Last Sunday, Zach Randolph & Marc Gasol walked into a Burger King. Whatever combo they had, they must have been enjoying themselves. Okay, so they weren't exactly in a Burger King, but considering how they played (they combined for 54 points and 23 rebounds), they might have as well been in one; they had it their way.
Combined with an outstanding defensive effort and a +11 margin in turnovers, the Memphis Grizzlies went on to stun an impressive Thunder team and silenced an thunderous crowd at the Oklahoma City Arena. This is of course the first time that either franchise has advanced this far in the playoffs. Okay, not quite the case for OKC, who did advance to the 2nd round back in 2005 when the franchise was located in Seattle.
After a 5 year hiatus, Memphis are back in the playoffs for just the 4th time in franchise history. In 2004, the Grizzlies posted their first ever winning season and qualified for the playoffs, only to be swept 4-0 by the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. The Grizzlies have come full circle, dismissing the Spurs in the first round and shaking up the second round.
Not trying to be outdone, the Thunder rebounded to even the series in the 2nd game. The biggest difference of course came from the bench who scored 48 points, compared to 16 in their previous outing. Other factors came into play; such as Memphis committing 16 turnovers (7 more than their first game) and the Thunder big men - Ibaka, Collison & Perkins - working tirelessly, limiting Randolph & Gasol to a combined 28 points and 19 rebounds.
Regardless of the team you support, it's always a worrying trend whenever your point guard takes the most shots in the team. Westbrook, who is a viable scoring option besides Durant, has done just that. While he's 2nd on the team in points scored, it's his shot selection that sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. More often than not, he'll always take that hurried shot; damned if it goes in, damned if it doesn't.
He has the full-tilt, gunslinger approach and I can't tell you enough times just how glad I am that Eric Maynor is on the team. Maynor's job of course is to "right the ship" whenever things seem to be getting out of hand. He plays more like a traditional point guard; create plays for your teammates, take the shots when things break down. It's always nice to have a good point guard, but a good back up point guard is an invaluable resource.
As the series switches to Memphis, the Thunder need to take the same approach as they did in game two. Force turnovers, limit the points and paint. Memphis isn't know for it's perimeter play and making them to have to step up will be the key to the Thunder not only winning the next game, but the entire series.
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