The Grizzlies only shot 37% from the floor last night, but they held the Thunder to 36.9% from the floor and it helped them win last night as they were awesome defensively.  Zach Randolph led the way for the Grizzlies last night with 28 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.  Mike Conley (13 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists and 2 steals), Tony Allen (11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals) and Marc Gasol (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots) also had solid games last night.  The Grizzlies defeated the Thunder in five games, which was very impressive.  They await either the San Antonio Spurs or the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

The Grizzlies outscored the Thunder 9-3 in overtime last night to put them away.  Mike Conley (24 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals), Zach Randolph (23 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 blocked shot) and Marc Gasol (23 points, 11 rebounds and 6 blocked shots) led the way for the Grizzlies last night.  Tony Allen pitched in with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals off the bench.  The Grizzlies are now up 3-1 in this series.

The Grizzlies turned up the D last night as they held the Thunder to a paltry 36.4% shooting from the floor.  Marc Gasol led the way for the Grizzlies with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots.  Mike Conley (14 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot) and Tony Allen (14 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals) also had solid games for the Grizzlies.  Jerryd Bayless (11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Zach Randolph (8 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists) also pitched in for the Grizzlies.  The Grizzlies are now up 2-1 in this series.

The Grizzlies outscored the Thunder 30-19 in the 4th quarter to put them away in Oklahoma City last night.  They also out-rebounded the Thunder 43-35 last night.  Mike Conley led the way for the Grizzlies with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists and 1 steal.  Marc Gasol also had a rock solid game with 24 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot.  Zach Randolph (15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Tony Allen (12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 5 steals in 23 minutes off the bench) also pitched in for the Grizzlies.  The Grizzlies and Thunder are tied up at one game apiece as the series shifts to Memphis for the next two games.

The Grizzlies were outscored 29-18 in the 4th quarter yesterday, but they still had a shot to get to O.T. as Quincy Pondexter was at the free throw line with around 2 seconds left in the game shooting three free throws with his team down three points.  He only made 1 of the three free throws (he missed the last one on purpose).  This was a hard loss for the Grizzlies as they outplayed the Thunder for most of the game and still lost.  Marc Gasol (20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots) and Zach Randolph (18 points, 10 rebounds and 1 assist) led the way for the Grizzlies yesterday.  Mike Conley (13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 25 minutes) and Jerryd Bayless (10 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist in 20 minutes) also pitched in for the Grizzlies in this game.  The Grizzlies are now down 1-0 in this series.

The Memphis Grizzlies come into this series red hot after winning four in a row to knock out the Clippers.  The Thunder stumble into this series without Russell Westbrook (knee surgery) and it will be a huge blow to them at some point in the playoffs (maybe in this series).  Here is a look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD:  Reggie Jackson has done an outstanding job of filling in for Russell Westbrook (knee surgery) and the Thunder need that to continue against the Grizzlies.  Jackson played in 6 games (4 starts) for the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs and he is averaging 30.0 minutes, 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.  The Thunder really need points from Reggie Jackson to support Kevin Durant in this series.

Mike Conley has been on fire in the playoffs for the Grizzlies so far (at least offensively).  He played in 6 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 36.2 minutes, 17.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  Conley has now played in 26 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 38.5 minutes, 15.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

EDGE:  GRIZZLIES

SHOOTING GUARD:  Thabo Sefolosha is a defensive stopper.  He played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 32.0 minutes, 6.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  He has now played in 58 games (49 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 20.8 minutes, 4.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Tony Allen, like Sefolosha, is a defensive player first.  He played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 29.5 minutes, 12.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game.  Allen has now played in 82 games (29 starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 15.9 minutes, 4.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

EDGE:  SLIGHT FOR GRIZZLIES

SMALL FORWARD:  Kevin Durant might be the best player on the planet Earth right now (sorry LeBron).  He has been carrying his team offensively without Russell Westbrook.  Durant played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 42.7 minutes, 32.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocked shot per game.  He has now played in 49 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 41.8 minutes, 28.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  The Thunder are going to need Durant to be outstanding in this series for them to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Tayshaun Prince’s game is built on defense and he’s going to have his hands full with Kevin Durant.  Prince played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 35.5 minutes, 8.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.  Prince has now played in 124 games (112 starts) in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 37.3 minutes, 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

EDGE:  GIGANTIC FOR THE THUNDER

POWER FORWARD:  Serge Ibaka has really stepped up this year for the Thunder and they need him to keep up the good work in this series.  Ibaka played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 31.3 minutes, 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 3.0 blocked shots per game.  Ibaka has now played in 49 games (43 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 28.6 minutes, 9.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 2.9 blocked shots per game.

Zach Randolph is playing really solid basketball right now and he can take over games down low.  He played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he is averaging 33.7 minutes, 20.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.  Randolph has now played in 34 games (30 starts) in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 34.4 minutes, 17.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

EDGE:  SLIGHT FOR THE GRIZZLIES

CENTER:  The Thunder are going to need Kendrick Perkins to play good defense and rebound in this series.  He played in 6 games (all starts) for the Thunder so far in the playoffs this year and he is averaging 15.5 minutes, 2.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Perkins has now played in 111 games (105 starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 25.5 minutes, 5.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.

Marc Gasol is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the NBA, but he is also a very good player at the other end of the court.  Gasol played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 39.0 minutes, 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game.  Gasol has now played in 26 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 39.0 minutes, 15.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game.

EDGE:  HUGE FOR THE GRIZZLIES

BENCH:  Due to injuries, the Thunder don’t have a very deep bench.  SG Kevin Martin is the guy who brings offensive firepower off the bench for the Thunder.  Martin played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 28.8 minutes, 13.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Martin has now played in 12 games (1 start) so far in his career in the playoffs and he is averaging 30.8 minutes, 13.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  Point guard Derek Fisher is ancient, but battle tested.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he is averaging 21.2 minutes, 8.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He has now played in 235 games (158 starts) in his career in the playoffs and he is averaging 27.3 minutes, 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  PF/C Nick Collison could have a big role off the bench in this series for the Thunder.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 15.0 minutes, 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  Collison has now played in 60 games (0 starts) in the playoffs in his career so far and he is averaging 19.7 minutes, 5.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Shooting guard DeAndre Liggins was also surprisingly busy in the first round of the playoffs.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) in his first taste of the playoffs in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 9.2 minutes, 1.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  Further down the totem pole are center Hasheem Thabeet and SG/SF Ronnie Brewer, who each only played in 1 game in the first round.

The Grizzlies rode their starters hard in the first round of the playoffs.  PG/SG Jerryd Bayless can handle playing either guard slot.  Bayless played in all 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 16.2 minutes, 8.8 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  He has now played in 14 games (2 starts) in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 19.6 minutes, 10.0 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  SG/SF Quincy Pondexter played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 21.2 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  He has now played in 16 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 15.6 minutes, 4.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  PG/SG Keyon Dooling signed with the Grizzlies very late in the season, but he played some in the first round of the playoffs.  Dooling played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 10.8 minutes, 3.0 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Dooling has now played in 54 games (0 starts) in his career in the playoffs and he is averaging 13.8 minutes, 5.1 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  Darrell Arthur and Ed Davis give the Grizzlies a couple of very valuable big men as reserves.  Arthur played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 12.5 minutes, 4.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  Arthur has now played in 19 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 14.5 minutes, 6.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  Ed Davis played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 5.8 minutes, 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.

EDGE:  EVEN

COACHING:  Scott Brooks got the Thunder all the way to the NBA Finals last year before falling a tad short.  He got the Thunder to beat the Rockets 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs and he is now 28-21 (57.1%) in his career in the playoffs as an NBA head coach.

Lionel Hollins is picking up his own game along with his team.  The Grizzlies went 4-2 and knocked out the favored Clippers in the first round of the 2012-13 playoffs.  Hollins is now 14-12 (53.8%) in the playoffs as an NBA head coach so far.

PREDICTON:  GRIZZLIES IN SIX GAMES

The Grizzlies shot 50.7% from the floor as they ran the Clippers right out of the gym last night.  Zach Randolph (23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists) and Mike Conley (23 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists) led the way for the Grizzlies last night.  Tony Allen (19 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals) and Jerryd Bayless (18 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists in 24 minutes) also had rock solid games for the Grizzlies last night.  Tayshaun Prince (11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots), Marc Gasol (10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Quincy Pondexter (10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal in 20 minutes) also pitched in for the Grizzlies.  The Grizzlies beat the Clippers 4-2 in this series and they will draw the Oklahoma City Thunder next.

Power forward Zach Randolph started slowly against the Clippers, but he’s red hot now.  In his last three games, Randolph is averaging 37.3 minutes, 25.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Randolph has now played in 5 games (all starts) against the Clippers and he is averaging 33.6 minutes, 20.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  The Grizzlies hope that Randolph keeps up the good work so that they can knock out the Clippers later tonight.

The Grizzlies played well on defense (except against Chris Paul who scored 35 points) last night and it helped them get a HUGE road win!  Zach Randolph (25 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals), Marc Gasol (21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots) and Mike Conley (20 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 blocked shot) led the way for the Grizzlies last night.  Tayshaun Prince pitched in with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.  The Grizzlies are now up 3-2 on the Clippers in this series.

The Grizzlies shot 50.6% from the floor and they out-rebounded the Clippers 45-28 yesterday, but it wasn’t until the 4th quarter when they outscored them 33-16 that they put them away.  Zach Randolph (24 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot) and Marc Gasol (24 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocked shots) led the way for the Grizzlies in this game.  Tayshaun Prince (15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Mike Conley (15 points, 4 rebounds and 13 assists) also had solid games for the Grizzlies yesterday.  Tony Allen (10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Quincy Pondexter (10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 29 minutes) also pitched in for the Grizzlies in this game.  The Grizzlies are now tied up at two games apiece with the Clippers in this series.