NBA Playoffs 2011: Memphis Grizzlies vs. OKC Thunder Game 1 Report Card
The Memphis Grizzlies' Cinderella run through the NBA playoffs continued Sunday with a 114-101 victory over Oklahoma City in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinal series.
After eliminating the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, the Grizzlies looked like the fresher team despite their road-weary legs and the extra rest that the Thunder had after dispatching of the Denver Nuggets in five games.
As was the story with their shocking domination of the 61-win Spurs, the Grizzlies front line of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol controlled the paint and that opened up the perimeter for their stall of outside shooters.
This has the look of a long series, but Memphis stole home court and the early edge.
Here are the grades for Game 1's performances.
PG- Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies
1 of 14
Game stats: 39 minutes, 15 points, seven assists, two steals.
Grade: B
Analysis: Conley struggled from the floor, making just 5-of-13 shots, but he controlled the tempo and had a nice floor game with seven assists and zero turnovers. His defense on Russell Westbrook and turnover-free performance should be lauded.
PG- Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
2 of 14
Game stats: 38 minutes, 29 points, six assists, eight rebounds, seven turnovers.
Grade: C-
Analysis: Westbrook wasn't terrible, but he still isn't back to his old self after his Game 4 meltdown against Denver. He seems to be in his own head, letting his emotions affect his game and he needs to pull out of this funk or Oklahoma City is in trouble.
Westbrook is over-thinking when to shoot and when to pass, which is never good for a point guard. One time late in the first half he made a great drive and appeared to have a wide-open layup, but threw a terrible pass over his left shoulder to Sam Young instead of finishing. The sooner he gets back to just playing, the sooner the Thunder get back in this series.
SG- Tony Allen, Memphis Grizzlies
3 of 14
Game stats: 23 minutes, 12 points, four rebounds.
Grade: C
Analysis: Allen was solid offensively, but didn't have the same impact on the defensive end that he had in the San Antonio series as just about everyone on the Thunder shot it well.
He was also the only player on the Grizzlies to have a plus-minus in the negative, with Memphis at minus-7 when Allen was on the floor. He'll need to be more than a trash-talking intimidator for this run to continue.
SG- Thabo Sefolosha, Oklahoma City Thunder
4 of 14
Game stats: 25 minutes, five points.
Grade: F
Analysis: Talk about being invisible and having no impact. I know Sefolosha rarely scores a lot and his role is as a defensive stopper, but the numbers you see above are all he contributed on Sunday. He had goose eggs in assists, steals and rebounds, but did manage to log a single turnover.
You can be on the floor for half the game and accidentally grab a loose ball or rebound, can't you?
SF- Sam Young, Memphis Grizzlies
5 of 14
Game stats: 25 minutes, six points, three rebounds.
Grade: C-
Analysis: Young had a nice series against the Spurs, averaging just under 10 points and three rebounds, but never seemed to get into the flow of Game 1. He is a capable outside shooter, hitting 38 percent of his threes in the first round and 51 percent overall.
A strong finisher at the rim, Young should look to use his strong, bulky frame as an advantage in his matchup against the lanky Kevin Durant.
SF- Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
6 of 14
Game stats: 44 minutes, 33 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks.
Grade: A
Analysis: Durant was spectacular in Game 1, doing everything in his power to rally the Thunder, but he couldn't get enough support. He hit 11-of-21 from the floor and dominated the boards. He continues to grow as a leader as well, as he was seen numerous times throughout the second half encouraging his teammates through the tough stretches and nearly pulling them out entirely.
As unstoppable as KD was in the opener, his efforts likely won't be enough moving forward unless his supporting cast shows up.
PF- Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies
7 of 14
Game stats: 38 minutes, 34 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals.
Grade: A+
Analysis: When this series returns to Memphis, the crowd at FedEx Forum will likely be chanting "M-V-P" every time Randolph touches the rock, and deservedly so. Randolph isn't going to win league MVP in 2011, but if he keeps this up he'll have a shot at winning Finals MVP, which would be even better.
Randolph continues to baffle defenders with a slew of low-post moves, and his outside touch is feathery soft. He has been the best player in the 2011 postseason thus far and there's no reason to think that is going to change.
PF- Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder
8 of 14
Game stats: 37 minutes, 16 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks.
Grade: B
Analysis: So Ibaka couldn't stop Randolph or Marc Gasol. Get in line.
Ibaka was great in Game 1, providing the Thunder with much-needed offense and making his presence felt on the defensive end with five rejections. Ibaka was 7-for-14 from the floor, and while I'm sure Scott Brooks would like his shot numbers to go down, he took advantage of the opportunities at hand.
C- Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
9 of 14
Game stats: 35 minutes, 20 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks, three assists.
Grade: A+
Analysis: Maybe General Manager Chris Wallace did know what he was doing when he traded Pau Gasol for brother Marc and a slew of nobodies. Whether he did or not doesn't matter because the swap is finally paying dividends for Memphis.
Gasol was as unstoppable as his partner in crime, Randolph, hitting his last six shots and giving the Grizzlies another double-double. He also made life very difficult for any Thunder player who attempted to enter the paint.
It's early in the series and the Lakers are still alive, but if Gasol and Randolph continue to play at this level, we could see a repeat of the 1999 run put on by the eighth-seeded New York Knicks.
C- Kendrick Perkins, Oklahoma City Thunder
10 of 14
Game stats: 29 minutes, two points, six rebounds.
Grade: F
Analysis: This isn't what the Thunder traded for. Perkins was dominated by the Grizzlies frontcourt on Sunday, something that you don't see often from the former Boston Celtic.
Perkins is a defensive stalwart and will have better days in this series, but didn't defend or rebound, and didn't make a basket until the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Memphis Grizzlies Bench
11 of 14
Game stats: 27 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, three blocks, plus-44 on the floor.
Grade: A
Analysis: The numbers aren't overwhelming and no one player stood out, but when your four bench players combine for a plus-44 on the floor, it was a good day at the office.
Shane Battier led the unit with 11 points and five rebounds and Greivis Vasquez continues to provide energy. Like just about every other area of Game 1, Memphis' bench dominated Oklahoma City's.
Oklahoma City Thunder Bench
12 of 14
Game stats: 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals, minus-26 on the floor.
Grade: F
Analysis: A second unit is expected to change the tempo and direction of a game when starters are struggling early, and no one on the Thunder bench emerged in Game 1.
James Harden continues to be silent and Eric Maynor and Nick Collison didn't fare any better. I know he's an enigma, but playing Nate Robinson may not have been such a bad idea in this case. Robinson can score with the best of them, something everyone outside of Durant and Ibaka struggled to do in Game 1.
The Thunder's second unit must be better in the future or Oklahoma City's postseason stay is bound to end early.
Coach- Lionel Hollins, Memphis Grizzlies
13 of 14
Grade: A
Analysis: Hollins' star continues to brighten. He did a great job getting his team ready to play less than 48 hours after an emotionally charged series victory over the heavily-favored Spurs.
Not only were they ready to play, the Grizzlies were the better team from the opening minutes of Game 1. Memphis never trailed after the midway point of the opening quarter.
Coach- Scott Brooks, Oklahoma City Thunder
14 of 14
Grade: D
Analysis: Brooks had the more rested bunch and extra time to prepare for the Grizzlies, and yet his team looked befuddled from the start.
His defensive strategy was poor and the player rotation was a mess. Brooks better spend the next few days patching up whatever rift stands between him and his star point guard, Westbrook, because until that is healed, the Thunder is going to have trouble functioning properly.
