- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- Zach Randolph vs. Nick Collison could be a key match-up in the series.
With the barely-a-day break between the end of the first-round series with the Los Angeles Clippers and the start of Sunday’s second-round series with the Oklahoma City Thunder happening to coincide with a day of solo parenting for me, there wasn’t much time to research this Thunder-Grizzlies playoff rematch. (Grizzlies Playoffs: Revenge Tour 2013)
But I did manage to scribble out 10 quick takes on what lies ahead. This time I’m blaming any typos, tortured sentence constructions, or other deficiencies on David Stern:
1. Schedule: Only the first three games have been announced by the league so far:
Game 1: Noon, Sunday, Oklahoma City (ABC)
Game 2: 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oklahoma City (TNT)
Game 3: 4 p.m., Saturday, Memphis (ESPN)
2. There’s Some History Here: Past results aren’t going to be much guarantee of future performance in this series, not with first James Harden, and then Rudy Gay, and now Russell Westbrook all out of the mix. But the Thunder probably figure more prominently in recent Griz lore than any other team. Over the past three seasons, these teams have battled to a 9-9 draw across three season series and a seven-game playoff battle. Four of those 18 games went to overtime and homecourt hasn’t been an overwhelming factor, with each team winning several times on the opponent’s floor.
The Thunder were witness to Tony Allen’s breakout game for the Grizzlies. They were the backdrop to The Birth of Grit and Grind. The postseason series in 2011 included that triple-overtime home heartbreaker. This season’s three-game series was highly eventful, from the Gasol/Perkins/Randolph Incident, to the Grizzlies demoralizing-in-the-moment first game after the Rudy Gay trade, to Marc Gasol’s overtime tip-in.
We can only hope the next four-to-seven games between these small-market rivals will be as intense and memorable.
3. Grizzlies First Round Notes: The Grizzlies exit their first-round series having settled on a eight-man rotation — starters backed by Jerryd Bayless, Quincy Pondexter, and Darrell Arthur. Keyon Dooling got spot minutes as a back-up point guard when he was healthy and Ed Davis started out in a similar frontcourt role before falling out of the rotation entirely.
Zach Randolph played his best basketball in two years. Marc Gasol was solid on both ends. Mike Conley continued his ascent. Tony Allen rebounded like a beast and scored efficiently. Tayshaun Prince and Quincy Pondexter’s shots came and went, but their defense and all-around team play was mostly a plus through.
