Ronald Martinez/NBAE/Getty Images – (That blurry guy in the bottom left is handsome – ed)
Between Games 2 and 3 of the Thunder’s Western Conference semifinal series against the Grizzlies, the Bulls, Hawks, Lakers and Mavericks all play twice. The Heat and Celtics share the same three-day layoff as Oklahoma City and Memphis. Three excruciatingly long days without Thunder basketball, and one day without any NBA basketball at all, is too much. And ridiculous.
The Oklahoman offered the NBA’s reasoning for the three-day layoff in its notebook Thursday, but it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. There was no game Thursday because the Spurs-Grizzlies series might have gone the full seven games? Well, what’s the excuse for Heat-Celtics then? In the NHL, where men are men and hockey players, like honey badgers, just don’t give a snot, the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins played Games 6 and 7 of their first-round series on back-to-back nights in different cities. That may be a little much, but the point remains the same. There’s no need for such a long layoff.
So seriously, NBA decision-makers: Enough is enough. This is all the more ridiculous when you consider that there’s only one day off in between games during the rest of the series. Sure, Thunder fans are a little bit more OK with this in light of Serge Ibaka’s ankle injury, but still. In any case, the layoff got me thinking about what else can take place in the 91 1/2 hours between the start of Games 2 and 3 of this series. Read more…
Commentary
Memphis Grizzlies, Playoffs
Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images
Seeing Chicago and the Lakers lose their first games at home had to make you feel at least a little better, didn’t it? No way the Bulls, Lakers and Thunder ALL lose their second-round series, right?
But it seems likely that at least one of the three will go down. Let’s just hope the Thunder isn’t that team.
In the first round, only the Lakers won their series after losing the first game at home while the Spurs and Magic couldn’t recover. That’s not a great recent sign for Oklahoma City, especially because it was Memphis that did in San Antonio. But it shows, as if you didn’t know already, that an opening loss at home is not necessarily a death knell.
If the Thunder has shown us anything this year, it’s that the team is resilient. The few back-to-back losses on the year provide some evidence, as does the stellar record in close games, the ability to go on a tear following a trade that sent away a popular teammate, late-season road wins in Miami and Los Angeles and particularly the Game 5 comeback. With the proper mindset, the Game 1 loss in this series could simply be viewed as an opportunity to rise (together … couldn’t help myself) to another challenge. Read more…
Commentary
Memphis Grizzlies, Playoffs
Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images
BOX SCORE
I really didn’t think there was any way the Thunder could win their 50th game (giving them a plus-27 win increase) and win it by nine, and it give me a slightly uneasy feeling.
Don’t get me wrong, this was what Oklahoma City needed. The Thunder snapped a two-game skid and a stretch they’d lost four of five by beating a quality Memphis squad 114-105, and did it by playing well in the last three minutes. Some momentum and some confidence has been built heading into the series with the Lakers. But the fact the Thunder struggled with some of the same issues that had gotten them into trouble this past week is what is bothersome. They gave up 56 points in the second half and executed poorly at times in late in the third and in the fourth. Again, they won. I’m happy. I’m actually thrilled. I mean, 50 wins! But if this game were an effort to right some of the wrongs from the last week, I think I’d give them a C-. Read more…
Recap
Memphis Grizzlies
vs. 
Memphis Grizzlies (40-41, 17-23 road) vs. OKC Thunder (49-31, 26-14 home)
TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 753)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 7:00 CDT
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 108.2 (13th), Grizzlies – 108.3 (12th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 104.5 (8th), Grizzlies – 109.8 (19th)
Pace: Thunder – 93.1 (12th), Grizzlies – 93.6 (10th)
View from the enemy: 3 Shades of Blue
Tonight, we will conclude the 2009-10 regular season. That’s it. It’s over. Hope ya’ll had fun. What’s that? There’s more basketball coming after tonight? Oh. WELL COOL. I just can’t get enough having to put “regular season” in front of everything saying this year is over. Because that implies you have more season left. That’s fun. Read more…
Preview
Memphis Grizzlies
Box Score – Advanced Box
It’s funny how all of the recent team success has just completely spoiled me as a Thunder fan. Last week we had a big win against Atlanta on the road and before that two seriously impressive one point losses against Dallas and San Antonio. Then a not that impressive, yet still a win matchup with Minny on the road. Tonight however the Thunder seemed like Monster truck stuck in the mud. Last year we would have taken some moral victory from a win over a team that was really hot and a few games over .500. Not now; moral victories are for last year.
The Thunder just never really felt to me like they “had” this game. There were 11 lead changes and a gazillion ties, yet I couldn’t ever get comfortable with the feeling that we were going to win. Who knows what that is all about, I just was hoping for more. I feel like our team is the better team. I can sort of quantify that with our efficiency differential but all that is just rhetoric since we just lost. I’m just hoping we don’t look back on this game when we are fighting for playoff seeding and go “man, if we could’ve just won that one back in January”. Ok, I know that’s probably not going to happen since we still get to play them a few more times, but still…you know what I mean. Read more…
Recap
Memphis Grizzlies
vs. 
Okla. City Thunder (24-18, 12-9 road) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (22-19, 15-5 home)
TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 753)
Stream: Click Here (Also, NBA League Pass is free right now!)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 7:00 CST
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 106.1 (20th), Grizzlies – 110.4 (6th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 103.2 (4th), Grizzlies – 110.3 (25th)
Pace: Thunder – 92.2 (18th), Grizzlies – 93.9 (8th)
View from the enemy: 3 Shades of Blue
It’s simple: Any games remaining against the Hornets, Jazz and Grizzlies are big. Very big. Not to say other remaining games aren’t large in size, but these are potentially the teams you’re going to be battling down the stretch for the final spot in the p-word. Already, the Thunder has two games up on Utah. They’re one down to NOLA. But here’s a chance to go two up on Memphis. Read more…
Preview
Memphis Grizzlies
A sweet road victory and three games over .500 baybeee!
Box score
Brian Davis made the point at the end of the broadcast that the last time this franchise was 3 games over .500 was in 2004. Just let that sink in for a minute. I watched nearly every game that season and most games since and I can tell you that there has been some very mediocre basketball, and at times some really terrible basketball in the old green and gold and now the Thunder blue. But that aside, how great was it tonight to see the team regroup in the fourth quarter and absolutely gut punch the Griz? I mean we flat out got ripped in the third period scoring and could only manage to score a measly 10 points. That same group came back in the fourth and got the run started before the starters (with the exception of Harden) put their foot on the gas and took us home.
The Thunder had complete control of this game for three quarters. What was weird was that the three quarters weren’t concurrent. We won the first, second and fourth and got smoked in the third? You would have thought that the Griz sort of figured things out and were getting the shots and the matchups they wanted and would take a close game to the final buzzer but that didn’t happen. The thing that stood out to me was the Griz having total domination in the paint in the third and the jumphots and every other kind of shot not falling for the Thunder all at the same time. Zach Randolph was busy being a rebound hound with 13 in the quarter and 20 total boards. Of course I couldn’t help noticing that he did have 11 Orebs and 13 missed shots….nice way to pad your stats.
But like a light switch being turned on the Thunder suddenly wrested control of the paint from the Griz. Krstic and Green just got absolutely tough as nails on Gasol and Randolph in the fourth. Also Brooks began to double team whoever had the ball in the post in the fourth. Usually it was Durant cheating over. His long arms are quite a weapon. That’s just good coaching there. They don’t win this game without taking back the paint. Read more…
Recap
Memphis Grizzlies
vs. 
Oklahoma City Thunder (11-9, 5-4 road) at Memphis Grizzlies (9-12, 6-3 home)
TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 753)
Stream: Click Here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 7:00 CST
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 105.4 (22nd), Grizzlies – 107.1 (16th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 102.6 (4th), Grizzlies – 111.5 (28th)
Pace: Thunder – 92.2 (19th), Grizzlies – 93.4 (11th)
View from the enemy: 3 Shades of Blue
Two weeks ago, you ask me about this game and I’m confident. I’m thinking this is one of those “should win” ballgames. I’m thinking the only reason Oklahoma City loses is because it was flat or uninspired.
But things changed. Memphis started playing good. So good in fact the Grizz just took down the Brons in overtime this week and now have won three straight. But that’s the thing with mediocre-to-good teams – you can win any game, but you can also lose any game. And it’s not like the Thunder are some pushover squad. Heck, as of today they’re a playoff group. So how does that do you? Read more…
Preview
Memphis Grizzlies
BOX SCORE
(AP Photo/Lance Murphey)
First off, it’s preseason. We all know this and much like the Summer League, it’s smart to keep things in perspective. But the Thunder played a competitive game tonight where score was kept so there are definitely things to take away from it. Of course, we didn’t get to watch but going off of Matt Pinto’s scintillating call and the box score, there are a few observations to be had. It’s always better to win than lose, but I think Scott Brooks was fine coming out on the bad end in order to get a little experience for his youngest guys.
I’m honestly just relieved we made it through this thing with everyone alive. After Dez Bryant being declared ineligible today, I wondered if this sports year was just cursed in Oklahoma. What was built up to maybe be the biggest year of sports ever in this state has now seen Sam Bradford get hurt, Jermaine Gresham get hurt, Ryan Broyles get hurt, OU lose two games, OSU unexpectedly lose to Houston and now Dez Bryant out for the season potentially. I honestly feared for Kevin Durant’s life tonight. One down. 88 more to go.
Guys that did good
He may not have scored a lot (five points on 0-4 shooting), by when you look at Russell Westbrook’s name in a box score and it says 10 assists and just two turnovers, you should celebrate like it’s 1999. If that’s a sign of things to come, then we’re going to be fine. And by fine, I mean pretty good. In Orlando, it looked like he had slowed down and begun to understand the game. And by all appearances tonight, that’s carrying over to this season. Read more…
Recap
Memphis Grizzlies
vs. 
Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies
TV: None : (
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)
Time: 7:00 CST
View from the enemy: 3 Shades of Blue
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. /satisfiedsigh
We have basketball again. Granted, it is the preseason and it doesn’t really matter, but alas, it’s nice to at least have something. Knowing I have a box score to look at makes me warm and fuzzy on the inside. Shame we don’t get to watch, but we’ll make do.
No sense in deconstructing anything that has to do with anything about this game because 1) It doesn’t matter 2) We don’t really know anything about these two squads yet 3) We don’t know who will be seeing most the playing time and 4) It doesn’t matter.
Injury update: Thabo Sefolosha didn’t travel with the team as he’s sitting out tonight’s game with a mild concussion. Allen Iverson isn’t playing because of a hamstring injury. We probably won’t see any Nick Collison. But good news, James Harden is set to play. Read more…
Preview
Memphis Grizzlies
