clock shot, where there's nobody in the gym and nobody around the guy other than the rebounder that's passing to them.
06:51And you're not going to be successful that way.
06:54And so that night that the Warriors came to town after the Grizzlies made the coaching change, and the Warriors were in town, and you're like, I said to my partner, I said,
07:03Steph Curry could go monster tonight if they don't get to that perimeter.
07:07Well, they were aggressively trying to, but Drayvon Green had other ideas with some really good screens, and Steph goes for 52.
07:14And that was the microcosm, is now you're scrambling.
07:19Now the ball's moving.
07:20And this league, there are no secrets.
07:22You know, there's all that tape out there, guys, and when people see that, oh, yeah, if we do this, we're going to get open looks,
07:27or if we do this against you defensively, which a lot of teams are going into a 3-2 zone and trying to push the Grizzlies away from the paint
07:33because they weren't using a lot of ball screens, it really disrupted the flow.
07:38And I think what's plagued this team during those stretches to wrap it up is then you've got guys trying to make a play to shift the momentum
07:45rather than staying in the team concept, let me go get a bucket, let me help my team.
07:49And although it's rooted in aggressiveness and thinking like you're trying to help the team, it's not what the offense is designed to do.
07:56So they've got to get past that.
07:58They've got to put the last, you know, two months behind them, like you said, the 12-16 stretch after the All-Star break,
08:06and you've got to go play one game.
08:07And tonight, truthfully, you've got to play your best basketball of the year.
08:10They played really well a few weeks ago in a game that they lost to the Celtics.
08:16They played really well in a game they won against Detroit.
08:19But they've only beaten one team with a 500 record or better since the All-Star break, and it was that game in Detroit.
08:25Everybody else has beaten them.
08:27And so, great that you do what you're supposed to do and beat the teams that aren't in the playoffs.
08:32Not great that you're not competing with the teams that you're going to face in the postseason.
08:36And that was where the concern was for a while for this team.
08:39Eric Haseltine is the voice of the Grizzlies and a local guy joining us here on Willard and Dibs.
08:44Can we back up from all the points you just made?
08:47Yeah.
08:48Why did the Grizzlies fire their coach?
08:52Man, if I knew that, I would be living in a much different neighborhood in Memphis
08:55because I would be in the upper echelon of the organization.
08:58I think, in all honesty, I just think the way it looked, it looked like the message had gone on deaf ears at this point.
09:07And I get along great with Taylor, and he's a great coach.
09:11And multiple guys in other organizations would talk about how smart he really is.
09:17But if you're not getting the message through clearly, it's hard to keep that job
09:24when it doesn't look like your star players are on board with what the concept is.
09:28Now, I think the wheels were in motion when this team did something I'd never seen before.
09:34The front office decided they needed to go a different direction with the schemes.
09:38They let five assistant coaches go.
09:41They brought in a new five.
09:42One is now the interim head coach in Tuomo Asiasalo.
09:45And they tried to shake up the offense.
09:47They tried to get it faster and more spaced out.
09:50And at times, it just didn't look like it was connecting.
09:53Early in the season, you knew they were going to struggle in terms of finding the rhythm,
09:57and they had some losses where, again, big stretches where the offense didn't produce led to lopsided losses.
10:03But they also found stretches where they were blowing the doors off some teams.
10:06So I just think that as it kept progressing, there was a little bit of a difference of philosophy
10:14between two of the offensive guys they brought in.
10:17And the organization has just decided, hey, this is the route we want to go.
10:21This is the message we want to convey.
10:23And at that stretch, if you're pretty dead set on making a change at the end of the season, I get it.
10:31One of the theories that was thrown out there was what happens if you don't make the change before the end of the season
10:35and you go win a couple of playoff series, but you want to make the change, how do you justify that?
10:40And I always said, you shouldn't have to justify anything in the front office.
10:44You just have to live with the decision.
10:45You have to answer for what happened.
10:47But it just looked like they were not competitive for a little bit,
10:52and we were all scratching our heads that are there on a daily basis.
10:55I'm like, what's going on?
10:57Because this is not the group we've known.
11:00And so they pulled the trigger, and it's tough.
11:02But I feel wholeheartedly that Taylor Jenkins will land on his feet.
11:08He'll find another gig.
11:09He'll be a head coach again, and he'll be successful.
11:12And I feel wholeheartedly that the organization believes that this was the best move to move forward
11:16with the group they have and get them into learning this offense.
11:21If they do keep Coach Iosalo next year, that you've had some time with him in critical moments.
11:26And now you get a test run to see before.
11:29The other theory was before you sign him to a three- or four-year contract,
11:32let's see if this actually works.
11:34Let's see if they can get behind this.
11:36And if they don't, then we can put on a full-on coaching search.
11:39If they do, then we'd have our guy.
11:42And so I just think the time in their eyes was the right time to do it.
11:45A lot of people disagreed.
11:47Denver said, oh, that's an interesting strategy.
11:49Here, pour a beer for a second.
11:50Let's go with what you did.
11:52We're going to one-up you.
11:53You're old trendsetters out there.
11:55Yeah, you became a trendsetter.
11:57Yeah, exactly.
11:58That's what we were trying to do.
11:59That's what we were hoping for.
12:00I do think that the trial run idea, you at least get to see how it looks.
12:04And just watching Memphis from the outside looking in, Eric,
12:07it looks like a fast team playing even faster.
12:10How much does this help Ja Morant and really play into what he does best in the basketball?
12:15So since the change, they've run a lot more high ball screens for Ja, and I think they're trying to maximize what his abilities are.
12:26Obviously, people are looking and they see that Jaron Jackson was an all-star and was having a phenomenal season.
12:32His numbers have been down a little bit.
12:34I don't think that's due to the offense.
12:35I think it's due to Jaron basically rolled his ankle and fought to get back as soon as he could because he knew how important the games were and didn't just sit out.
12:45He tried to play through some pain.
12:47So I don't think he's quite 100% right.
12:50I don't want to speculate because I don't ask him about that, and I'm not in the training room.
12:55But the moves just don't look as explosive to the common eye.
13:00And so I think getting the ball into Ja's hand, getting him more comfortable, getting him back to where he can be that type of guy,
13:08that dynamic can break you down with the dribble point guard was a priority.
13:14It's helped Desmond Bain.
13:15He's getting the shots he was getting before.
13:18And, you know, I loved what they were doing early in the season.
13:21They called it Everybody Eats, like everybody was getting looks.
13:25Everybody was getting touches.
13:26They had a game where they scored over 145 points, and nobody had more than 22, but eight guys were in double figures.
13:34So, you know, everybody was getting those looks, and they wanted to go back to, hey, we were at our best when Ja was working,
13:41when Jaron was working, when Des was working, and then you had two of the other guys step up while the other guys contributed.
13:48And it might be a different two guys every night, but those three were your stalwarts.
13:52And as you get to the postseason, you guys know it slows down.
13:56It's way more star-oriented.
13:58You let your best players take over the game, and they win it or lose it for you.
14:03That's why they get paid the money they get paid.
14:06If you try to do it with the distribution theory of everybody contributes and everybody's going to get their touches
14:11and we're all going to be happy, in the playoffs, that'll get you beat, and it'll get you beat fast
14:16because guys are at that level and earn those contracts because they're different players.
14:21So, you know, I just think that that was part of the theory, too.
14:26So now looking at it, you're getting Ja back to being Ja at the most critical time of the year
14:30where wins and losses don't matter.
14:33They're essential.
14:34You know, tonight is not a do-or-die game for either one of these teams,
14:37but I don't think anybody wants to mess around with a Friday game on the home court
14:41where then if you have one off night, then you're going home earlier than either one of these teams projected that they would be.
14:47Yeah, and you're getting OKC even if you win it.
14:49So, Eric Hasseltine, voice of the Grizzlies.
14:52Two quick ones before we – because I think this is what matters to Warriors fans the most.
14:58First, kind of handicap Steph Curry in this game because, as you said, they don't guard the three-point line well.
15:04He went for 52 just a couple of weeks ago.
15:07And, oh, by the way, the guy that guards him a lot in Jalen Wells is now hurt.
15:10So, like, handicap Steph Curry in this game tonight, Eric.
15:16Well, I hate to say that I can see it coming sometimes, but the night that the Warriors were in Memphis,
15:23I looked at my partner, Elliot Perry, who played in the league for 10 years, and I said,
15:28he goes for a minimum of 35 tonight.
15:30There's no way he doesn't.
15:32And a lot of that was not only Steph.
15:33The Grizzlies actually extended the defense, and Jalen, as you mentioned, was healthy that night.
15:37And a lot of that was Draymond Green just setting really aggressive screens
15:41and playing it to the point where I'm going to do everything I can
15:44and push the envelope with whether you're going to call this as a moving screen or not.
15:49Until you call it, I'm going to keep going, and I'm going to take it a half step further the next time
15:52and a half step further the next time.
15:54When you let me know what's not allowed, then I'll know.
15:57Well, the referees didn't, and he just kept getting – I mean, he was beating up on Grizzly defenders.
16:02And I can't blame him.
16:03I think it's great.
16:03I think that's what you want your guy to do.
16:05So, if I'm looking at Steph tonight, obviously, you know, a lot of people were concerned
16:10about the wrap around his hand the other day against the Clippers.
16:13I think he gets going, but I think knowing what the Grizzlies will try to do defensively,
16:19they're going to try to take that away.
16:20They may shift the coverages a little bit more with Jalen out.
16:23And, boy, he's a kid from Folsom that couldn't have been a better dude all season long,
16:28just super mature for his age.
16:29That was one of the scariest moments of my career that fall he took in Charlotte.
16:33And, you know, thankfully he's okay, but he's not available.
16:36So, you've got to have other guys step up, whether that's Scotty Piffen Jr. or Vince Williams.
16:40You know, that tale will be told a little after 7 o'clock tonight.
16:44You've got to get around those screens.
16:46You've got to have help on the screens.
16:48And if you have Zach Eadie on the floor, and they have, since the coaching change,
16:51had him more out there, he's got to really understand about drop coverage and where to go.
16:56Because this Warriors team isn't going to put a guy down on the block where Zach can just go,
17:00all right, I'm guarding this guy, they're going to move around the perimeter.
17:03And Zach's going to have to figure out where he can get to and how he can help.
17:06Because if you're playing 5-on-4 against the Warriors,
17:09we might as well warm up the bus right now and get ready to head to the plane
17:12and get ready for a Friday game against Dallas or Sacramento.
17:16And, Eric, the other one is, what's up with these Ja Morant celebrations, man?
17:20Like, what's, come on, man, what's going on?
17:24Well, I, you know, I knew, I know that these things are coming and it's not,
17:29obviously I'm not upset at you guys, but it's what we do in this industry as we talk about this stuff.
17:34I didn't, you know, I, the one where he got fined, I think, was him saying,
17:42I don't agree with the fine, I don't agree with why you're doing this, other guys do it.
17:46And then to my audience, I said, hey, look, other guys may do it.
17:50Other guys were not suspended by the league for what he was suspended for.
17:55And I like Ja, don't get me wrong.
17:57I think he's always been great to me, but I think he's just had some moments of being young and brash
18:04and, you know, being out there and wanting to be, you know, the life of the party, so to speak,
18:11and be the guy that enjoys the fruits of his labor and how hard he works and his success.
18:16But, you know, as I told somebody, the NBA, it's not a right, it's a privilege.
18:20And if the league says, hey, don't do this, you can't thumb your nose at him and do it in a different manner.
18:25And now the next one is meeting with people's questions of why is he doing this?
18:30But, hey, I don't see him getting suspended for whatever these is.
18:35I think he called them ward bombs and, you know, throwing them like grenades.
18:38And I don't think that's as big an issue with the things we have going on, obviously,
18:43in the country with people's concern about firearms and getting in the hands of the wrong people.
18:48And if anybody understands that, we do in Memphis.
18:50We're not, you know, we don't lead the country in violent crimes and not understand that.
18:55But I think, you know, now it's a little more kind of, it's a little more on the humorous side with these to me.
19:02But other people are looking at it going like, yo, dude, are you ever going to learn?
19:06Are you ever going to learn?
19:07And I get both sides.
19:09I know the young man.
19:10I know he's not advocating any of that.
19:12But I also know he's like a young guy that's going, hey, look, you know, you can have me, you know, follow the rules and do this.
19:20But I'm going to celebrate and I'm going to enjoy this.
19:23And if you don't like it, then you have to make a decision.
19:25And whether that's the right way or wrong way to go about it, you know, I think that's for everybody to decide.
19:30I personally would love it if he just, you know, celebrated a different way and took some of the focus off of it.
19:37Because I think it puts a little more pressure on him.
19:39But he could tell you that he doesn't feel any of the pressure and he's going to play the same way.
19:43And okay.
19:44Then you do you, man.
19:45And deal with the consequences.
19:47You know, it's like the front office that drafts the wrong guy.
19:50Hey, I wouldn't have taken that guy.
19:52But you can take him.
19:53And if it works out, great.
19:54If it doesn't, you're the one who has to answer for it, not anybody else.
19:56Yeah, no doubt.
19:57Fair answers.
19:58Hey, Eric, thanks so much for the time and have a great call tonight.
20:02Guys, always great to talk to you.
20:03Good luck tonight and look forward to talking again down the road.
20:06Yep.
20:06Thanks, Eric.
20:06Absolutely.