- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- Rudy Gay went large against the Thunder.
A double-digit home win on Sunday against one of the reigning NBA Finalists, the Miami Heat, felt like a breakthrough, with a raft of national attention following in its wake. But this follow-up double-digit win over the the other reigning NBA Finalist felt like a confirmation: This year’s model of the Memphis Grizzlies is, until further notice, one of the very best teams in the NBA.
You could put a mild asterisk on the Heat win if you really wanted, based on Wayne Ellington’s career night. But there was nothing extraordinary about this one, unless you count Rudy Gay going head-to-head against one of the NBA’s two best players and coming away with something close to a draw. But Gay’s done that before. He did it on Sunday too.
Instead, this victory felt encouragingly ho-hum. Unlike most of the Thunder’s opponents so far this season, the Grizzlies got off to a slow start, struggling to get their new-and-improved offense in gear and escorting the Thunder to the foul line at the other end. But, as the game wore on, the Grizzlies’ — get this — superior overall talent wore the Thunder down, and the Grizzlies maintained a decent lead the whole second half.
