Mecker-Ecke » emieuex told Crosby... "You cant behave the way you

CHICAGO -- From the tough defence to the rugged rebounding and passing big men, the Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls are practically mirror images. Give this one to Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies, who clamped down on Joakim Noah and the Bulls in the final minutes. Gasol had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Memphis used its stout defence to beat Chicago 85-77 Friday night. "Our defence was pretty steady," Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said. "Thirty-nine in the first half, 38 in the second half. That was just solid for us. We kept them off the glass and theyre a good offensive rebounding team. We contested shots and we pressured guys." Mike Miller made four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points as the Grizzlies closed out a three-game road trip with their third victory in four games. Zach Randolph added 10 points and 11 rebounds after missing Wednesdays 103-94 loss at Brooklyn with the flu. Taj Gibsons rebound basket with 3:15 to go was Chicagos only score in the final 5:53 of the game. Mike Conley made two free throws to make it 83-77 with 2:14 remaining and Gasol closed out the scoring with a putback with 21.9 seconds left. "At times it was tough to score on both ends of the court, but they got second-chance shots and hustle plays and that won the game for them, I think," Gibson said. Gasol missed the Grizzlies 95-91 loss to the Bulls in Memphis on Dec. 30 due to a sprained left knee. But the leagues reigning Defensive Player of the Year made a difference in this one, blocking three shots and helping hold Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer in check. "I think especially in the second half we did a much better job of coming back and playing two sides of the floor and balancing when they swung the ball to the weak side, everybody moved," Gasol said. Gibson had 18 points for Chicago, which had won 10 of 12. Playing with a sprained right thumb, Noah finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but also had six of the Bulls 13 turnovers. The Bulls shot 41.3 per cent (31 for 75), compared to 44.9 per cent (35 for 78) for the Grizzlies. Gasol and Randolph also led Memphis to a 45-38 rebounding advantage. "The rebounding was the name of the game," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said. Memphis (35-26) and Chicago (34-28) have used similar approaches to contend for the playoffs despite some injury issues. Heading into the weekend, the Bulls were the NBAs second-best defensive team at 92.3 points per game, followed by the Grizzlies at 95.2. Memphis was averaging 95.7 points, good for 25th in the 30-team NBA, with Chicago last in the league at 93.3 per game. The Grizzlies and Bulls even had nearly identical records coming into the night. But due to the strength of their respective conferences, the Grizzlies were ninth in the West, one game out of a playoff spot, while the Bulls were fourth in the East. True to form, there were few open shots and the paint resembled a bumper-car ride for much of the night. "We came in with the mindset understanding that that team was going to be physical," Memphis guard Tony Allen said. "We knew that those guys were going to push, grab, scratch and claw. "We kind have got a similar game to that team so we just had the intensity, that playing hard, playing together mentality." Memphis led 15-12 after one, holding Chicago to 22 per cent shooting, but the Bulls started to heat up in the second quarter. D.J. Augustin scored 12 in the period and Noah had a late layup to help Chicago take a 39-35 advantage at the break. Augustin finished with 14 points, but Memphis reserves outscored their counterparts 39-32. Kosta Koufos had 12 points and six rebounds for the Grizzlies. NOTES: Asked at the morning shootaround about an ESPN.com report that he talked to New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony during the All-Star break about coming to Chicago, Noah responded: "You want me to address that? I dont feel like addressing it. I really have nothing to say about it." ... There was a pregame moment of silence for David Reinsdorf, the son of Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf who died Monday at age 51. The Bulls will wear a patch on their jerseys with David Reinsdorfs initials for the rest of the regular season. ... Conley finished with 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting. He also had seven assists and two steals. Glen Rice Jersey . Portland won Game 4 Sunday night at the Moda Center and are now up 3-1. The last time the Blazers won a playoff series came in the 2000 Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz. Larry Johnson Jersey . - Mike Magee converted two penalty kicks in a 10-minute span of the first half and the Chicago Fire beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday. http://www.hornetsteamproshop.com/Cheap-...Hornets-Jersey/. Messis father, Jorge Horacio Messi, is apparently still under investigation for an alleged 4 million euros ($5.3 million) in unpaid taxes from Messis image rights from 2007-09. Messis public relations firm confirmed Spanish media reports that the state prosecutor has asked for Messi to be dropped from the investigation that began in June 2013. Dwight Howard Jersey . Still, Milan remained five points behind city rival Inter Milan in the race for fifth place and the final Europa League berth, after Inter beat 10-man Parma 2-0. Meanwhile, Paul Pogba led the way as Juventus stayed on course for a third consecutive title with a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Bologna. Kemba Walker Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla.After the Penguins defeat in Game 6, it was reported that the teams principle owner and former captain, Mario Lemieux, came down to the locker room to calm the 26-year-old captain down. During their talk, Lemieux was reported to have discussed with Crosby how a captains erratic behaviour can negatively impact the team.Lemieuex told Crosby... "You cant behave the way you did at the end of the game, it gives off a bad vibe to your teammates, it gives off a vibe that might be portraying you in a negative light, especially when youre struggling."Lemieux followed that up with a statement that Crosby has most likely understood since the first time he stepped foot onto an NHL rink. "..star players just have to fight through things like this"Super Mario has been Sidney Crosbys mentor ever since the Penguins selected him first overall in 2005, and he certainly can empathize with the Penguins current captain on what it feels like when emotions get the best of a player during a heated contest.Theres no better example of Lemieux letting his emotions get the better of him than during this bout between him and then referee, Kerry Fraser. The incident started when Lemieux received a high-sticking penalty, and while he sat in the box Fraser skated over and shared a few words that sent the Penguins captain into an uncontrollable rage. Lemieux shot outt of the penalty box towards Fraser before being restrained by teammates and promptly sent to the dressing rooms with a game-misconduct penalty.ddddddddddddThe 1993-94 season was a trying one for Lemieux, just one year removed from announcing he had been diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma while also coming off of an off-season surgery to fix a herniated muscle in his back. The injury to his back caused Lemieux to miss fifty-eight games that season and his mounting frustration with his injuries began to show, especially in his incident with Fraser. There was another occurrence earlier in Lemieuxs career where he let his frustration boil over, one that would serve Crosby as a sobering reminder of what can happen when a star player picks a fight with the wrong guy. During a regular season game between the Capitals and Penguins, an irritated Lemieux engaged in a shoving match with Bob Gould that turned into a fist fight. The end result? A broken Jaw for Lemieux and a night spent at George Washington University Hospital.Crosby definitely already knows what it feels like to have a broken jaw, and were sure it wasnt too enjoyable. The last thing the Penguins need in Game 7 is their captain engaging in unnecessary fights. So, to Sid the Kid, it may be best to take Lemieuxs advice, as he certainly knows what happens when keeping it real goes wrong. Blackhawks Jerseys Store Cheap Wild Jerseys Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Penguins Jerseys Store Capitals Jerseys For Sale Blues Jerseys Store Cheap Kings Jerseys Adidas Lightning Jerseys Stars Jerseys For Sale Cheap Predators Jerseys Ducks Store Sharks Jerseys For Sale Cheap Sabres Jerseys Rangers Jerseys For Sale ' ' '