<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">DALLAS -- The invitation didn't come with fancy lettering or advance notice. A players-only dinner Monday night was a spur-of-the-moment gathering through word of mouth. When Eddie Jones speaks, his teammates listen. More importantly, when the Grizzlies' veteran guard offers a suggestion the response is swift. And Jones didn't summon his teammates to break bread just to prove he has enough dough to feed 15 large, famished athletes. "I just wanted everybody to be together," Jones said Tuesday afternoon. What's the big deal about a seemingly routine team meal compared with others in years past? "In the past," center Lorenzen Wright said, "everybody wouldn't have come. It's a lot different around here." The Grizzlies spent the past 48 hours reminding themselves that this isn't a young team simply happy about performing on the playoff stage or rattled by early circumstances. Sure, the Griz are down 0-1 in their best-of-seven, first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks. Sure, they have yet to win a playoff game and carry an 0-9 postseason record like a choke collar. Amid those certainties, here's another: This Grizzlies group possesses the leadership and cohesion like no other, and they aim to prove to doubters that those qualities can translate into a Game 2 win tonight in American Airlines Center. "I just told the guys that where I'm from a series isn't over until a team wins four times," Jones said, describing his spiel over dinner. "They won one game at home, where you're supposed to win in the playoffs. After one game, you can't be down. You've got to come out the next game and try hard to get one. It's funny to me that people write you off with one bad game. The things we didn't do were so glaring that these are things we can easily correct." Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello didn't offer up much in terms of specific adjustments. Perhaps he doesn't need to. "This is our third playoff opportunity as a franchise," Fratello said, "so at some point eventually we're going to get our win." Jones is correct in his assessment. If the Griz can avoid giving up 28 points on 19 turnovers and a rebounding disparity of 11, their chances of winning skyrocket. After all, the Griz shot 53 percent, including 43 percent from beyond the arc, and attempted 29 free throws in Game 1. The difference in Game 2 could be displaying more hustle from the start and decision-making that's been indicative of their regular season. "It's not that complicated," forward Shane Battier said. "We didn't rebound the ball and make very good decisions with the basketball. Now, it's about making basketball plays. Basic basketball plays. The older guys keep telling us it's not the national championship game. It's a series. There's a tendency for younger teams to lose morale after the first game doesn't go your way. We're a pretty positive group and that comes from experience." Said reserve guard Mike Miller, "It makes a difference. The team camaraderie and confidence isn't shaken. The attitude in the locker room and on the floor definitely helps." </div> Source
Eddie Jones is a veteran and definitely knows what he is talking about. I like how the Grizz are staying posotive after a Game 1 loss, thats good to see. They look determined and seem focused on stealing one in Dallas, we'll see what happens tonight..
Any chance of him returning to Miami to retire when his current deal is up? I would love it because he gets along great with Wade and Shaq and gives us veteran leadership.
