5/13/11: Z-Bo Drops 30, Memphis Stays Alive

^Photo of the playoffs?  I think so.  Z-Bo’s play was how you’d imagine it was having looked at that picture.  He came with a “we’re not gonna go down without a fight” intensity from the get go–getting into an early scuffle with Serge Ibaka really set the tone–and gave the Thunder the business down the stretch with a variety of jumpers and post moves.  He used exquisite footwork to create the space necessary to nail a couple mid-range buckets that extended Memphis’ two-point, early-fourth-quarter lead, and showed his soft touch around the basket with a couple of post moves and driving finishes.  He showed everything in his arsenal as he dropped his 12 fourth-quarter points in the 95-83 Grizz victory… it was really a breathtaking display of all-around talent, and how talent can overcome a disadvantage in the athleticism department.  I suppose that’s enough gushing; you may see for yourself…

 

Notice how Z-Bo established his presence early with the first three Grizzly buckets?  Well, his ability to do so was assisted by Lionel Hollins’ decision to start OJ Mayo.  Hollins started Mayo to help space the floor, allowing Randolph to play one-on-one.  Mayo stepped up and hit two of four threes (and 6-12 overall), and even as Randolph continuously schooled Nick Collison, the Thunder never went to a double-team.  I think Scott Brooks made a mistake by not sending another guy at him in the fourth (it was clear at that point that Randolph was in the zone, and Nick Collison wasn’t going to stop him).  Said Randolph on the decision to start Mayo: “It definitely made a difference. O.J. can knock down some shots from the outside. It opened up a little bit tonight in the paint. We had great spacing. They’ve got to guard our perimeters, Mike (Conley) and O.J., so it definitely did make a difference tonight.”

Props to Lionel Hollins for making an excellent adjustment.  The Grizzlies didn’t lead throughout this game, though.  Z-Bo got off to a quick start, but many of his teammates struggled early on, and they had fallen behind by seven by the time the first quarter’s six-minute timeout had rolled around.  They had caught a break moments earlier, though, as Kevin Durant (who was looking good early on) was called for a questionable offensive foul (the Grizzlies were called for an even more questionable one moments later, so don’t b!tch, Thunder fans) which landed him on the bench.  Russell Westbrook then clunked a jumper and turned the ball over in one of his many attempts to force the action, and Memphis had taken a five-point lead with three minutes left in the period behind three straight OJ Mayo buckets. 

The five-point lead didn’t last very long.  Russell Westbrook was able to repeatedly make his way to the rim throughout the second quarter, and the Grizz went through a few extended droughts.  That left them down 13 with halftime approaching… it wasn’t looking promising.  Getting down big like that in an elimination game is very dangerous, and that’s why you could argue that the shot of the game was hit at the halftime buzzer by Shane Battier…

“Boy, did the Grizzlies need that,” said Mike Breen… I couldn’t have said it any better myself.  They’d kind of lost that intense edge that Z-Bo seemed to have established early on, and they needed the shot of enthusiasm that this Battier bucket provided.  A 6-0 run to begin the third left them just four points back, and they’d take a four-point lead by the time it was over by doubling the Thunder’s 14 points in the period.  Kevin Durant was virtually silent in the third, and to be honest, he looked rather discouraged throughout the second half.  He didn’t make many aggressive attempts to get the ball (Shane Battier did a nice job denying it down the stretch, but KD could’ve worked harder), and when he did get it he settled for a shit-ton of long-range bombs (9 of his 14 shots were threes, he only made one).  He was kind of loafing around out there at times… almost as if he felt like there was no point in working to get open because he wouldn’t get the ball anyway.  I think he’s probably frustrated with Russell Westbrook and the way he’s been controlling the ball so much.  To me, this doesn’t say much for Scott Brooks.  Yeah, Westbrook dropped 27 on 50 percent from the field last night, but he also had five turnovers to four assists and failed to help get any of his teammates going, or do enough down the stretch to carry the team.  OKC only scored 29 points in the second half of this game.  They’ve got Kevin Durant, one of the coldest closers in the league.  Scott Brooks needs to tell Russell Westbrook to get him the damn ball at all costs when the team is sputtering like that.  Westbrook has had his moments in this series, even in this game, but he’s simply trying to do too much, and someone needs to let him know that he needs to slow his role.

Throughout this game, even when they struggled offensively, I felt like the Grizzlies wanted it more.  There were two instances where the ball was loose, and the Grizzly player dove on the floor for it while the Thunder player remained on his feet.  Maybe OKC thought Memphis was going to come out and lay down after they struggled to finish up the first half, because they certainly didn’t come with the attack necessary to take the game and close the series.  I have no idea why they would’ve thought Memphis would lay down, though… Memphis isn’t exactly the type of team that does that kind of thing… so I guess they just fell apart.

Before I wrap this up, I’d like to extend a massive F@CK YOU to the officials for negating this MONSTEROUS dunk by Darrell Arthur…

Was it the right call based on the rule book?  Maybe.  Was it the right call?  No.  You don’t eliminate a dunk like that to call an offensive foul.  It’s like an unwritten rule.  Memphis seemed to get the short end of the stick on a lot of calls in this game, but they won anyway so I won’t bother to elaborate. 

As for game seven?  All I have to say is that the Thunder better send multiple defenders at Z-Bo and tell Russell Westbrook to stop playing like the hometown hero in a local rec league game.  They could be in danger… this Memphis team isn’t going to give it away.

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