The Grizzlies started their second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder the same way they started their first-round series with the San Antonio Spurs: By stealing Game 1 on the road — and home-court advantage along with it.
And they did it in much the same way: By riding their Big Trains — the frontcourt tandem of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. In Game 1 against the Spurs, the Randolph/Gasol combo notched 49 points on 19-25 shooting, with 23 rebounds. Today in Oklahoma City: 54 points on 21-33 shooting, with another 23 boards.
But the comparisons end there.
This was a more surprising win: The Grizzlies had been looking for the Spurs for at least a week and had clear, significant match-up advantages in the paint. With the Spurs’ best player, Manu Ginobili, out for the first game, the Grizzlies were well positioned to open the series with an upset.
This time, the NBA schedule-makers had put the team at an apparent disadvantage: Despite being the final team to advance from the first round, the Grizzlies were scheduled in the first of the second-round games. Roughly 36 hours after leaving FedExForum following an emotional series clincher against the Spurs, the Grizzlies tipped off in Oklahoma City — with very little prep time — against a Thunder team rested and waiting for them. It was a recipe for a letdown — mental exhaustion would have been understandable, even expected.
