Heat Stun Bulls, Head to NBA Finals

05/26/11

The Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls 83-80 in Game 5 and claimed their spot in the Finals once again.

"The Big 3" came together for one reason, and one reason only...to win a championship, and they are now looking at their opportunity.

After the game I couldn't help but think that I just watched the Thunder vs Mavericks Game 5 meltdown all over again. After leading most of the game and all the way up to the final minute of the 4th quarter, the Bulls just lost it. Their offense couldn't score any points, and their defense couldn't prevent a colossal collapse.

Lebron James. What's there to say that hasn't already been said? He has finally taken the pressure and turned it into something that he looks forward to. He was bold, he was precise, but most of all he was clutch. Before this series I would have had some real doubt that he would of made, or even taken most of the shots he so bodly took. Give him credit for stepping up and being the go to guy when the Heat needed someone to step up.

Lebron finished with 28 pts, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Where wasn't he at on the court? This was the one biggest game of Lebron's career, and he more than showed up, he dominated on both sides of the ball.

The side-kick in the Batman and Robin show had yet another less than stellar performance. Dwayne Wade did however show up when it counted the most, in the 4th quarter when the Heat desperately needed a big shot. With 1:30 left in the 4th quarter Dwayne Wade made one of the most unlikely plays, he hit a 3 pt shot and got fouled by Derrick Rose on the shot, giving him a very rare 4 pt play and getting the Heat within 3 points of the Bulls 79-76. Wade looked less than comfortable all game long, and had his left shoulder iced heavily before the game. Even with his rhythm off, Wade scored 21 pts and added 6 rebounds and was a pivotal part in the Heat's run where they wiped out a 12 pt deficit, and clinched the series.

Chris Bosh was steady once again for the Heat, and was more consistent throughout the series than Wade was. Bosh totaled 20 pts and 10 rebounds, while also adding 4 block shots. Bosh earned some praise after his play this series, and should be commended for stepping up and proving that he can be a star when called on. The Heat are definitely going to need this type of play out of him if they plan on winning a championship.

Derrick Rose shot the ball 29 times. That's right, 29. I wrote an article previously about Derrick Rose, and I said then the same thing I say now, no point guard should shoot the ball 29 times and expect his team to win. Especially when you shoot 9-29 from the field and only get to the line 6 times. Was anyone else on the Bulls team shooting particularly well? No, but that doesn't discount the fact the he stopped getting others involved and tried to take over himself. Trust, and experience coming down to the wire were the main factors in the Bulls collapse, much like the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Chicago Bulls had a tremendous season, as well as MVP Derrick Rose, but they weren't ready for the big show quite yet. They'll be back, and maybe this offseason they will look to add a little bit of firepower to a staggering offense. Nothing to be ashamed about in Chicago, the Heat were just a better team this year.

With the Miami heat wrapping their series up over the Bulls, they now have to prepare once again to face the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. 5 years ago we saw the same exact matchup, with a whole different makeup of players and coaches. This matchup is going to be a great one, with so many different stories to go off of.

Who will get their first ring....Lebron or Dirk?

Image Source Page: http://rosebudmag.com/top-10-sports-2010

Mavericks Get Win, Next Stop...NBA Finals

05/25/11

Dirk Nowitzki did it again. He was nothing but spectacular this entire series, no, scratch that, the entire playoffs this year. Tonight he followed up his incredible play with some amazing clutch shots to prove that he is the hottest player in the world right now.

With 1:14 left in the 4th Quarter Dirk Nowitzki hit a big 3 pt shot to put the Mavericks up 95-94, and had the Mavericks up for the first time in the 4th Quarter. This looked so reminiscent of what we saw in game 4 where the Thunder led for a better portion of the game, and buckled under the pressure at the end. Dirk went on to hit two free throws with 13.3 seconds left in the game that put the Mavs up 100-96, and sealed the deal. Dirk went on the have a total of 26 pts on 8-15 shooting, 9-9 from the line, and added 9 rebounds. Dirk averaged 32.2 pts per game during the series, hitting 59-61 free throws and almost averaging 12 pts in the 4th quarter. How's that for clutch?

Just as equally big for the Mavericks was Shawn Marion. He stepped up huge with his defense the entire series on Kevin Durant. With Marion playing extremely physical defense with Durant, and getting him out of his comfort zone it forced Durant to shoot poor the whole series. That's the same results they got once again in Game 5, forcing Durant to shoot 8-20 from the field and 23 pts. Marion exploded for 26 pts in the potential series clincher with 10-17 shooting, and also 8 rebounds. "The Matrix" was once again reborn in this series, and let's hope he can keep it up.

Jason Terry, JJ Barea, and Jason Kidd all played spectacular basketball once again. Proving time again that they are a truely deep team with many threats all around the court. Kidd led with his veteran leadership, and also led his team with 10 assists. Barea added 14 pts, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds in just a little over 22 minutes of play. Jason "The Jet" Terry shot the 3 ball well again, hitting 2-3 from behind the arc and adding 12 pts. The Mavericks are going to give whichever opponent they face in the Finals some real trouble with their depth and veteran leaders.

The Thunder head home for the second straight year after making it into the playoffs, but not for the lack of trying. They just simply weren't ready for the pressure and play level of the crafty and veteran players of the Dallas Mavericks. Twice in the series the Thunder had the lead going into the final 5 minutes of the 4th quarter and lost. They just don't have the experience to know how to finish, and that will come with time and of course, losing. The Thunder had 6 total turnovers going into the 4th quarter, and ended up having 7 turnovers in the 4th quarter alone. Dallas capitalized on the young Thunder's mistakes, and didn't look back.

 Coach Scott Brooks had this to say after the game: "Next year when they're 23, they're still going to be young. We're not going to use it as an excuse. We all signed up to play this game and you have to take pride in what you do because it's not a hobby. It's our life. This is what we do. This is what we believe in." Coach Brooks will have them back in the running again next year, and hopefully by then they have matured enough as a team to be a title contender.

One question that does come to mind for the Thunder is, what if you had Jeff Green? Would the outcome have been potentially different, having an extra threat on offense to help relieve some pressure from Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant? Who knows. But it sure does make you wonder.

We could be looking at yet another Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat NBA Finals matchup if the Heat win their next game against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday at Chicago.

Regardless of their future opponent, the Mavericks have to feel like this is there title to lose with how well they are playing this year, and how hungry that entire team is. For Dirk Nowitzki and 38 year old point guard Jason Kidd, the title is so close they can smell it. Neither whom have won an NBA title have that edge this playoffs that should have any opponent worried.

After 11 straight years of 50+ regular season wins, the Mavericks need a title to make up for it, and prove that they are no slouch that can be pushed over when it comes to the big time stage.

Winning a title would also take Nowitzki and Kidd out of the conversation of best players to play without winning a ring. And we all know Mark Cuban would love to shut up his critics.

Dirk and Kidd have both been in the Finals before, but this time, can they pull it off and bring a championship to the city of Dallas?

All hail Dirk.

Image Source Page: http://www.allstatedaily.com/dallas-mavericks-98-92-los-angeles-lakers-dirk-nowitzki-32-points-video/

Miami Heat Win Thriller In OT, Go Up 3-1 In Series

05/24/11

Derrick Rose may have been the MVP in the regular season, but he isn't ready for the big show quite yet.

The Miami Heat won Game 4 in overtime by the score of 101-93 and went up 3-1 in the series.

Given, they did what they were supposed to do, and covered their homecourt advantage. But with that, the Miami Heat are one game away from the NBA Finals.

Lebron James had another huge game, going for 35 pts, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Chris Bosh added some big shots down the stretch in the 4th quarter, and in OT, finishing with 22 pts and 6 rebounds. Dwayne Wade had what you would call a terrible game. He shot 5-16 from the field, and had 14 pts. Even going 33 straight minutes without scoring a single point. But even with Wade not having a good game, the Heat still managed to get a win. Overtime was where the "Big 3" shined, scoring all 16 pts in overtime for the Heat and leading the the way to victory.

Even though the Heat didn't play their best basketball tonight, they still got the win. That's what tough teams are made of, and their defense carried them once again, getting stops when they needed to.

Lebron James, and Dwayne Wade both had some huge individual defensive plays in the 4th quarter and OT. Lebron forced Rose to take an awful last second shot with 1.9 seconds remaining in regulation, and sent the game into OT. Then in overtime Wade got a huge block on a Rose 3 pt attempt. At that point the momentum had really swung in Miami's favor, and got the Heat up by 2. The Heat would never trail again.

Once again the Miami Heat shut down Derrick Rose, and forced others to make plays. That didn't bode too well. Rose once again had a bad shooting performance going 8-27 from the field and 1-9 from behind the arc. The Heat defense also forced Rose to have 7 turnovers, and a total of 19 from the Bulls team. Your best player, and point guard can't shoot that bad against a team that isn't giving up many points throughout this entire playoffs. Rose has shot 36% in the series against the Heat, shooting a combined 33-91 from the field. Rose had this to say after the game: "Tonight, definitely it was on me. I had two opportunities to end the game. Couldn't do it. If anything, learn from it. Too many turnovers. Really was my fault but I'm going to learn from it." That sums it all up.
The Bulls did get good play out of Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng, who both scored 20 pts and each shot 50% from the field. But, the next highest scorer on the Bulls was Ronnie Brewer, who had a whopping 7 pts. The Chicago Bulls as a team shot 6-24 from the 3 pt line, and as a team shot 40.2% from the field. That just won't get it done with a team as good as the Miami Heat, who are a much more efficient team. The Miami Heat took 12 less shots, and had less turnovers than the Bulls.

The Bulls turnovers, and bad possessions down the line is what killed them. The Bulls also only shot 22 free throws compared to the Heat's 38 attempts. The Heat were taking it to the Bulls, and getting intot he lane. The Bulls weren't repaying the favor on the other side of the court, and was the single reason alone that the Heat had more free throw attempts.

Heading back to Chicago after this tough of a loss will sure be interesting to see how the Bulls will respond. After the game the players looked and sounded deflated. Will they come out with energy at home for one last stand at taking back this series? Or will they come out and play like an already beaten team?

With both of the series at 3-1, I think we can go ahead and say that we can expect another Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat Finals matchup. This time, it's a completely different look, for both teams.

Two of the hottest players in Dirk Nowitzki and Lebron James meeting head to head in the Finals should make for an awesome series.

But first, both teams need to close out their opponents.

Image Source Page: http://yala100.deviantart.com/art/LeBron-James-Miami-Heat-165944815?q=sort%3Atime+gallery%3Ayala100&qo=0

Miami Heat Get Win, Go Up 2-1 In Series

05/22/11

Defense, defense, defense.

That's the theme of the series, and that's what champions are made of.

How many times have you heard players, coaches, etc say that "defense wins championships". Countless. It's been proven over time that the better defensive teams make it the farthest when the playoffs roll around.

Here we are, in the Eastern Conference Finals with two of the best teams in the NBA in most defensive categories. Both teams with head coaches that have been preaching that defense will get them where they want to be, NBA Champions.

Obviously one team will have to lose, and one team will move on to the Championship round. But, nobody is playing better defense than the Miami Heat. The reason they are up 2-1 in the series, is defense.

They Miami Heat have taken away the MVP in Derrick Rose, and forced the other Bulls players to step up. They flat out haven't. How can you expect to beat any team when you go on to shoot 41.6% in Game 3, and 34.1% in Game 2? You can't, and you won't. Give the Miami Heat team as a whole credit for coming up with a game plan to slow down Derrick Rose. This coming after losing all 3 regular season games to the Bulls, and Game 1 of the series.This series turned around for the Heat when they bought back into the idea that defense would get them wins, and since then they are 2-0.

The final score of Game 3 was 96-85, with the "Big Three" scoring the bulk of points, racking up a combined 73 points.

Chris Bosh dominated in Game 3. Bosh scored 34 points, while shooting 13-18 from the floor and 8-10 from the line.Lebron James went on to almost record another triple double, netting 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists. Lebron only shot the ball 13 times, but the biggest part of Lebron's game today was the fact that he had 0 turnovers while running the point position in crucial times.

On the Chicago Bulls side, Carlos Boozer had his best performance of the series with 26 points, and 17 rebounds. Boozer's performance was obviously not enough to help the Bulls get the victory, but is a positive sign for the Bulls, who haven't seen much production from him in the Playoffs.

The fact still remains that Derrick Rose has to be the MVP he was named for being in the regular season. Head Coach Tom Thibodeau has got to come up with a better plan on the offensive side other than the same old pick-and-roll option they've been running. The Heat have been keying in on Rose, doubling him off the pick-and-roll and getting him into positions where he has to give up the ball and hope one of his other teammates makes a play. That's not how the Bulls got into the Playoffs, and are ineffective when Rose has the ball taken out of his hands. Rose doesn't need the ball all the time necessarily just to score, but to keep the Heat defense on their toes and get others involved. The Bulls change that, and they could change things around offensively.

Defensively for the Bulls, they haven't been bad at all. Holding the Heat to 82, and 85 in the first two games of the series. It's when the Bulls give up over 90 that they have a hard time keeping the game close, especially with their offense struggling mightily.

The series isn't over obviously, but some major changes need to happen for the Chicago Bulls if they want to go back to Chicago with the series tied up at 2 games a piece.

For the Miami Heat. Just keep playing defense, it's going to get you to the final round if you keep it up.

Image Source Page: http://crankuptheheat.net/miami-wins-chris-bosh’s-toronto-homecoming/

Lebron James & Miami Heat Pull Out Game 2 Victory, Tie Series Up 1-1

05/19/11

Lebron James finally stepped up to the plate when it mattered the most.

Entering the 4th Quarter somebody needed to step up big for the Miami Heat and take over. Lucky for them, they have a couple of guys who can do that. In Game 2, it was Lebron.

Lebron scored 9 pts in the 4th Quarter, with 2 of the shots being huge for Miami. With 4:28 left in the game, the scored was all knotted up at 73 a piece. Lebron hit a 3 pt shot, and followed it up with another jumper after a missed shot by Luol Deng, to put the Heat up 78-73 with 3:15 to go in the game. That type of dominance in the 4th Quarter is what they need from Lebron. Often times we've seen him get passive when the game is on the line, passing the ball rather than taking a shot. Not in this game, he fired at will, and lead the Heat to victory and even the series up at 1-1.

Don't get me wrong, Dwayne Wade also had some huge plays as well. Coming up huge on the defensive end when it counted the most. Wade took the task of guarding Rose most of the 4th Quarter, and came up with a big block when Rose attempted a 3 pt shot with 1:31 remaining in the game. That turned into a Lebron jumpshot, and a 4 pt swing that put the Heat up by 9 with :47 seconds left. Wade ended up with 24 pts, and 9 rebounds.

The Heat also got a great sign of encouragement when Udonis Haslem stepped on the floor and played extremely well. Haslem who had only played 4 minutes in Game 1, got 23 big minutes in Game 2, and he came up huge for them. Haslem ended up with 13 pts on 5-10 shooting, and added 5 rebounds, 3 of those being offensive rebounds. His hustle and attitude was a great spark for the Miami bench that has been anything but terrible.

Was Game 2 a display of bad offense for the Bulls, or just really good Miami Heat defense? I'm still trying to figure it out. The Bulls ended up shooting 28-82 from the field, an awful 34.1%, and also shot 16-26 from the line. Like I said, I'm not sure if the Heat defense caused all those misses, or if the Bulls were just cold all night, but you can't afford to miss 10 free throws in a tight game. Look at the difference of the score 85-75....10 pts. Free throws are crucial in playoff basketball, and you can't win giving away that many free points, especially when you aren't hitting shots from the field.

The Bulls offense looked stagnant most of the second half, and looked as if Derrick Rose was pressing on offense. Give the Heat credit, they were forcing Rose and company to take more jumpers than easy layups. It doesn't help that Carlos Boozer was a no show on the offensive end scoring only 7 pts, and shooting just 3-10. Luol Deng also had a bad shooting night, going 5-15 from the field, and 1-7 from the 3 pt line. And Kyle Korver shot 1-7. from the field, and 1-5 from behind the 3.The Bulls have got to get some shots to fall from behind the arc to help spread the floor, and relieve some pressure off Rose.

Going back to Miami for Game 3 the Heat have a chance to go up 3-1 if they can win both of their home games, and swing the momentum towards their direction.

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Nowitzki Has Near Perfect Game, Leads Mavs to Victory

05/18/11

What a performance by Dirk Nowitzki.

That's the first thing that comes to mind after watching him put on a shooting clinic in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. .

Unstoppable, unguardable, and unbelievable is also what comes to mind.

How do you go about guarding a 7 ft shooter, who has tremendous abilities for his size? That's the answer that nobody from the Oklahoma City Thunder could even answer in Game 1.

The Oklahoma City Thunder threw many different looks at Nowitzki, hoping that maybe one of the different matchups would possibly slow him down. Not a single one worked. But, the one thing I was waiting for, and never saw, was the Thunder trying to double Nowitzki. Not once did they try and force him into passing to someone else. Why wouldn't you at least try to get someone else to hurt you? At some point you just have to say, Dirk is killing us, if we are going to give up points, let's make someone else do it.

Dirk went on to dominate the game by almost pitching a basketball "perfect game". He shot 12-15 from the field, and a record setting 24-24 on free throws, breaking the old record held by Paul Pierce with 21 straight free throws without a miss. Dirk finished with 48 pts, just 2 pts shy of tying his previous playoff high of 50 pts in 2006.

The Mavericks once again got tremendous play out of point guard JJ Barea. Barea got into the lane at any point he wished, and gave the Mavericks a huge momentum boost coming off the bench. Barea finished with 21 pts, shooting 8-12 from the field in just 16 minutes of play, and at one point in the 4th quarter Barea scored 10 straight pts. He was key in keeping the lead for Dallas, and keeps proving everyone wrong with his level of play.

Speaking of coming off the bench for Dallas, Jason Terry once again proved to be a lethal shooter going 8-16 from the field, with 4-8 of those shots hitting from 3 pt range. Terry finished with 24 pts, and was the second leading scorer for Dallas. To have a shooter like him coming off the bench only makes Dallas tougher to deal with.

I wrote an article previous to Game 1 about Russell Westbrook's play being the key to this series, and I think it's even more obvious after his performance in Game 1 that they need "smart" play out of him to win. Westbrook had 20 pts, and most people looking at that would think that's not bad at all. But, the pts scored don't tell the story of his play. In Game 1 Westbrook shot an awful 3-15 from the field, and had 4 turnovers. If it weren't for him getting 18 free throws, he would have had 6 pts. The main thing that stands out in his stat line to me though is that he only had 3 assists. That's unacceptable coming from as skilled of a point guard as him. We saw in Game 7 of the last series what happens when he shoots less, and assists more....they win, and win big. For the Thunder to turn the next game around, Westbrook has got to be looking for his teammates more often, or they could be heading back to Oklahoma City down 0-2.

A bright spot for the Thunder is that Kevin Durant in Game 1 came out aggressive on the offensive end, and lit up the scoreboard. Durant scored 40 pts total in the loss, but shot 10-18 from the field and 18-19 from the free throw line. Going into Game 2, that's the one positive the Thunder have going for them, and they'll need to keep it going to keep up with Nowitzki's scoring.

We all saw the Mavericks quiet the critics on all the talk about them being rusty after an 8 day layoff. Can they sustain the hot shooting the rest of the series is the next question.

Game 2 should be interesting to say the least.



Image Source Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JJ_Barea.jpg



Thunder vs Mavericks Western Conference Finals Preview

05/16/11

Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals should really set the tone of what basketball fans can expect this series. Going into Game 1 it's pretty hard to favor either team, with both teams playing great basketball in this years playoffs.

Game 1 will be played in Dallas, with the Mavericks having the homecourt advantage this series, after finishing 3rd in the West during the regular season, and the Thunder 4th.

Their is a lot of interesting matchups to look forward to in this series, and most people would probably say either Dirk Nowitzki or Kevin Durant would be the biggest keys to their respective teams. Not me. Russell Westbrook is the single most important player in this series to me. He sets the tone for how the Thunder play. How is Jason Kidd going to keep up with Russell Westbrook? Impossible. We saw what Westbrook did to the older Derek Fisher last year in the playoffs. This is a huge advantage for the Thunder, and we could see a lot of the faster JJ Barea trying to guard him. To me, that still won't make much of a difference.

We saw in Game 7 of the Thunder vs Grizzlies series just how good the Thunder can be when running on all cylilnders, and the key once again, was Russell Westbrook. Sure Kevin Durant had a spectacular game, but Westbrook distributed the ball perfectly to get him those open looks. Westbrook ended up having a triple-double with 14 pts, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists in that Game 7.

I wrote an article on Westbrook and Rose earlier last week about how they make their teams better with less shots, and more assists. That proved to be right when the Thunder advanced to the Western Conference Finals, and the Bulls beat the Heat in their first game of the Eastern Conference Finals.

A couple of other great matchups we could possibly see is Kevin Durant possibly taking the challenge of trying to guard Dirk Nowitzki. Let's just say it now. Nobody is going to stop Dirk. But, it will be interesting to see if Durant's length disrupts Dirk's shot even the slightest. On the other end, will it effect Durant's ability on offense? With Durant expending a lot of energy on defense trying to contain Dirk, will that take away his offense?

We could see this series boiled down to a lot of close calls, and both teams need their benches to play as well as they have coming into this series. We all saw the display of the Mavericks 3 pt show against the Lakers in the previous round, and definitely know how much of a threat they can be. But the Thunder's bench is better than the Lakers, so it should be more of even matchup on that note.

For the Mavericks they need big plays from Jason Terry, JJ Barea, Peja Stojakovic, and Brendan Haywood. On the flip side, the Thunder need James Harden, Nick Collison, Daequan Cook, and Eric Maynor to be tough as well.

How will the rest affect both teams? Heading into Game 1 the Dallas Mavericks have had 8 days off since last sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers. Could that negatively effect their hot shooting? You can also ask the same thing about the Thunder, will too short of a rest negatively effect their team? Personally, I'd be more concerned with the older Mavericks team having too much rest, compared to the very young team of the Thunder having too little rest.

But, either way you slice it, it's the playoffs and there are no excuses. Only winners and losers.

Who will step up and take Game 1 of this much anticipated series??

Image Source Page: http://www.readthehorn.com/sports/726/nba_mid_season_report_card

Game 7: Grizzlies vs Thunder

05/15/11

Our first Game 7 of this years NBA Playoffs. And boy it should be a good one.

With the game heading back to the Thunder's homecourt in Oklahoma City, it would seem that the Thunder have the advantage in this game, but, this series has been anything but predictable. Both teams have stole a game from the others homecourt.

We saw an amazing turnaround by the Grizzlies in Game 6 when they came back from a 10 pt halftime deficit, and pulled off the win by 13 pts. This after losing by 27 in Game 5. The Grizzlies never lose that edge that they are ever too far down to come back and win. They are an extremely resilient team. How much will they be able to withstand if the Thunder do make a big run at some point in the game?

In Game 6 we saw the Grizzlies defense really step up and shut down the Thunder in the second half. The Thunder shot 29% and shot 11 for 38, and scoring a total of 29 pts in the second half combined.

The Grizzlies got huge play from Zach Randolph who had 30 pts, and 13 rebounds. Coach Lionel Hollins also made a call to put OJ Mayo into the starting lineup instead of playing Sam Young. That proved to pay huge dividends. Mayo scored 16 huge pts, and also had 4 steals. Mike Conley still struggled shooting going 3-12 for the game, but he had 11 pts and 12 assists.

Where was Kevin Durant? Seems as if he gets shaken up a little bit by the tough and physical defense of Shane Battier and Tony Allen. Durant shot just 3-14, and had only 11 pts. Durant had this to say after the game. " "It was frustrating to go out there and prepare so hard and not play as hard as I wanted to. But I have to stay positive. My teammates always encourage me, so I feel good about that. I just have to get back to work tomorrow. It's going to be a tough Game 7 at our place, so I'm looking forward to it".
The Thunder just can't win without getting good play out of him, and he better give it his all in Game 7, or the Thunder will be heading home.

A bright spot for the Thunder was Russell Westbrook's play, he had 27 pts on 50% shooting, but he did have 5 turnovers and shot 22 times. It should be interesting to see who will get the most shots between Durant and Westbrook, after a lot of people were talking about there being a minor dispute between the two about shot selection and number of shots.

Keys to Thunder victory:

1. Shut down Zach Randolph. Shut him down and the Thunder walk out with a victory, plain and simple. Randolph is what makes that team go offensively. Without him scoring the bulk of the points for the Grizzlies, they just don't have enough other fire power to get a win.

2. Win the rebounding aspect of the game. Keep the Grizzlies away from getting offensive boards, and second chance points.

3. Kevin Durant should have more shots than Russell Westbrook by games end. I'd say the most Westbrook should shoot is about 20 shots.

4. Get to the free throw line. Westbrook and Durant do this extremely well when they win, and lead the league in free throw attempts per game. If they can get 8-10 free throws a piece, that would be huge.

5. Need production from somebody off the bench. James Harden has played great in most games, but they need an extra weapon off the bench to play well, whether it be Eric Maynor, or Daequan Cook.


Keys to Grizzlies victory:

1. Zach Randolph has to score 25+ pts, and have over 10 rebounds to even have a chance.

2. Marc Gasol and Randolph need to pound the offensive glass and get as many second chance pts as possible.

3. Shoot the 3 ball well. The Grizzlies need someone to help spread the floor by hitting some 3's and help loosen the Thunder defense up inside. Mayo helped with that in Game 6.

4. Shut down Kevin Durant and make Russell Wesbrook take the bulk of the shots. Battier and Allen have done a great job roughing him up, and getting him off his game.

5. Same as the Thunder. The Grizzlies need some bench production. Sam Young, Darrell Arthur, Greivis Vasquez, and Shane Battier all have had some decent games. Tonight in Game 7, they all need to show up.


Who will be heading to Dallas to play the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals???

Image Source Page: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/may/27/grizzlies-randolph-zach-remains-valued-member-griz/

Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls: Eastern Conference Finals Preview

05/13/11

With the Chicago Bulls winning their series last night against the Atlanta Hawks, we now have one of the best matchups in this years NBA Playoffs.

We will get to see MVP Derrick Rose clash with former 2-Time MVP Lebron James, and superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

This series could go 7 games, and have some of the most exciting highlights to come.

The Chicago Bulls beat the Miami Heat during the regular season all 3 times they faced each other. But, the Miami Heat are a different team than they were during the regular season. Right now they are meshing better than ever, and playing extremely good defense. It will be interesting to see what types of scores the games will end up, as both of these teams are extremely good on the defense of end.

The keys to the Bulls success:

1. Carlos Boozer HAS to play well, and by well, I mean extremely well. They cannot afford to get the same type of production they got from him in the previous series. He must be tough on the boards, and be an offensive threat to relieve Derrick Rose of all that scoring pressure.

2. Derrick Rose can't be taking 30+ shots a game. He just can't. They will lose every single time that happens. Rose needs to be the distributor, drive the lane and draw fouls on the Heat defense. Make them be the reactor, and be aggressive.

3. Hold the Heat from having too many easy fast break points that gets the crowd ignited. If they can limit their own turnovers, and force the Heat to play more of a half court offense, that should bode well for the Bulls.

4. Kyle Korver. Any basketball fan will know why. His shooting stretches the floor so much for the Bulls, and they could use somebody to really make the defense think twice about collapsing the lane on Rose.

The keys to the Heat success:

1. It's obvious yes, but the Miami "Big 3" all have to produce, and with big numbers.

2. Chris Bosh has to put up big rebounding numbers, and really be the inside force for the Heat. Without some type of inside presence, the defense is going to focus all it's energy on Wade and Lebron. The Bulls are too good of a defensive team to allow that and still get a victory.

3. The bench. Somebody from the Heat bench has to step up. Whether it be Mike Bibby, James Jones, or even Mike Miller.

4. Another simple and obvious point, but the Heat have to limit what Derrick Rose does. Either force him to shoot 30+ times, or limit him getting good open shots for his teammates.


I'm looking forward for this star studded matchup. Whoever wins will be heading to the NBA Championship.

Either way, this years Championship game will have 2 brand new teams in it.

Image Source Page: http://theburnesblog.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/derrick-roses-path-to-superstardom/

Thunder Dominate Grizzlies, Go Up 3-2 In Series

05/11/11

The Oklahoma City Thunder dominate the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 5 by the score of 99-72. Putting them up in the series 3-2 heading back to Memphis for Game 6.

The Thunder started out flat during the first quarter, but that was to be somewhat expected since these two teams did just play a triple overtime game.

That didn't stop the Thunder squad from practicing the very next day. Coach Scott Brooks had called for no practice to give his men some rest, but the hunger of those Thunder players had them out there practicing less than 14 hrs after playing the previous game. This group can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and are making a run at it now.

The Thunder get a huge win by the margin of 27 pts, and all while only getting 30 pts from their stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Any person hearing the Thunder only got 30 total pts from their two best players would almost automatically think that they lost that game.

Huge bench play, and defense put the Thunder over the top in Game 5. The Thunder got 53 bench pts, 18 of those coming from Daequan Cook. Cook hit 6 of 7 shots, with 4 of those being 3 pt shots.

The Grizzlies shot an awful 35.9% from the field, and Marc Gasol was the only Grizzlie player to score in double digits. Mike Conley shot 16 times, and Tony Allen 13 himself. That is way too many shots for a point guard, and a guy who is primarily out there for defense.

Lucky for the Grizzlies they will have a chance to even the series up at 3-3 when they go back home to Memphis to play game 6. They better come out and play extremely hard this next game, because I get the sense that the Thunder will bring everything they have to put the Grizzlies away.

Will we see our first Game 7 of this years NBA Playoffs?

Image Source Page: http://40acresofhoops.com/?tag=kevin-durant

A New Breed of Point Guards

05/10/11

We are in the midst of seeing a new breed of point guards in the NBA.

The traditional point guard is now turning into new "hybrid" point guards. The old school, typical pass first point guard is rare in todays game. Rajon Rondo may be one of the only point guards in the NBA with the real pass first mentality, but after him there are no John Stockton type point guards left. Jason Kidd and Steve Nash are still in the NBA, but they are near the end of their respective careers, and a dying breed.

What we are on the brink of, and already seeing is the shoot first point guard.

Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook are my main examples. These two players are unbelievably explosive, and nothing like we've seen before coming from the point guard position.

The next main point about them being the new "hybrid" point guard is how many shots they are shooting per game. We just saw it last night for the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4. Russell Westbrook shot 33 times. Let that sink in for a second.....33 times. That's an insane amount of shots for any player, let alone for a point guard, and with superstar Kevin Durant on the same team! Derrick Rose has shot 59 times combined in the last 2 games. Unbelievable for these two young point guards.

We haven't really a score first type talent from the point guard position like these two since Allen Iverson.

These two players alone are re-shaping the way people are looking at what a point guard should bring to the table. With their ability to score at will, and explode to the basket at any given moment, they are on another level on an athletic scale, compared to the rest of the point guards.

With the point guards taking over in this years NBA Playoffs, it's no wonder why we see future NBA players like Kyrie Irving getting so much love in this years upcoming draft. With the potential to grab a point guard who can turn your respective team around, it's a no brainer for most teams.

Look at who's left in the playoffs. Mavericks, Heat, Celtics, Grizzlies, Bulls, Hawks and Thunder. What do these teams have in common? All of these teams play defense first of all, but second of all they are getting outstanding play from their point guards.

Unsuspecting play from Mike Conley Jr. has the Grizzlies playing the Thunder extremely tough. Even Jason Kidd, the 38 year old point guard is still being extremely productive. We all know how well Rondo was playing before the injury to his elbow.

We all know how well MVP Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook have been playing.

It sure would be interesting to see these two meet in the Finals and get to see two of the most explosive point guards I've seen, go head-to-head.

But who knows what could happen? It's the Playoffs after all.

Image Source Page: http://www.dailythunder.com/2010/02/russell-westbrooks-natural-progression/

Can Rondo Be Effective for the C's???

05/09/11

After Game 3's terrible scene, where he dislocated his left elbow it was almost certain that he would be done for the remainer of the playoffs.

He came back the same game. Unbelievable to even comprehend.

After dislocating the elbow, the pain alone would make it almost unbearable to dribble with your other hand, let alone steal the ball and dunk it.

Rajon Rondo's toughness gave the Celtics a much needed boost, and lead his team to victory over the Miami Heat in Game 3.

To me Derrick Rose is to the Chicago Bulls, as Rajon Rondo is to the Celtics. When they go, their teams go. Rondo is the motor that runs that team, and has clearly inspired his teammates to play even tougher.

Future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett had this to say about Rondo: "All of us sort of looked at each other like, 'What is he doing out here?"' Garnett said. "He's showing a lot of heart (and) a lot of grit. We see it. That doesn't go unspoken or unseen. We see he's out there giving his full effort. We're following that lead."

Coming back after only 1 day of actual full rest, can Rondo be effective for Game 4 tonight against the Miami Heat? Will he get enough minutes to even be effective, if so? A lot of questions surrounding the one man who could have the Celtics faith in his hands.

Another key for the Boston Celtics is getting big production from "The Big 3" Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. Game 3 they combined for 70 of the 97 total pts scored. When Rondo can get them the ball with good looks, and they play good sound defense, that's what happens, they win.

The Celtics stingy defense held the Heat to a lousy 81 pts in Game 3. The defense of the Celtics forced the Heat to shoot 5-23 from 3 pt range (21%), and 42% from the field.

If the Celtics can protect their home court, the series will be tied at 2-2 heading back to Miami. If the Miami Heat can use their advantage and keep it a fast paced tempo, then the Heat will go home up 3-1 in the series.

This is the pivotal game of the series. A make or break type of game. Where big players step up.

This is going to be a tough grind-it-out game.

Who will take it??

Mavericks Win With Record Setting Performance

05/08/11

With the Los Angeles Lakers on the brink of their season ending, it would seem almost fitting that they would pull off at least 1 victory to make the series a little more interesting.

They did not. And in fact, the way they lost may have made it more interesting than them actually winning. Seems odd, but let's look at what happened.

The final score in itself, was absolutely astonishing. The Mavericks pummeled the Lakers by the score of 122-86. A 36 point win over the 2-time defending Los Angeles Lakers.

The Dallas Mavericks hit an amazing 11 3-pt shots in the first half alone, tying the playoff record. The Laker defense was non-existant, leaving Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic wide open to shoot, as if it were a 3-pt competition. They were hitting, and hitting often.

The Mavericks tied another playoff record by hitting 20 total 3-pt shots. With Jason Terry hitting 9 of those threes, tying yet another record by one player in the post-season. After the game, Kobe Bryant had this to say about the hot shooting of Dallas. "They jumped out on us in the second quarter. It was just 3 after 3 after 3 and we could never get back in it."

The Dallas Mavericks bench scored a combined 86 pts. Matching what the Lakers entire team put up. Just look at that. That's amazing. Getting some production has been one of the Mavericks strong points this year, but single handedly matching the Lakers points, is insane. Getting that much production makes them even more dangerous, when you don't even mention having to deal with Dirk Nowitzki, you know your playing at an extremely high level.
Had somebody told me before the game that would be the score, I would have guessed the Lakers would have been on the winning side. With their backs against the wall, I could see them pulling an upset in Dallas.

The only problem with the Lakers even having the chance to win is they had to show up. They didn't. Flat out they looked non-interested in taking any part of that game. The look of defeat was already set in their minds before they even took the court.

Give the Mavericks credit though. They simply wanted it more. Dirk Nowitzki and company are hungry, and they are out for blood.

It'd be interesting to see how the MVP voting would go now. If the votes didn't count until after the playoffs, who's to say that it would still be Derrick Rose? With Nowitzki's post-season play, I bet he would garner a few more votes than he got for his regular season play.

He's got my vote right now.

Image Source Page: http://www.life.com/image/92614241

Changes to come in LA???

05/08/11

With the Los Angeles Lakers now down 3-0 to the Dallas Mavericks, it seems almost certain that there will be some shaking up to come.

Lakers have now blown 2 of the 3 games in the second half of the game. Game 1 their biggest lead of the game was 16, and Game 3 they were up by 6 in the 4th quarter with 4:33 left. The 2 time Champs, who are known for closing teams out particularly well in the 4th quarter have just flat out choked.

Andrew Bynum was quoted saying "I think all 13 of our guys have trust issues right now," and when it comes down to the nitty and gritty you can tell, it's obvious that something is wrong in that locker room.

The next thing to come is a long off-season where there will be a ton of trade speculation going on in LA. Will they go after a trade that could net them super-star Dwight Howard? Pau Gasol this series has been taunted by Laker fans for not producing, and showing a lack of heart at times. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has a long process ahead of him evaluating what he should do next.

We know that it's almost 100% positive that the "Zen Master" Head Coach Phil Jackson will be gone after this season, and that's probably the biggest change to come after the season. Will the Lakers decide to stay in-house with the change and hire Assistant Head Coach Brian Shaw, or look elsewhere?

Kobe Bryant may be the only player to think the Lakers season isn't over yet. Kobe was quoted saying "I might be sick in the head or crazy or thrown off....because I still think we're going to win this series." Down 3-0, their never has been a team to come back in NBA history to win the series. Kobe also was quoted this after Game 2 "If you want to make history you have to do historic things."

The series isn't over yet, but when it is we could see an entirely different Lakers team in the 2011-2012 NBA season.

Predictions for Hawks/Bulls & Lakers/Mavericks

05/06/11

Who will step up for their respective clubs tonight, and who will get the W's??

Let's start with the Chicago Bulls heading to Atlanta to face the Hawks at home for Game 3. The series is tied up 1-1, and has been close for much of the series so far. It's obvious to point out that Derrick Rose is the key to the Bulls, but who is the key for the Hawks?

The Atlanta Hawks need a collective amount of help from several players. Yes, the Hawks have a superstar in Joe Johnson....but they don't win when he only plays well, unlike Derrick Rose. The Hawks need big games out of All-Star Center Al Horford, highlight reel Josh Smith, and bench production from Jamal Crawford. When those guys play well, they are a completely different team. The Hawks don't have the advantage of having a great point guard who can take over games by picking apart the defense (ala Derrick Rose), so they rely on more guys to get the job done.

The Hawks used to get the excuse that they were a "young" team, and would grow in a few years. Well, that time is now. Guys like Marvin Williams, Al Horford, and Josh Smith were all the "young" talented guys that they needed time to develop. Time is up, and they need to produce. They now have playoff experience, and have played with each other for several years now. No more excuses. Get it done Atlanta.

Prediction for tonights Chicago Bulls vs Atlanta Hawks: 91-83 Bulls get the W

Who, oh who will step up for the flakey Los Angeles Lakers tonight? This Game 3 will be in Dallas, and you better believe that place will be rocking.

What I'm most curious to see is which Kobe Bryant will we see? Will we see the Kobe that comes out distrubiting the ball, and taking over late? Or, will we see the aggressive, attacking Kobe? Either way, they need help from the bench.

The Lakers bench has been getting creamed compared to the Mavericks bench. The Mavericks have been getting great play from JJ Barea, Jason Terry, and Brendan Haywood. Can't say much about the Lakers bench, except for Odom...who hasn't been the greatest either.

Once again, the Lakers have to find a way to at least slow down Dirk Nowitzki. Maybe they need to rough him up a bit, just to get him out of his comfort zone. Anything but trying to stick a hand in that mans face, it doesn't work. He pulls off some of the most ridiculous looking shots, and they fall straight through the net. He makes shooting a ball falling backwards, off-balance, and on one leg easy. Stop that man, or even slow him down, and so goes the Dallas Mavericks.

Tonight needs to be a statement for the Lakers. They need intensity, tough defense, and determination to grab a W in Dallas. Big men Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol must defend the paint, and get rebounds on both sides of the court. They need to be sure of which assignments on D everyone has. Last game they looked like a bunch of chicken's with their heads cut off, not sure who should be guarding who. That's a lot of things they need to go right to win...we'll see if they can flip this series back around.

Prediction for tonights Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks: 102-98 Lakers get the W

Image Source Page: http://www.answers.com/topic/kobe-bryant-large-image

It's All About the Euro's

05/06/11

When I say it's all about the Euro's, I don't mean $$$. I mean the Lakers vs. Mavericks series is all about the Europeans....Pau Gasol, and Dirk Nowitzki.

You could probably point to several other areas of main concerns for why the Lakers aren't playing well, but for me it comes down to those two players. Pau Gasol had a great regular season, averaging 18.8 PPG, and 10.2 RPG. But ever since the playoffs have started his numbers have declined significantly, dropping to 13.5 PPG, and 6.8 RPG against the Hornets, and two games into the Dallas series Pau's numbers are still sitting at 14 PPG, and 10.5 RPG. That isn't enough production out of Pau to get the Lakers to the Finals.

Switch it to the other side, Dirk Nowitzki has lit it up. At 7 feet tall, it's ridiculous that he can pull off some of those shots on one leg, fading away. Both players are definitely out of their comfort zone when guarding each other. With Pau having to play more face to face defense, rather than the post defense he's accustomed to. But so is Dirk, he isn't a premier post defender whatsoever. That's where the Mavericks have the advantage in this series. They have Centers Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood to help out in post up situations, and are constantly rotating. The Lakers on the other hand have tried several defenders on Dirk, including lengthy Lamar Odom. Nothing has stopped, or even slown down Dirk. I, and many others as well have completely underestimated the defense of the Mavericks, they are the real deal.

This duel at the beginning of the series was looked at as the "key" matchup between players from opposing sides. Well, that's probably true...but who would have thought Dirk would absolutely have his way with the Lakers stingy defense? Dirk is averaging more pts and rebounds, all while putting up better shooting percentages from the field, and the three.

Going back to Dallas for game 3 of the series, the Lakers are in deep trouble. Only two times has a team starting down 0-2 at home ever come back to win the series, EVER. The odds are stacked up against the Lakers, but if anyone can do it, it's them.

Ron Artest will be watching game three. He was notified today that he will be suspended for the late "hit" he had on point guard JJ Barea in the last seconds of the fourth quarter in game two. It is expected that Matt Barnes will take his place, and have Odom still come off the bench.

Key Stats from Game 2:

Dallas: D.Nowitzki 24 pts, and 7 rebounds. JJ Barea 12 pts, and 4 assists. S. Marion 14 pts, and 9 rebounds. J. Kidd 10 pts, and 6 assists.

Los Angeles: K. Bryant 23 pts, 5 steals, and 3 assists. A. Bynum 18 pts, and 13 rebounds. P. Gasol 13 pts, and 10 rebounds. R. Artest 11 pts, and 6 rebounds.

Image Source Page: http://deportes.univision.com/versus/poll/2010-07-20/gasol-vs-nowitzki

The Kendrick Perkins Trade Has Shifted Two Teams

05/04/11

It wasn't long ago we were talking about all the massive trades that could be taking place before the NBA Trade Deadline occurred on February 24th.

There were a ton of trades this year, and a few involving big name players. We saw guys like Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, Rashard Lewis, and Vince Carter moved all in one trade. Other veterans like Gerald Wallace got shipped last moment, Shane Battier heading back to his first team the Memphis Grizzlies, and the one that got the most attention....Carmelo Anthony going to the New York Knicks.

The biggest trade of them all made little noise amongst the average fan, and analysts. It was the Kendrick Perkins trade. The Boston Celtics shipped off Center Kendrick Perkins, and Guard Nate Robinson for Forward Jeff Green, Center Nenad Kristic, and future 1st round pick. To me in my opinion this trade killed any hopes of the Celtics making it back to the Finals. Is Kendrick Perkins a deadly threat on offense? No. And that's why this trade didn't get the attention it should have. Kendrick Perkins was the rock of that defense. Perkins is the tough big man who has the hard stare and pissed off look all game long. He brings a mentality and attitude to that team, combined with an already fiesty Kevin Garnett to make any team think twice about getting into the paint. He is an old school type of player that never got enough praise for what he brought to the Celtics.

Three months later we are now in the playoffs and looking at where the Celtics stand in the series against the Heat down 2-0. Why are they not playing as well as they did in the playoffs last year? I'll tell you why. Kendrick Perkins being gone, added with the Celtics not getting any production out of their other two centers who are often injured Shaquille O'Neal, and Jermaine O'Neal. They are relying on Nenad Kristic to be the big man. The Celtics defense is getting thrashed by the Heat. Letting Chris Bosh have his way on the boards, and letting the rest of the Heat get to the rim whenever they want, and without giving out any punishment for doing so. You best believe the Heat would not be getting to the rim so easily if Perkins was sitting there waiting for one of them to even attempt getting an easy bucket. I bet they miss him now.

The Celtics did get a good young player in Jeff Green, and has been decent off the bench. But, what got the Celtics to the Finals was their defense and tenacity. They "dropped the ball" on that trade, and they are paying for it in these playoffs. They could be going home earlier than most expected due to that single trade.

On the flipside, the Thunder got just what they needed to add to their young core. A powerful, tough big man in the middle that brings playoff experience and leadership. Ask anyone, even the Thunder players themselves what they were missing before the trade deadline and I bet they all say a big man. They got that big man in Perkins, and last night you could see what a difference he makes to that team. 17 seconds into the game Perkins fouled a driving Tony Allen hard, that set the tone for the entire game. They were not going to get pushed around again at home and that they were going to be the bully.

One man changed the entire look of this years playoffs for the Celtics and Thunder. Who would have thought Perkins would be a bigger factor than say, Carmelo Anthony?

Image Source Page: http://boston.cbslocal.com/photo-galleries/2011/03/18/sports-photos-of-the-week/

Basketball Is a Game of "Runs"

05/03/11

The reigning champions Los Angeles Lakers took on the Dallas Mavericks at the Staples Center for Game 1 of the series last night, with the outcome not favoring the Lakers.

What seemed like an easy victory for the Lakers, when up by 16 in the third quarter turned into an awful display of defense and bad shot choice-that incurred a loss. I know that stats don't typically mean everything when it comes to sports, but let's look at the glaring one that put's the Lakers in a tough spot. The team that wins game 1 on the road of a seven-game series goes on to win the series 78% of the time. How's that for putting the Lakers in a tough spot? If anyone can come back from a defecit in a series, it would be the Lakers. But, the point is that they are now in that tough position, instead of doing what they were supposed to do, taking care of their home-court advantage.

The Lakers bench was also a main area of concern, after yet another poor performance from everyone excluding sixth man of the year Lamar Odom. The Lakers were outscored by Dallas' bench 40-25, with 15 of those 25 points off the bench coming from Odom. If they Lakers want to advance past Dallas, they need some big play from the "Killer B's"-Blake, Brown, and Barnes.

With about 3 seconds left in the game the Lakers were down by 2, and had one last opportunity to tie or win the game. With one of the best closers in Kobe Bryant on the floor, everyone knew where it was going. Even so, Kobe curled at the top of the three point line with Bynum setting a perfect screen. Kobe rolled over the top of him, catching the ball and squaring up to the hoop all in one fluid motion. Kobe got what was a great look off, it went long. You could see and hear the letdown at the arena. It was almost another ending we had become so accustomed to seeing with the Lakers, and Kobe Bryant, another game winning shot. This time, the tides turned when Dirk Nowitzki was the clutch performer of the night, scoring 11 fourth quarter points and leading his team to a game 1 road victory.

Let's go over what I think is the pivotal point to this game, and most NBA games in general. The NBA is a game of "runs" and "spurts". When the Lakers had a 18-2 run, it almost seemed certain they would be able to hang onto the big lead in the third quarter, and hold onto the lead in the fourth. But what did the Mavericks do? They took the punch the Lakers dished out, and gave a big blow back when they replied with a big 20-6 run in the third quarter themselves. The Mavericks got hot, and the Lakers got satisfied with taking long jump-shots, instead of pounding the ball into their biggest advantage of all, their length. This quote after the game from Pau Gasol says it all. "We maybe got a little carried away. We didn't make good decisions offensively and we paid the price defensively. We gave them a chance that way. We got a little too excited at that particular time."  The Lakers didn't mainain their level of play and intensity that got them that big 16 point lead. It cost them the game.

Interesting stat of the day: The Lakers only scored 2 total points the last 3:32 of play.

Stats of the game:

Lakers: K. Bryant-36 points, 5 rebounds. L. Odom-15 points, 12 rebounds. P. Gasol-15 point, 11 rebounds.

Mavericks: D. Nowitzki-28 points, and 14 rebounds. J. Terry-15 points. J. Kidd-7 points, 11 assists, and 5 rebounds.

The Memphis Grizzlies Are For Real

Who would have thought the Memphis Grizzlies, not the #1 seeded San Antonio Spurs would have prevailed out of the first round of the NBA Playoffs? Probably not many.

The Grizzlies won game 1 on the Oklahoma City Thunder's home court by the score of 114-101.

The Thunder had huge games from their two big stars Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant. But when you give up 18 turnovers as a team, and also lose the rebounding aspect of the game, chances are you are not going to win.

The Grizzlies on the other hand had huge games from big men Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, both of whom had double-doubles. But why are the Grizzlies just now playing so well? Memphis is getting huge production from everyone, period. With the defense from veterans Shane Battier and Tony Allen, to rebounding from Randolph and Gasol, everyone has been equally huge. Even point guard Mike Conley has really come into his own and become a very good distributor. The Grizzlies bench is even producing. Having a player like O.J. Mayo to come off the bench is huge. They are a real threat to beat the Thunder, but we'll have to wait and see.

If the Grizzlies do beat the Thunder, this could have a huge ripple effect for the reigning NBA Champions Los Angeles Lakers. How huge would it be for the Lakers to have the Memphis Grizzlies do the dirty work and beat the very talented Oklahoma City Thunder for them??? Yes, I know, it's very premature to even say the Lakers will beat the Mavericks in their 2nd round matchup, and also having the Grizzlies beating the Thunder after just seeing one game of the series so far....BUT, that could possibly be one of the easiest roads to an NBA championship for the Lakers, if it came to that. I'm sure the Lakers would much rather play the Grizzlies, rather than their playoff arch rival in the Thunder. I can see the Lakers licking their chops now.....only time will tell what will happen!

Noteable stats from Game 1:

Thunder: K. Durant-33 points, 11 rebounds. R. Westbrook-29 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, and S. Ibaka-16 points, and 11 rebounds.

Grizzlies: Z. Randolph-34 points, and 10 rebounds. M. Gasol-20 points, and 13 rebounds. M. Conley-15 points, and 7 assists.

Grizzlies out rebounded 45-42. Grizzlies had more assists 21-16. Grizzlies had less turnovers 7-18. Grizzlies shot 49.4% compared to Thunder's 44.9%.