<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Grizzlies majority owner Michael Heisley didn't share the average fan's view once it became apparent that a coaching change was necessary. It wasn't that Heisley minded the immediate commitment to running on offense. He did want more zip. But resting on defense is what Heisley grew tired of watching. "Energy shows up on defense, not offense. Guys like to score the ball," Heisley said Dec. 28 when Mike Fratello was fired. "But throwing your body around and playing defense is a different thing." The new-look Grizzlies aren't exactly swarming but they'll keep the boss happy by sustaining the defensive effort evident in Tuesday's victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Operating with a pulse whenever they didn't have the ball was the difference between the Grizzlies' first five games under interim head Tony Barone Sr. and their last outing. Credit an occasional 2-3 zone that's increasingly masked the Grizzlies' individual deficiencies on defense and allowed them to earn key stops. "People talk about zones as a defense you relax in, you rest in and that you give up things in. But if you play it with aggressiveness, it can be a real solid defense," Barone said Thursday as the Griz prepared for tonight's meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves in FedExForum. "It's harder to play a good zone than it is to play man-to-man," Barone continued. "The zone is more of an effort and thought process. We feel comfortable in it because we've had some success in it. We can't win a lot of games just by playing zone. Our guys know that. So our intensity is getting better." Barone says often that his on-the-fly training camp with the team has worked backwards. After taking Fratello's team rule book and tearing it in two, Barone focused almost exclusively on undoing the shackles on offense. He's rarely called plays and instead implored players to gain confidence by relying on instincts in the flow of a game. The Griz, though, weren't getting back in any stance that resembles defense after racing past the opposition for easy scores. In Barone's first five games, the Griz allowed on average: 117.6 points on 48-percent shooting overall and 43-percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Opponents turned the ball over just 14.2 times, assisted on 26.2 of 41.2 field goals and outscored the Griz in fast-break and second-chance points. Those trends took a dramatic turn against the Lakers when the Griz played more zone than it did before. Los Angeles shot 42 percent (35 percent from beyond the arc), committed 18 turnovers and was outscored 39-10 in fastbreak points. "It mixes things up and keeps teams off guard," Griz swingman Mike Miller said. "Coach has done a good job of switching defenses. The bottom line is that we have to execute. When we execute defensively, it makes it easier for us to run." Miller managed to leak out and bury wide-open 3-pointers or layups in that game mainly because the Griz held the Lakers to one shot and then came away with the rebound. From there, the point guards -- Damon Stoudamire or Chucky Atkins -- routinely threw long passes to a streaking teammate. "In the zone, we're able to control penetration in the lane better," Atkins said. "And when teams miss (from 3-point range) those long rebounds help us get out on fast breaks." </div> Source
