Posts about Memphis Grizzlies

Heat and Grizzlies are conference finalists

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5-16

Halfway to the ultimate prize. That’s what the Heat and Grizzlies are thinking this morning after they took care of business and eliminated their opponents in 5 games. For Miami it’s just a step in the process, repeating as the champions was the clear goal from the beginning. Last night the Heat used a big 4th quarter to come from behind and eliminate the Bulls from the playoffs 4 games to 1. LeBron James, as usual, was the best player on the court last night (23pts, 7 reb, 8 ast) but it was Dwyane Wade’s spark in the 4th quarter that really fueled the Heat’s comeback. The Bulls actually played very well, leading for the entire 3rd quarter and at one point they had a double digit lead. For a a few minutes there, the Boozer and Robinson-led Bulls actually looked like they were going to send the series back to Chicago. But as the rest of the series showed, it was too big of a mountain for Chicago to climb. The effort wasn’t a problem. This Bulls team was too depleted but hats off to Chicago for making this such a great series to watch. For Miami it’s on to the eastern conference finals where they’ll be awaiting their next opponent. I have a feeling that Indiana takes care of business tonight and sets up a nice series against the Heat.

It’s been a hard past for this Grizzlies franchise. I remember when the Mavs used to always eliminate them in the first round back in the mid-2000s No more because for the first time in franchise history, the Grizzlies are in the western conference finals. The Grizzlies withstood a late rally by the Thunder to win on the road and takes the series 4-1 to move on to the west finals. Things got a bit shaky for Memphis there at the end of the game but the Thunder didn’t make the shots at the end (thought Durant’s last shot was in) to make the comeback complete. Kevin Durant did not play well, especially in the 4th quarter and when the chance to come up big for his team came around it was evident he didn’t have it. It’s really hard to carry your team for several games and the pressure increases exponentially during the postseason; Durant feeling the effects as the series went on. Z-Bo led the way for the Grizzlies with his “old man” basketball (24 pts, 14 reb) and despite some missed free throws late, he was the power behind the Memphis offense. Marc Gasol played great defense as always and what do you know, another big clutch shot by the best big man in the league. That’s what makes this team so scary for whoever their opponent in the west finals is. 

I don’t know what it was about last night but there were a ton of dunks. Big shout out to Tayshuan Prince for this dunk. Dunking on three Thunder players at once. I know i’m not the only one who hit rewind on their remote just to watch it again.

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Heat and Grizzlies win to take 3-1 series leads

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5-14

Both Miami and Memphis won deciding games last night but they both won their respective games in different manners. Miami completely dominated the Bulls while the Grizzlies mounted a comeback to edge out the Thunder in overtime. Am I the only one who has the slight feeling that these two teams will be meeting in the Finals? I’m getting ahead of myself. The Miami Heat have officially rounded back into their championship form. The Heat dominated pretty much every facet of the game against a depleted Bulls team that could no longer compete. Miami ended up winning the game 88-65 but the deciding quarter was clearly the 3rd as Chicago could only manage to score 9 points, a franchise playoff low. It’s simply too big of a task for this Bulls team to compete with the favorites to win it all, no matter how much effort is put into it. Nate Robinson was terrible (0-12 from the field) after starting the series with plenty of swagger and confidence. LeBron James on the other hand (27 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast) was great as he continued to play at MVP-level and looks like he’s completely in the zone. This series looks to be all but over as it heads back down to Miami for Wednesday night’s game.

It was surprising to see how well the Thunder started out in last night’s game, dominating the offensive side of the ball but it was coming from the supporting cast around Kevin Durant. The Thunder looked solid, leading the Grizzlies by as many as 17 points during the 2nd quarter. It was Memphis who played the better second half and overtime, frustrating Durant late in the game and forcing the Thunder into some costly turnovers to help the Grizzlies take a commanding lead in the series. The Thunder can certainly extend this series. They showed it last night during the first half how they can do so. Durant had a nice stat line (27 pts, 7 ast, 7 reb) with a clutch basket but it’s not that great considering what he’s done in other games since the Westbrook injury and the Grizzlies will certainly live with that. The Grizzlies will definitely live with Marc Gasol playing the way he did last night (23 pts, 11 reb, 6 blk) as he might have been angry with the fact that despite winning DPOY, Gasol wasn’t named part of the NBA’s All-Defensive first team. It’ll be interesting to see how the Thunder respond at home tomorrow night as their season is on the line while the Grizzlies look to strike the final blow and secure a spot in the conference finals.

If there’s a show worth staying up for, Inside the NBA is definitely one of them. It’s a shame that this show can’t be the main one covering the Finals. Anyways, here’s a video of them making fun of Wade’s choice of clothes:

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Knicks and Grizzlies both even up their series

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5-8

Nice to see that we’re going to have two series in each conference go at least 5 or 6 games. Or at least that’s what I think we’ll see with both series that evened up last night. The Knicks bounced back nicely, dominating the 4th quarter to win big over the Pacers and square the series at 1 as it heads back to Indiana. What in the world happened to the Pacers last night? The Knicks were the better team for most of the night but in the 3rd quarter, the Pacers climbed back into the game and eventually took the lead for the first time all game. It only lasted a few minutes as New York went on a 34-6 run to put the game out of reach late in the 4th quarter. It looked like the Knicks just turned it on and the Pacers had no idea how to respond. Melo was great in the second half, scoring 22 of his game-leading 32 points for New York. It was clear that the Knicks were the more desperate team, going down 0-2 in a series spells doom for a team but I was just a little surprised at how easily they handled the Pacers. It’ll be interesting to see how Indiana responds when the series heads back to their place because they plyed so much better in Indiana during the last series. There’s going to be so many Knicks fans in the crowd, I just know it. By the way, shout out to Iman Shumpert for this nasty putback dunk during the 2nd quarter.

How about those Memphis Grizzlies? Better yet, where did this Conley play come from? Mike Conley’s big game (near triple-double) was the difference last night as the Grizzlies took down the Thunder 99-93 to even the series at 1 a piece. Conley always had that “potential breakout game” stamp on him and last night (26 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast) he was in a pretty even fight with Durant for the best player on the court. Durant had the better stat line overall (36 pts, 11 reb, 9 ast) but unfortunately for KD, the Thunder rely on him too much down the stretch. I liked the way Memphis played defense on him during crunch time, double teaming him at all times and basically saying “Durant is not beating us tonight” while daring anyone else on OKC to step up. Memphis just looks like a better team most of the time, finding different players to step up at various times throughout the game. Once again the Gasol-Randolph combination down low was very difficult for OKC to defend. Unless Durant has some over-the-top game in Memphis, I could see the Grizzlies winning the next 3 in a row to move on to the conference finals.

How about the top 10 dunks in the first round:

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Second round of the NBA Playoffs gets underway

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5-6

First of all, was there any doubt that LeBron James was awarded the MVP trophy for this season? I was more surprised that someone actually gave Carmelo Anthony a first place vote. Was that you Moe? LeBron was one first-place vote shy of being the unanimous decision. Congrats to LeBron as he joins an elite cast (Russell, Wilt, Kareem and Jordan) as they only players who have been awarded most valuable player in the regular season at least four times in their careers. Now that it’s out of the way, the Heat can focus on the next round as they take on a depleted but very tough Bulls team. On to Sunday’s action:

Things got going in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder were trying to maintain their momentum, after taking care of Houston in 6 last Friday. I really thought Houston would push the series to 7 but Durant and the rest of the Thunder team had other plans. The Grizzlies were coming into town so everyone, including OKC, knew it was going to be a tough test. Memphis came out playing well, keeping the game within reach and actually looking like the better team after 3 quarters. It was simply too much Kevin Durant (35 pts, 15 reb, 6 ast) for Memphis to handle, especially down the stretch. The Grizzlies weren’t able to hold on to their double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and during the final minutes made a few mistakes when they could have closed the Thunder out. Durant hit a clutch shot (stemming from a Fisher steal) with 11.1 seconds left in the game and the lead stayed with OKC until the final buzzer went off. Usually I think the underdog has to steal game 1 in order to win the series but with Westbrook’s injury, these teams are much more evenly matched and I think Memphis has a shot to push it to the limit. Cut down on the little mistakes and leads won’t melt away like they did for the Grizzlies.

Things shifted out east for the second game, as the Knicks were playing their first second-round playoff game since 2000. Back when Moe actually had hair. The crowd was rockin’ from the start, there to fully support the home team but it was the Pacers who were the tougher team that afternoon. Indiana simply out-muscled and out-worked New York, winning the game 102-95 and stealing home court in the process. The Knicks were within a point late in the 2nd quarter but after that, it was all Pacers for the entire second half. Melo had a nice stat line (27 pts, 11 reb) but needed 28 shots to get those points, clearly frustrated because of foul trouble during the 3rd quarter. Roy Hibbert’s game didn’t reflect in his stat line (maybe the 5 blk) because he looked good inside, his presence was felt and outplayed Tyson Chandler for pretty much the entire game. I’m reluctant to say Indiana has a big upper hand in the series because of their inconsistencies against Atlanta last round but it seems like they’ve found a formula that gives the Knicks real trouble. The Knicks just need to play more efficiently because unless your team is on fire, jacking up shots isn’t the way to beat the Pacers.

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Nuggets force game 6; Grizzlies steal home court

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Blake Griffin, Marc Gasol

Both the Nuggets and Grizzlies played good basketball last night, winning game 5 of the series but for different reasons. The Grizzlies were trying to break a tie along with “home team will win” trend that their series against the Clippers had become. The Nuggets were trying recover home court advantage with their backs against the wall, facing elimination against the Warriors. The Nuggets never trailed during the game, defending the Warriors well by limiting their shooters and taking the victory 107-100 to stay alive and extend the series. The first half was completely Denver’s game, going up by as many as 22 points and limiting Stephen Curry along with the rest of the Warriors shooters. There was a bit of controversy in regards to the plays Denver defenders were making, particularly on certain screens made on Curry. Warriors coach Mark Jackson wasn’t happy about it at all, accusing the Nuggets of playing dirty during his post game comments. The Nuggets did play the Warriors with a physical style, never letting Andrew Bogut or any other Golden State player be effective in the paint. Was it dirty play? I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. I think it’s a little silly when analysts say “that’s just playoff basketball!” but it’s true that when the postseason comes around, things get a little more testy.

Speaking of physical play, the Grizzlies looked really good last night. Zach Randolph led the way for Memphis, taking down the Clippers 103-93, as they took home court in the series by winning a huge game 5. I can’t remember the exact percentage but when a series is tied 2-2, the game 5 winner will most likely win the series. The percentage is somewhere in the 80s if I remember correctly. The Clippers were definitely hobbled, especially Blake Griffin, who injured his ankle during a Clippers’ practice the day before. Griffin never looked right during the entire first half before eventually leaving the game during the 3rd quarter, never returning. The result was that Clippers had to rotate their big men, never finding a good rotation to counter the Grizzlies’ tough play. Even with Marc Gasol in foul trouble, it was too much Z-Bo for any defender to handle. Chris Paul played great in terms of scoring (35 points) but with only 6 assists, it was obvious that Paul didn’t have the help support that he needed. The Clippers did have a couple small-ball line ups that seemed to work but it was simply too little, too late. Now the series heads back to an elimination game in Memphis.

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The Heat streak, Kobe’s injury and previewing the weekend in the NBA

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3-15

So it’s up to 20 for LeBron James and the rest of the South Beach gang as they head into Milwaukee tonight. Believe it or not, the Bucks have had the Heat’s number so far this season. Last time the Heat were in town (Jan 29th) the Bucks took the victory by a pretty good margin. Also, don’t forget that when the Bucks were in Miami, the Heat needed OT to win the game. It’s just a matter of the Bucks matching up well against the Heat with their own young and athletic players. What’s on the line tonight for the Heat? Well, for starters if Miami is able to take the victory, their win streak will officially be in third place in the all time ranks and only 1 game behind a tie for second place (set by Houston a few years ago) at 22 games. By the way the standings look right now these two teams have a very strong possibility of facing each other in the first round of the playoffs. If there’s any chance for the Bucks to upset the Heat when it comes to the playoffs, some sort of confidence needs to be established during the regular season. The Heat are playing as well as any team ever but this Bucks team can certainly push them to the edge so keep a close eye on this. Why doesn’t the NBA just nationally broadcast every Heat game from now until their next loss?

Out west, Bryan and his Lakers fanbase continue to be up in arms after Kobe suffered a pretty bad ankle injury on a last second shot attempt a couple of days ago in Atlanta. The injury took some of the headlines but a bulk of the attention was spent analyzing whether or not the play was “dirty” and if the referee should have called a foul. Hawks’ guard Dahntay Jones was defending Bryant and even though his demeanor didn’t seem malicious, Jones certainly took plenty of heat following the play. Jones played for the Mavs and I never got a hint of him being dirty but I do agree that a foul is the right call there. It’s very Bruce Bowen-ish so whether or not it’s a dirty play depends on an person’s opinion. As of this afternoon, Kobe is a game time decision but even if he does play one has to assume that he’s not going to be 100%, even with Kobe being such a warrior. The Lakers are fighting to keep the final spot in the playoffs so it’ll be interesting to see how coach D’Antoni adjusts the offense without it’s leader at full capacity when they visit the Pacers tonight.

There are plenty of games this weekend that don’t include the Heat or Lakers and two good ones tonight start a little later but they’re certainly worth checking out. The Grizzilies are in Denver tonight to face the Nuggets in a battle of two playoff teams that play very different styles. The Bulls just suffered a terrible defeat to the Kings on Wednesday so it’ll be interesting to see how Chicago bounces back as they visit the Warriors and their high powered offense. Saturday isn’t as exciting but both the Pacers-76ers and Grizzlies-Jazz games (both on NBA TV) have playoff implications in their respective conferences. Sundays always feature good games as Miami’s streak might still be going in Toronto, the Knicks visit the Clippers (ABC 3:30 ET) in the premier game, Warriors visit the Rockets and my Mavs try to keep their playoff hopes alive as Durant and OKC come into town.

Lots of action and plenty of headlines this weekend in the NBA!

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Wizards finally win; Rondo fights Kris Humphries and other headlines around the NBA

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It’s only been a few weeks of NBA basketball but the Wizards were already beginning to be the butt of jokes around the league, starting at a horrendous 0-12 but they finally broke that streak as they got their first victory in a close game last night over the Trailblazers 84-82. My favorite pun about the Wizards being win-less was their name change to the “Lizards” because you know, their team only has Ls. Anyways, now that the Wizards have finally got their first victory the bigger question is, when will their NEXT win come? They have a few tough games in a row (at Knicks, Heat, at Hawks, Warriors) but then they go to New Orleans who still might be without their rookie sensation Anthony Davis. If the Wizards aren’t able to win that game, they’re looking at another tough stretch and it won’t be until the 3rd week of December until they face an opponent that they can compete against. Of course this is professional basketball and upsets do happen throughout the season but 1-21 is a really possibility for these Wizards. Keep an eye out for that.

The Brooklyn Nets were in Boston last night, taking on the Celtics in what could be seen as two of a few teams that can take down the Heat in the eastern conference. The game started out with some good basketball, both teams playing well but the Nets began to pull away in the second as just as the Celtics began to cut into the lead a fight/skirmish occurred between PG Rajon Rondo and F Kris Humphries. The incident occurred after Celtics forward Kevin Garnett took a hard from Humphries and Rondo (right next to the play under the basket) wasn’t too fond of the foul so he basically tried to retaliate in defense of his teammate. Were Rondo’s actions uncalled for? Yes and no. It was ok that he stood up for his teammate but Rondo was too aggressive and it resulted in himself and Humphries being ejected. Anyone who has played sports knows that sometimes in the heat of battle, tempers flare but this was an important game for Rondo as his assist streak was on the line. A little less emotional next time Rondo. Gerald Wallace of the Nets was a little too aggressive while trying to break up the fight so he also earned an ejection from the referees. Also, Paul Pierce got his ankles broken by Joe Johnson during the 4th quarter.

James Harden returned to OKC for the first time since the trade to the Rockets but his return was spoiled pretty quickly by the Thunders’ defense and Durant’s 37 points. Not only did Harden shoot bad (3-16) but he also had six of his shots blocked by his former team. While other teams seem to be taking the spotlight early this season (Knicks, Lakers, Nets etc.) i’m not surprised to see the Heat cruising along where they left off last season. This is their title to lose so we’ll see how other teams respond because when the Heat are next on a team’s schedule, it’s the biggest test of the season. The Heat are the best team so far, followed closely by three powerhouses in the western conference (Grizzlies, Spurs, Thunder) and my fifth best team is…the Brooklyn Nets. Don’t get mad at me Moe, I know your Knicks are doing well to start the season but i’m going to wait until Stoudemire’s return and see how that goes before I include them in the NBA’s elite.

Quick reminder: NFL action tonight as the Saints visit the Falcons. If you’re not feeling that game there two good NBA games tonight as well (Spurs at Heat; Nuggets at Warriors) so there’s plenty to watch tonight for sports fans. Enjoy!

Here’s the fight:

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