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Memphis Grizzlies – Fourth Quarter Defense Makes Up for Everything
The Memphis Grizzlies continued their dominance against the Portland Trail Blazers (playing without LaMarcus Aldridge) in a 98-92 road win thanks to perfect defense in the fourth quarter and an excellent performance from all five starters.
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Memphis Grizzlies – Mike Conley in an Almost Perfect Performance
When talking about the best point guards in the NBA, Mike Conley doesn’t get mentioned too often. But he belongs there, and his performance in the 95-87 win by the Memphis Grizzlies over the San Antonio Spurs justifies his inclusion.
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Grizzlies Over Blazers – Best in the West, For Now
The title for best team in the West and the NBA can change daily when it’s such a small margin. The Memphis Grizzlies take the crown, which includes having the best record, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 112-99 thanks to a dominant second quarter and great games for both Marc Gasol and Mike Conley.
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Grizzlies Over Thunder – Staying Undefeated is Easy Against Terrible Teams
The Memphis Grizzlies have been the best NBA team since Marc Gasol returned from his injury last season. He didn’t do a lot in the 91-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, who just might be the worst team in the NBA right now since there’s no Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to rely on.
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Grizzlies Over Thunder – The Right Kind of Basketball
In a game 2 that was a lot more like the previous postseason meetings between the two teams, the Memphis Grizzlies took home court advantage away from the Oklahoma City Thunder thanks to a 111-105 overtime win which included a huge game from both Zach Randolph and Mike Conley, while Kevin Durant going wild in the fourth quarter wasn’t enough for a team that simply doesn’t play the right way.
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Miami Heat – Couldn’t Hold On to Home Court Advantage
It’s not that surprising that the Miami Heat lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 107-102; it’s an acceptable road loss. However, the timing of it was awful, costing them the top spot in the Eastern conference, and all of the points LeBron James scored really didn’t make a difference.
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Indiana Pacers – Paul George Epitomizes Their Offensive Problems
Everything is about context, and although a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on the road isn’t the end of the world for the Indiana Pacers, they’re getting extremely worried about Paul George and this shooting slump of his, because it’s difficult enough for them to generate points without having to deal with their best player making all the wrong decisions on offense.
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Memphis Grizzlies – Beating Their Twin From the Windy City
There are quite a few similaraties between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Chicago Bulls, most of them having to do with the defensive foundation and the game revolving around a versatile big man in Marc Gasol or Joakim Noah. The second best team in the Western Conference since the beginning of 2014 turned out to be a bit too much for their Eastern counterparts.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant Can’t do This on His Own
The Memphis Grizzlies weren’t really able to slow down Kevin Durant, but they had no problem stopping the rest of the Oklahoma City Thudner players, as the return of Marc Gasol to the lineup bouyed them towards a 90-87 win.
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Memphis Grizzlies – Zach Randolph & Marc Gasol Were Overrated
For the first two series in the postseason, Zach Randolph was unstoppable in the post, while Marc Gasol justified his selection as the defensive player of the year, clogging the lane to any drives to the basket while operating at extreme efficiency on the offensive side. Then came the Western Conference Finals, and all the perceptions about the best big-man duo in the NBA were proven wrong.