Tim Duncan did not have a happy 35th birthday. Not only was he out-played for the third time in four games by the young Gasol brother, his Spurs fell into a hole that only eight teams have ever managed to climb out of. Timmy struggled his way to just six points and seven boards, and San Antonio will return home for game five facing elimination. Memphis beat the Spurs again last night, and they beat them easily this time; 104-86. Tony Parker, who hasn’t played well in the series, got off to a great start (7-7, 19 points in the first half), but he only had the Spurs up two at the half. He then cooled off (finished the game with 23), and Memphis came out of the lockerroom on a tear… a 14-0 tear, to be specific. The run was capped by a Sam Young slam, and the crowd went absolutely apesh!t. TP, Manu, and Duncan would briefly step up and go on an 11-4 run that made it a five-point game… but that was all she wrote. Those three combined for just two buckets over the rest of the game, Memphis had it back to double figures by the end of the quarter, and Darrell Arthur slammed the lid shut with one of the best highlights of the playoffs thus far…
Damn, he f@ckin’ booked it from rim to rim! That’s how you run the court, folks… and that’s also how you make an impact off the bench. Darrell brought that energy all night long with his 14 points on 7-10, leading a Memphis bench attack that put up 49 points. It was a beautiful team effort by the Grizzlies… they had nine players contribute eight or more points. They did an excellent job of forcing turnovers; 17 of them that resulted in 20 points. Basically, they came out in the second half and took this game from the Spurs. They simply appear to want it more, and it looks like they’re gonna get it. Like I said, only eight teams have ever come back from down 3-1. I don’t think this banged up Spurs team is going to become the 9th. I know I predicted that San Antonio would take the series, but I’m just going to start to eat my crow in advance. Anybody got a fork?
Oh, I almost forgot to mention this–anyone else notice how well Memphis is passing the ball right now?
They’re dishing an average of 22.7 dimes per game in their three victories in the series, and even in the loss they had 17 while shooting under 40 percent. They’ve had so many plays like the one I posted above where a wing player cuts to the basket and a big man hits him in stride for a layup/dunk. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph have combined for six assists in all three victories, and they had five in the loss. They’ve been able to pick the Spurs apart with their interior passing, which has been really fun to watch, especially because Memphis has all of these athletic finishers like Mayo, Allen, Young, etc.
Last thing for this game: Tiago Splitter looked half decent in this game. He came up one board short of a double-double (10/9), and he was probably SA’s second-best player throughout the game. I just wanted to make note of that because he hasn’t done a damn thing all season long… a season during which he was supposed to show us something.
For the first time this season, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant scored 30 a piece in an OKC loss (previously 6-0). They needed 48 shots to earn their 61 points (Westbrook took 30 shots for 30 points), and no one else really stepped up (Ibaaka had 13/14, no one else in double figures), so Denver was able to avoid being swept even though they still didn’t play all that well. The Nuggets shot sub-40 percent… again. They clunked their freethrows… again… but a little defense and three-point shooting helped ‘em eek out a 104-101 W. Denver knocked down nine threes, three of which came courtesy of JR Smith (Nuggets need more of this from him if they want to win another game), and forced 15 turnovers that resulted in 16 points. Ty Lawson led the way with 27 points, and in typical Nugget fashion, five other guys also made it to double figures.
I was honestly surprised by the effort Denver brought last night… they didn’t play as if they’re ready to go fishing, even though there have been indications (JR Smith’s comments, their play in game two) that they’re ready. Yeah, it’s pretty much inevitable at this point, but it was nice to see ‘em get one win for the home fans. They came into the postseason looking so promising, but as they have been prone to for years now, they seem to have fallen apart mentally. Hell, they almost blew it last night by missing four freethrows in the final three minutes. The freethrow shooting isn’t even what I’m getting at though… it’s like these guys have had two personalities ever since ’09. They can play inspired, hard-nosed, team basketball and look like one of the league’s premier teams, but then something goes wrong and they look like the AI/Melo team… one on one, no defense, mental mistakes, emotional decisions… they just aren’t a very smart or composed basketball team, and I feel like that has now cost them in a pair of series that they very well could’ve won (WCF vs Lakers being the other one). Ah, composure! That’s the word I’m looking for here. Denver lacks composure, and I feel like they allowed that uncalled goaltend in game one to do them in. As much as I love Kenyon Martin, I suppose this is the type of team that you’d imagine him captaining. The Nuggets seem to have a bunch of emotional dudes who would be better off splitting up and joining teams with cool-headed veterans who could help them keep their heads on straight. For example, I’d love to see K-Mart sign in Boston during the offseason. I feel like he’d be perfect for a team with great structure and leadership. I think JR Smith could also do himself a favor by trying to join the same type of squad.
The only part of the Blazer game I saw was the third quarter, and I didn’t see all of that… I just switched to it during commercials in the Memphis game. The third quarter happened to be the one where Dallas turned a one-point lead into 14, which discouraged me enough to watch somethin’ else. I payed attention to the box score as I kept the other games on in case of another heroic comeback, but there would be none. The Mavs stretched it out to as large a lead as 22, and Brandon Roy was nowhere to be found (2-7 for five points). I’m officially convinced, no one will win on the road in this series. Dallas in seven. Anyway, Tyson “Contract Year” Chandler scored 14 points and grabbed 20 boards (13 of them offensive), Dirk dropped a game-high 25, and Jason Terry kicked in 20 off the pine. Tyson Chandler is going to get PAID this summer, and I don’t think whoever signs him is going to get their money’s worth. This is a dude who has never been able to produce up to standard without a great PG setting him up… a dude who averages about 8/8 for his career. I’m not saying he sucks–he’s a solid starting center–but I have a funny feeling someone’s gonna pay him like an All-Star (which he will never be) and find themselves trying to sell him as an expiring contract a few years down the road.
Hey, LaMarcus Aldridge, where’d ya go, son? LaMarcus began the series with a 27-point banger, followed that up with 24 more, slipped down to 20 (on 21 shots) in game three, dropped just 18 in game four, and scored a measely 12 points (on 15 shots) last night. I take back what I said about no one winning on the road: if this pattern continues and LaMarcus scores fewer than 10 in game six, all you Portlanders can start baiting your hooks, because the Blazers aren’t gonna win. I figure he’ll break out of this slump and you guys will stick around for one more game before your fishing trip, though.
Before I wrap this thing up, I’ve got to break out the Swag-O-Meter, because Tony Allen decided to break out… this:
I’m a huge Tony Allen fan, and I dig the idea, but the execution here leaves a lot to be desired. A LOT to be desired. First of all, who’s fruitcake idea was it to make the eyes out of that sparkly sh!t? That was the predominant fail. Secondly, the damn thing is crooked. Thirdly, what the hell is the white outline all about? It looks like a not-so-artistic fifth grader used his dome as a chalk board.
Allen did make one good decision in this whole process: he “talked to some of his advisors” and shaved the mess off before the game started last night. “But I left da ears doe,” he said. Yikes.
Official –Swag-O-Meter– Rating:
1/5
