NBA Playoffs 2011: Jason Terry Talks to B/R About the Thunder-Grizzlies Series
Thanks to their emphatic four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jason Terry and the Dallas Mavericks were the first team to reach the conference finals round of the NBA playoffs.
Now, they get to rest (to a degree) for a few days before the outcome of the series between the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder is decided.
However, the Mavericks aren't just sitting around. Jason Terry is promoting his player edition Reebok ZigSlash shoes, and the team is hard at work scouting Memphis and Oklahoma City.
Yesterday, I got a chance to talk with Terry about his shoes and the playoffs. Terry had a lot to say about both of the teams the Mavericks might play in the next round and clued me in on some of the things he and his teammates are watching this series.
An Exciting Brand of Basketball
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The Dallas Mavericks are paying very close attention to the series between the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jason Terry has noticed what a lot of us have: These teams are young, fast and exciting.
Of his two potential opponents in the next round, Terry said, "In Oklahoma City and Memphis, you have two young teams that are very athletic, and they love to get out in the open floor."
Most people enjoy watching that kind of game. Mavericks players and coaches are watching from a different angle than those fans. They're watching to learn how to exploit the way these young teams play.
Terry said, "If you can take care of the ball against either one of those teams and not turn the ball over, they struggle in the half court offensively."
The Mavericks, and we fans, have seen that throughout this series.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook
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After talking with Jason Terry, it's clear to me that the two players in this series that he and the Mavericks are most interested in watching are Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
They combined to average nearly 50 points a game during the season. They're averaging just fewer than 60 a game during the postseason.
Jason Terry had this to say of the exciting young duo: "Durant and Westbrook, they’re the head. The head of the snake. You gotta pay special attention to them."
"Without those two players, that team would not be a playoff team."
He added this about Westbrook: "He’s fierce in transition. He’s non-stop. He’s always attacking. When you have a guy like that, you’re always on your toes."
Watching Westbrook in this series has been a lot of fun for Jason Terry. As we talked about the Thunder's young point guard, I sensed some real respect in the tone of Terry's voice.
He went on to say, "He reminds me a lot of Derrick Rose with his athletic ability. And I don’t think we’ve seen anything like those two, from an athletic standpoint, at the point guard position. Allen Iverson, Steve Francis, those two come to mind for me."
Terry and I also discussed the rumors concerning a possible feud between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
The Mavericks shooting guard had this to say on the matter: "It’s definitely the media’s creation. Those two have had tremendous success since they played with Oklahoma."
He then added, "You’re gonna have critics in this game. For them, they’re gonna have to deal with that."
Like I said at the start of this slide, the Mavericks are definitely paying close attention to both Westbrook and Durant as they watch this series.
Grizzlies Frontcourt
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Terry had a lot of good things to say about the Grizzlies, but reserved most of his praise for their impressive frontcourt.
Talking about Memphis' bigs, Terry said, "Zach Randolph is an All-Star. He’s worth all the money they gave him. He’s the biggest threat." He added, "Then you have Marc Gasol, who can post up also."
As Dallas watches this series, it's definitely paying attention to these players and thinking of ways to create matchup problems with its own frontcourt.
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Thunder Frontcourt
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The Mavericks are hard at work scouting the Thunder's frontcourt as well.
They're watching the way that Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins play defense inside together. During our interview, Terry said, "Perkins is one of the best post defenders in the league."
Watching the talented bigs of both Memphis and Oklahoma City going at it has helped the Mavericks understand what they will need to do in the next round.
Mike Conley
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As a guard, Jason Terry is paying close attention to the guards in this series. One thing that has caught his eye is Memphis point guard Mike Conley.
Terry feels the team's frontcourt doesn't deserve all the credit for its success. He said, "Conley’s a young guard, but he’s very active and likes to get in the paint also."
Conley's certainly been fun for NBA fans to watch during the playoffs. For Mavericks players and coaches, watching him has been educational.
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