Memphis, Tn – Following the most successful season in franchise history, the Memphis Grizzlies will tip-off their 11th season in Memphis (17th overall) with two rematches against Western Conference Playoff opponents. Fans who believed in the Grizzlies during last season’s NBA Playoffs can relive the team’s first-round upset of the San Antonio Spurs and the thrilling, seven-game semifinals series with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Memphis will open it’s 66-game regular season in San Antonio on Monday, Dec. 26 at 7:30 p.m. (all times Central) at the AT&T Center, followed the home opener against Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. at FedExForum.

Memphis will be featured on national television a franchise-record 10 times this season (three on ESPN, two on TNT, five on NBA TV), including the 10th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Game against the Chicago Bulls on ESPN on Monday, Jan. 16 at Noon at FedExForum. The Grizzlies also are slated for nationally-televised home tilts with the New York Knicks on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. on TNT and the Utah Jazz on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Starting with the home opener versus Oklahoma City, Memphis will play seven of its first 12 contests at FedExForum, including a four-game home stand (Jan. 10-16) which will feature the return of the Thunder on Tuesday, Jan. 10, the New York Knicks’ only visit to the Bluff City on Thursday, Jan. 12 and the MLK Jr. Day Game on Jan. 16 against Chicago. This marks the second consecutive year and third in the past five that Memphis will host Chicago in the MLK Jr. Day Game.

The Grizzlies will welcome the reigning NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks to Memphis twice this season, on Wednesday, Feb. 29 and then on Saturday, April 7. FedExForum will also host several other marquee matchups throughout the season, including when the Los Angeles Lakers (March 13) and the Los Angeles Clippers (April 9) make their only visits to Memphis. The Grizzlies will close out the regular season with a Fan Appreciation Night home finale versus the Orlando Magic on Thursday, April 26.

The Grizzlies will also play host to two back-to-back home series this season. The first will feature two Western Conference Playoff teams from last year, the Spurs (Jan. 30) and Denver Nuggets (Jan. 31). The second will include the return of the Nuggets (Feb. 17) and the Golden State Warriors (Feb. 18). In their only back-to-back-to-back series this season, the Grizzlies will travel to take on Oklahoma City (April 2), return home to play Golden State (April 3) and hit the road again to face Dallas (April 4).

Overall, the Grizzlies will play 13 of their 33 home games on weekends – including seven games on Saturday, four on Friday and two on Sunday – and have 20 back-to-back sets, one shy of last season’s total. Memphis will enjoy a season-long five-game home stand from Feb. 6-14 (the club’s longest since Dec. 12-22, 2008) and will play a season-high four consecutive road games twice in the upcoming season (Jan. 23-28, March 20-25).

The 2011-12 regular season local broadcast schedule will be released at a later date.
 

Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said earlier this week that there was no timetable for hiring two assistant coaches.

But he’s wasted little time since the lockout ended.

Hollins will add veteran coach Bob Thornton and up-and-coming NBA assistant Lloyd Pierce to his staff, according to a source.

Thornton and Pierce will replace Johnny Davis and Damon Stoudamire, both of whom left for other coaching jobs during the offseason.

Thornton, 49, will work with the Grizzlies’ power forwards and centers. He’s 6-10 and played in the NBA for eight seasons. Thornton also coached for Chicago and Minnesota, and in the minor leagues.

Pierce, 35, worked for Golden State last season after spending three years as a player development coach in Cleveland. Pierce essentially will assume the role Stoudamire vacated: being a liaison for the players and Hollins as well as aiding individual skill development.

Thornton and Pierce are expected to join the staff Monday.

The Grizzlies are scheduled to open training camp Friday.

NBA timetable

Tuesday: League to announce 66-game schedule.

Friday: Expected opening of free agency and training camps.

Dec. 16: Grizzlies play 7 p.m. exhibition game vs. New Orleans at FedExForum.

Dec. 21: Grizzlies play 7 p.m. exhibition game at New Orleans.

Dec. 25: Regular season opens with five games.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Grizzlies 2011 preseason schedule, released Thursday by the NBA, is highlighted by a nationally televised matchup with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, which tips off TNT’s coverage of the 2011 preseason on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. at FedExForum.

The Grizzlies will open the 2011 preseason on the road against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 9 before hosting the Charlotte Bobcats on Oct. 11 to tip-off a four-game homestand at FedExForum. The homestand, which accounts for all four of the Grizzlies preseason home games, also features contests against the Milwaukee Bucks (Oct. 13), Golden State Warriors (Oct. 15) and the Heat (Oct. 20).

Memphis will close its eight-game preseason slate on the road against the Washington Wizards (Oct. 22), Indiana Pacers (Oct. 25) and Bobcats (Oct. 27) in preparation for the teams Nov. 2 regular season opener at the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Grizzlies enter the 2011 exhibition slate with a nine-game preseason winning streak following a perfect 8-0 mark in 2010. The Grizzlies preseason success foreshadowed a memorable 2010-11 campaign that saw Memphis return to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and secure a first-round upset over the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs before falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a thrilling seven-game series.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 2011 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
(All times Central)
Sun., Oct. 9 at Orlando Amway Center 5 p.m.
Tues., Oct. 11 vs. Charlotte FedExForum 7 p.m.
Thurs., Oct. 13 vs. Milwaukee FedExForum 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 15 vs. Golden State FedExForum 7 p.m.
Thurs., Oct. 20 vs. Miami FedExForum 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 22 at Washington TBD TBD
Tues., Oct. 25 at Indiana Conseco Fieldhouse 6 p.m.
Thurs., Oct. 27 at Charlotte Time Warner Cable Arena 9:30 a.m.