Grizzlies finally grit and grind under Dave Joerger

• Memphis Grizzlies found rhythm on 4-0 road trip after 3-5 start under new coach Dave Joerger
• Hired after Lionel Hollins butted heads with management%2C Joerger tried to speed tempo for Memphis
• Players%2C fans grew frustrated with issues%2C so Joerger returned Grizzlies%27 %22grit-and-grind%22 style

This isn't just about the Memphis Grizzlies, that "grit-and-grind" team that set a franchise record in wins last season, reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time and promptly decided to change head coaches.

This is about the new ways of the NBA, this landscape where owners all over the league are prioritizing analytics like never before and — as was the case with the Grizzlies — are so hell-bent on having a kumbaya synergy from top to bottom that they'll sometimes run the risk of upsetting the apple cart. Or, in Memphis' case, infuriating a fiery fan base.

Lionel Hollins, the stern coach with the old-school sensibilities and impressive track record, was out - the victim of his own personality and the reality that it didn't mesh with those within the new group headed by 35-year-old owner Robert Pera. Dave Joerger, the up-and-comer who had stronger relationships with management and a vital openness to new-age ideas, was in. And the Grizzlies, in the eyes of many, were messing up a good thing.

Yet one week after a 3-5 start seemed to confirm their fans' concerns while giving their critics within the league fodder for their fire, the Grizzlies turned in an impressive 4-0 road trip that not only put them back in the early playoff race, but also may have shown that they'll be fine after all.

Wins vs. the Kobe Bryant-less Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings were to be expected. But in downing the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors, this Grizzlies team that has become such a fascinating case study looked worthy of retaining its status among the Western Conference elite. That always-temporary reality will be tested in earnest Friday night, as the Grizzlies host a San Antonio Spurs team that swept them in the West finals.

Rest assured, though, this trip back from the early grave hasn't been easy.

When the Grizzlies boarded a plane Nov. 14 headed for Los Angeles, all was not right in their world. A 16-point home loss to the Toronto Raptors the night before was the latest sign of trouble, and players and coaches alike readily admit privately that — with the fans and local media closing in fast — they couldn't wait to get out of town. Road trips are funny that way, sometimes capable of making or breaking a team depending on the circumstances that surround them.

But the fans weren't the only ones who were restless. Joerger, who won five titles in seven seasons as a minor league coach before becoming a Grizzlies assistant in 2007, sparked serious concern among his own players with his preseason plan to push the team's plodding offensive pace. It was part of his long-term strategy, a way to eventually enhance the Grizzlies' oft-stagnant offense. It wasn't, however, a makeover that this veteran-laden team that has won 62% of its games in the last three regular seasons was ready or willing to take part in.

"It took us some time because we tried to change (the offense) and I don't think it really (worked)," Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley told USA TODAY Sports. "We went fast, and I think we got a little bit out of control for everybody. We're still playing a little bit quicker, but when we get to our offensive sets, we're able to slow it down to a pace that's better for our bigs, and it's working.

"We knew that there were some plays from last year that we probably should keep. They're still working, so why not keep using them? They just hadn't been put in yet. We were going through a whole new set of plays, and I think it was just easier to just jump into something that we knew. ... After three or four games, we started to adjust and to get a little bit of old Grizzlies back in there."

First-year head coaches often are stubborn, insisting their system remain in good times and bad because of a fear for how it might look to admit that something didn't work. To Joerger's credit, he listened when some of the critics resided in his own locker room earlier this month.

"He has done a fantastic job of trying to have to change his mindset," Conley said. "I know he's learning, going through some bumps and bruises here and there from the learning curve of being a head coach. For being young and new, I think he's doing a pretty good job at it."

Even with Joerger at the helm, in other words, everything new is old again in Memphis.

"When we go back to the basics and start to play our game a little more, everything gets a little cleaner and looks more like the old Memphis," Grizzlies center Marc Gasol told USA TODAY Sports. "Ideally, that would be great to play at a 120-point pace (offensively), but with the team that we have it's a little tougher. We don't have as many weapons, as many different ways to score. Our constant thing is defense. That's how we win games."

Said forward Zach Randolph, to USA TODAY Sports: "It was definitely different (when Joerger took over). That's how it was at first, but then again every coach comes in and they want to put their own philosophy in and do their own thing, so you've got to understand that. It's like when new management comes in — they may change the coach, clear the house, fire people upstairs. So I understand what coach was doing. But he listened to us. He was open to it. We're still getting the ball up faster…and Mike (Conley) is still pushing us, so we're adapting to it."

True to form, the Grizzlies' defense has improved of late (105.5 points allowed per 100 possessions in the first eight games; 95.5 points allowed per 100 possessions in the last four games) while the offense has slowed (94.05 possessions per 48 minutes in the first eight games; a league-low 89.1 in the last four games). Overall, the Grizzlies are last in the league in possessions per 48 minutes (92.4) and playing only slightly faster than last season (91.1). Stats provided by NBA.com/stats.

"Less guys making decisions — as many decisions — with the basketball is better," Joerger explained. "You know, there was a little bit more freedom for guys in the preseason, kind of for us to try to help our offense long-term. So some guys were not used to playing that way.

"We're just doing a better job of hunkering in on the defensive end of the floor. We're not being so scattered. Secondly, I think our turnovers have come down a little bit. That helps us set our defense as well...The third (factor) would be (that) offensive execution has been better, which is a bizarre way to segue to your defense, but it is for us. For us to be clean offensively, get the shots where we know we're going to get them, helps us offensive rebound a little bit better and helps us get back on defense."

As Joerger knows all too well, making these Grizzlies even better than last season is a tall task.

"We had a tremendous season last year," he said. "It was kind of a perfect storm in a positive way, you know? So if you just accept that that is who we are, then the bar is set pretty high … It's certainly not easy. But on the flip side of it, it's probably not easy for anybody who has done it before."

Especially when Hollins' style seemed to work so well with this particular mixture of personalities.

"Lionel was a little bit more stern, but Joerger is a guy who had to learn that he has to be able to attack guys," Conley said. "And I think when he first came in, he kind of eased into it and let everybody get a feel for things. But as the season has gone on, he has been able to kind of attack guys. He's done it. He'll challenge guys. In practices, he's challenged our big guys, our starters. He has challenged me, challenged a lot of the guys who you would think, 'Oh, he doesn't really mess (with) them much. He's a veteran,' or whatever. But it's good for whole team to see (Joerger) go after one of the marquee guys. You kind of respect it that way."

It's early, of course, but Joerger is gaining more respect by the day.

"Obviously, it's tough," said small forward Mike Miller, who was a fan favorite from 2003 to 2008 in Memphis and whose return to the Grizzlies came after he was amnestied by the Miami Heat last summer. "This team and this city are accustomed to one style of basketball, a successful style of basketball. Going to the Western Conference Finals does that. But coach (Joerger) has done a great job.

"He has implemented some things that we want to get better, that he felt like could put us over the top. And sometimes, when you do that, you have to get aggressive and go a little more over the top than you want to to implement those things. Now we're finding that happy medium."

And the locals, for now, are happy again.