May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts after missing a shot against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half of game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Thunder 88-84. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

I couldn’t think of a good hook to this piece, and then Durant just took the words out of my mouth: “Sometimes you’ve got to ride out the storm to get to the sunshine,” Durant said. “We’ve got to continue to keep believing in each other and believe in this process and we’ll be alright.”

As soon as Westbrook went down, you knew it was coming. The “another finals run” thought was thrown away. Then it became a question of how long Oklahoma City will show heart and maintain that.  The Thunder scrapped their way to a 4-2 series win vs. Houston, and after Game 1 of the Memphis series, you still held that ounce of hope due to a guy named Kevin Durant. Then, it all perished.

In a blink of an eye, the Thunder lost four straight after going up 1-0. Not bad losses, but stressful and frustrating losses. Losses that will make you say “damn, if only…”. Games 2, 3, and 4 by three, by six, and last night by four.

Back-to-back years losing four straight to end the season. It hurts.  It hurts bad.

But, as we all know, and as Durant said, sometimes you got to just ride out the storm to get to the sunshine. And that’s what the Thunder will do. Take this series as a learning experience, and move on. Because that’s the only thing they can do.

In terms of the learning the experience aspect of things, the guy who profited the most out of the playoffs was Reggie Jackson.  Boy, does he have a ridiculous amount of upside and potential or what? The 2011 24^th overall pick for the Thunder out of Boston College did exactly what Scott Brooks needed him to do with Westbrook out.  Last night, he finished with 16 points, and was 7-15 from the field. Jackson hit clutch free throws down the stretch in both series. He showed his progression as a player. He matured greatly, and as Magic Johnson always says, “you can’t teach experience.”

There are so many things I can say, but I just can’t spit it out. I guess the best way to explain the end to the Thunder season is what the Thunder organization emphasizes: Progress.

Scott Brooks said it well and it just goes to show you that this team’s head is held high: “You will see improvement within our group. Our guys really have improved, but they are not finished. We have a bright future.”

With a healthy Westbrook next year, and another off season for Perk and Ibaka, the Thunder are poised for another finals run next year. And, I can’t even tell you how excited I am for Westbrook to get that standing ovation in the season home opener. Until next year, its been a great and fun season. Keep your head help high, Thunder fans.

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) comes off the court after losing to the Memphis Grizzlies in game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Thunder 88-84. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Thunder lost 88-84 to the Grizzlies last night to officially end their 2012-13 season. OKC had a chance at the end to tie it, but Kevin Durant missed a jump shot that sealed the Thunder’s fate.

Game Grades:

Kevin Durant- 48 minutes, 21 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists- B

KD had one of the worst offensive performances I can ever remember him having by shooting 5-21 from the field and committing seven turnovers. He never really developed any sort of flow and it really hurt the Thunder. He was constantly getting double and triple teamed, and that will prevent anybody from getting an offensive rhythm down. Obviously he missed that last big shot for OKC, and it really was as good of a look as you can get at the end of a game. KD just wasn’t feeling it last night and because of it, the Thunder won’t be heading to the next round. I want to point out that Durant played all 48 minutes of the game, and he played his guts out. You would be hard pressed to find a harder working guy in the NBA than KD, and he proved that once again last night.

Serge Ibaka- 37 minutes, 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks- B-

Ibaka played a decent game last night. He hit a couple of jumpers on offense, and he played pretty good defense on the two Grizz big men. However, the Thunder needed much more from him throughout these playoffs and he didn’t deliver. You can’t place all the blame on Ibaka, but you sure as hell can place some of it. If he had been that guy that was an automatic mid-range jumper machine in the regular season, then I think OKC would be advancing to the conference finals instead of Memphis. I know that Ibaka is a very talented shooter as evidenced by his regular season, but he didn’t show up in the playoffs and that was a huge detriment to the team.

Reggie Jackson- 42 minutes, 16 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists- A-

Jackson was easily the best player of the playoffs not named Kevin Durant for the Thunder. He showed up pretty much every game as the second scorer behind KD, and his ability to come up big in the clutch moments was huge for them as well. Last night again he was great at getting to the rim and opening up some opportunities for other guys. His three pointer late was huge for OKC, and if KD had hit that shot a few seconds later then Reggie Jackson would be talked about across the nation today. It was awesome to see Jackson really grow as a player in these playoffs, and hopefully we see more of that next season.

Kevin Martin- 30 minutes, 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist- C-

Again Martin was virtually a non-factor for the Thunder, and it really is disappointing to see a guy as talented as Martin is to be so invisible throughout a game. I wish he had been more aggressive for OKC because they really needed his scoring last night and he could have been the difference between a win and a loss for the Thunder.

Derek Fisher- 31 minutes, 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists- B-

Fisher hit a couple of big threes, but he also missed quite a few of them. He finished 3-11 from three point range and that is not “Fisher-like” in the playoffs.

Thabo Sefolosha- 19 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists- C+

Thabo played some pretty good defense when he was in the game, but he was useless on the offensive end. Sefolosha is a good shooter, but he really didn’t give himself a chance to show it in this game. I think that he has to be more aggressive in taking perimeter shots because it really helps KD and others on the inside.

Kendrick Perkins- 17 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal- D+

I always defend Perk when people say that he shouldn’t be on the Thunder, but the way he played last night and overall in this series really makes me look wrong. Perk’s defense wasn’t very good, his offense was worse than usual, and he wasn’t very effective as a rebounder either. I know that Perk is a much better player than he showed last night, but it would have been nice if the “good Perk” had shown up.

Nick Collison- 16 minutes, 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists- B+

Collison played solid defense on Randolph throughout the game last night, but he just could not get a break from the officials. We rarely see Nick get very frustrated with the officials, but he was visibly upset with them last night. I really don’t think that he deserved all five of the fouls that he received during this game, and it shows me a lot about him that he kept his cool. Collison also made some key buckets late in the game when the Thunder were making their comeback in the fourth.

Scott Brooks- B

Brooks did a solid job with his rotations and his decisions of when to go big and when to go small. It isn’t his fault that none of his players could buy a bucket throughout the game. There may be a lot of people calling for Brooks’ job after this series, but that is absolutely ridiculous. Brooks did as good of a job as he could do without Westbrook, and he still is a very good coach in this league.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) reaches for a rebound as guard Derek Fisher (6) forward Kevin Durant (35) and Memphis Grizzlies forward Tayshaun Prince (21) look on at the FedexForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

This is it for the Oklahoma City Thunder now. Win or go home.

The Thunder haven’t been in this situation since they played the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals last season.

This is different though. The Thunder seem to be on a downward spiral in their last few games while Kevin Durant seems to be wearing down.

The good news for the Thunder is that they return home tonight. The hope is that they can steal back some of the momentum Memphis got in the last three games.

Every game has been close in this series so the Thunder shouldn’t be down on themselves too much. The most demoralizing part is simply their inability to score now with Russell Westbrook on the sidelines.

Tony Allen has drawn Durant down the stretch of the past few games and has made things very difficult for him to get into a rhythm.

Durant has in his head that he hasn’t played well the last few games. Coming back home I think we can expect a big game from him tonight.

The role players from OKC should get some confidence from Durant playing well and hopefully step up too.

Kevin Martin and Serge Ibaka played much better in the last game as the Thunder jumped out to an early, big lead. The Thunder can’t afford for either of them to take a step back tonight.

Once again, tonight’s game should be close. The Grizzlies have proven themselves late in these games while the Thunder have really started to stumble.

The game will tip at 8:30 p.m. CST and air on TNT.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) shoots a free throw in the final seconds of game four of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-97, and lead in the series 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Only eight teams in NBA history have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a seven-game series.

That’s what the Oklahoma City Thunder will have to do to advance past the Memphis Grizzlies.

After winning Game 1, the Thunder have lost the last three games and look to be in the worst shape they have been all season.

Kevin Durant looks to be wearing down, at least a little, which is unaffordable for the Thunder now that they are without Russell Westbrook too.

Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin stepped up somewhat in Game 4 but the Grizzlies showed why even that won’t be enough to beat them every time.

There’s not a lot that says this Thunder team is ready to win three games in a row against the Grizzlies.

Tonight, they will return home to Oklahoma City where they will probably have the best chance since Game 1 to come away with a win. They will have desperation on their side and a home crowd that is dying to not see this season end.

The real question is just how good this Grizzlies team is. They are on the verge of knocking off a No. 1 seed as a No. 5 seed except that the Thunder aren’t really a No. 1 seed anymore.

You could argue that the Grizzlies have the best center in the league in Marc Gasol. This used to be a huge deal but in recent history doesn’t seem as important. Nevertheless, that definitely counts for a lot and has in this series.

How many power forwards are better than Zach Randolph? Not many who are left in these playoffs. Maybe Chris Bosh or Blake Griffin or Tim Duncan. But Randolph is the only true power forward and offensive powerhouse of that bunch.

The Grizzlies pretty much have the most destructive 4-5 punch in the league and they are playing at a high level right now.

Let’s not also forget that Mike Conley is coming on as one of the breakout players of these playoffs and looking like a very solid starting point guard right now who has been torching the Thunder defense of late.

The odds seem stacked against this Thunder team as much as ever. For OKC to have a chance, we will have to see a completely different game tonight.

But if the Thunder get a win tonight, then they will just need to win once more to force a Game 7 back home. It’t not like the Thunder were blown out in Memphis. They very easily could have won both of those games.

When series change cities, the momentum can often change drastically as well. The Thunder need that to happen tonight.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson (15) shoots the ball in game four of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-97, and lead in the series 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

It’s weird to think about it with all the expectation and promise the Thunder team had coming into the 2012-2013 season, but as hard as it is to say this: Oklahoma City’s back is against the wall, as they are one, yes one, game from being eliminated from the playoffs.

Writing that, I just got a tender, grazed, and sad feeling inside of me.

However, instead of worrying about what can happen with a Thunder loss tomorrow night, it’s time to look at what needs to happen in order for  the Thunder to win three straight games and make a remarkable comeback in which only  7 teams in the NBA have ever done.

A.      Make better coaching decisions

This fact just shakes me up every time I hear it: Kevin Martin logged only 26 minutes last night. Fisher logged only three less minutes, and Jackson logged the same minutes as KD last night. At times, Fisher was on the floor over Martin with less than five minutes to go. How? Why? I don’t understand how you’re second option scoring wise, isn’t on the floor when you need a bucket late in the game.

B.    Thabo Sefolosha

Look. It’s clear others need to step up and produce with Westbrook, and Sefolosha is obviously not a known scorer in this league. But, Ibaka went for 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting, Kevin Martin delivered with 18 points off the bench and Jackson had 15. Sefolosha missed out on the party going 1-4 from the field with only five points last night. Not to mention, he let Conley go for 24 points last night.

C.    Dumb Mistakes and Turnovers

15 turnovers for the Thunder last night and only 7 for the Grizzlies. Just not going to get it done. Fisher’s turnover late with 22.6 seconds to go was a killer, and the Thunder just couldn’t take care of the ball.

I’m not counting this Oklahoma City team out, but if they want to get back into this series, it’s going to take a lot. Hopefully the Thunder can win tomorrow night, and then all the pressure is on Memphis.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) struggles to keep the ball while Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard Tony Allen (9) and Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) try to take it awash in game four of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant has been asked to do everything for the Oklahoma City Thunder since Russell Westbrook went down with his injury.

For the most part, Durant has exceeded any expectations we could have had of him doing this. He’s averaging 33.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 44.7 minutes per game since Westbrook’s injury.

But these last few games against the Grizzlies, Durant appears to be wearing down.

The Thunder fell behind 3-1 in the Western Conference Semifinals last night as they lost to the Grizzlies 103-97 in overtime. Durant played 48 minutes including the entire second half and overtime and shot 10-for-27 from the field.

In the fourth quarter and overtime, Durant scored just five points.

Durant may physically be able to handle playing this amount of minutes and at times he can still appear like it doesn’t faze him but there is simply no reason not to buy him at least a little rest. It’s the mental fatigue that seems to be getting to Durant more than anything as Memphis has made him work harder than ever to get shots and get open.

During the regular season, Durant’s normal rest came with around three minutes to go in the first and third quarters. Then he would either start the next quarter or come in shortly after it started. This way he was still able to play 40-plus minutes when need be and the Thunder wouldn’t have to play lineups with Durant and Westbrook on the bench.

With Westbrook gone, that is now impossible. That doesn’t mean Durant needs to play all 48 though. His rest time just needs to be altered.

There’s no reason not to rest Durant for the first three minutes of the second and fourth quarters until that first TV timeout. This way he gets the entire quarter break and then an extra TV timeout so he can finish the games fresher.

Scott Brooks has made it a habit for these last two seasons of playing Durant the entire second half in close games. More often than not, you will notice Durant’s shot not falling as much at the end of these games.

This has been the case in the last two games of this series. Durant needs that break. His teammates aren’t making it an easy decision for Brooks since they have an incredibly difficult time scoring with KD on the bench but the rest is still necessary.

Don’t expect this to be employed the rest of this series though. The Thunder have their backs against the wall now down 3-1 and Brooks is more likely to play KD the entire game than deciding to finally start giving him some rest.

Game 5 will be tomorrow night in OKC.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Duran (35) drives against Memphis Grizzlies forward Tayshaun Prince (21) at the FedexForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

The Thunder lost in overtime 103-97 last night to the Grizzlies, and they are now on the brink of elimination as they trail 3 games to 1 in the series.

Game Grades:

Kevin Durant- 48 minutes, 27 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists- B

KD had a great first half, and then he hit three consecutive shots to open the second and then he simply fell apart. He finished the game missing 12 of his last 14 shots, and he didn’t rise to the occasion when his team needed him the most, even though he hit the game tying shot to send it to overtime. Now in his defense, he was consistently getting double and triple teamed, and was getting fouled pretty much every time he touched the ball. However, a guy that talented has to be able to do more than he did down the stretch for OKC.

Serge Ibaka- 37 minutes, 17 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks- B+

Ibaka finally showed up last night for the Thunder. He was great in the first half on the offensive end, hitting quite a few jumpers to help take some of the pressure off of Durant. He wasn’t quite as effective in the second half, but it was nice to see Ibaka finally show some life on offense.

Kevin Martin- 26 minutes, 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist-B-

Martin played a good first half, and then just like Ibaka he disappeared in the second. Martin’s offense would have been greatly appreciated by KD and company in the fourth quarter and overtime, but he just couldn’t get it going. If Martin can somehow string together two good halves of basketball, then the Thunder would be able to advance far into these playoffs. However, we haven’t seen him do it yet, and I don’t think it will happen.

Reggie Jackson- 48 minutes, 15 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds-A-

Jackson is a less talented Russell Westbrook. That is exactly the type of player he is. Jackson is a great attacker, he is fearless in the pressure moments, and he sometimes makes a boneheaded play that screws you over. This all sounds like things that Westbrook does, and it is something that OKC needs. I am glad that Jackson brings this to the table every game for the Thunder, because he is the only guy that consistently brings it other than KD.

Derek Fisher- 26 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover- C+

Fisher made one big three in overtime and that was it. We have expected Fisher to produce for OKC in these playoffs, and tonight he didn’t show up. The Thunder need his perimeter shooting to help their offense function and a big reason why it floundered last night was because of Fisher. He also had an extremely costly turnover at the end of overtime that pretty much killed OKC’s chances.

Thabo Sefolosha-29 minutes, 5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal-B-

Thabo’s defense was pretty good on Mike Conley throughout the night as he held him to 7-21 shooting, but his offense continues to be absent in these playoffs. I know that he is not a very good offensive player to start with, but he has shown that he can hit outside shots, and he hasn’t done that in these playoffs.

Kendrick Perkins- 24 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds 1 block- B

Perk was decent on defense in this game, and he made one huge defensive stop for them at the end of the fourth quarter. But his inability to do anything on offense really prevents Scott Brooks from being able to play him a lot. Perk is great on defense, but he is so bad offensively that it prevents him from seeing a lot of time on the floor.

Nick Collison- 22 minutes, 10 points, 3 rebounds 3 blocks- B+

I really feel bad for Nick Collison. He plays his heart out, and makes big plays for the Thunder and he is rewarded with six fouls. Collison plays some of the scrappiest basketball I have ever seen, and he is very important to this basketball team. He played solid defense on Randolph and had some key offensive plays as well. He just gets called for so many fouls, he never gets appreciated the way he should.

Scott Brooks- B

Brooks managed the lineups very well throughout the game, and overall he managed a solid game. It really was not his fault the Thunder lost, and it is hard to give him a bad grade because of this.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) drives between Memphis Grizzlies forwards Tayshaun Prince (21) and Zach Randolph (50) at the FedexForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies rallied from a 17-point deficit in the first half to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-97 in an overtime thriller to take a 3-1 series lead. It was a must-win game for OKC, and they stumbled short of that goal.

For the Thunder, Kevin Durant lead with 27 points and seven boards, and Serge Ibaka and Reggie Jackson contributed with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Kevin Martin came off the bench and played well, adding 18 points in the effort.

Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley all had 20-plus point games, 23, 23, and 24 respectively. Conley was particularly ridiculous behind the arc in the first half, knocking down his first three attempts from deep.

OKC played first quarter extremely well, taking a 29-18 lead at the end of the first and closing on a 14-2 run. It was the first time in this series that there has been a double-digit lead after the first quarter.

In particularly exciting series of events, a Thunder block led to fast break, that resulted in Reggie Jackson’s pass getting tipped. He then recovered the ball and dished it to Durant who put it up from behind the arc and sank the tre ball.

OKC lead by as many as 17 in the first half, but the Grizzlies clawed back in it to bring the deficit to just eight points, 56-48, at the break.

Memphis scored the first four points in a row in the second half and brought it within four, but OKC responded with an 8-0 run to take over the lead 64-52.

But the Grizzlies would not succumb to hibernation so easily.

They surged back against the Thunder early in the third quarter to make it a two-point game, and the FedEx Forum absolutely came alive, while the Thunder were struggling to find answers for the sudden burst of life from their opponent.

Memphis tied it at 72 with a pair of free throws from Gasol, with under two minutes to play in the third quarter. Nick Collison put the Thunder back on top with a made pair of free throws, but Memphis was on the offensive still.

The game got very close and gritty at the end, and the Grizzlies and Thunder slugged back and forth, re-taking the lead from each other for the majority of the fourth quarter.

Kevin Durant, with 10 seconds left, drove straight to the basket and finger-rolled it in to tie the game at 94-all. Memphis had a chance to win it with six seconds left, but Perkins made a huge defensive play: he prevented Randolph from getting off a good last shot, which sent Game 4 into overtime.

Two years ago in the playoffs, OKC and Memphis went to three overtimes in Game 4, with the Thunder ultimately being the victors. This time, it would be Memphis that won in overtime.

Memphis scored the first four points in OT to take their largest lead of the night, 98-94. OKC responded, but did not have enough in the tank to overtake the Grizzlies for a final time. Throughout this series they have consistently struggled down the stretch, and as a result they find themselves in a 3-1 hole before going back home.

Oklahoma City needs to find a solution to Memphis’ endurance, or they will find themselves bounced from the playoffs much sooner than they anticipated.

Game 5 is slated to take place Wednesday, May 15, at Chesapeake Arena.

May 11, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson (15) brings the ball up court in game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder are now facing a series deficit for the first time since the Western Conference Finals last season.

The Thunder lost 87-81 in Game 3 in Memphis on Saturday afternoon as their offense went ice cold down the stretch and they couldn’t make the stops when they needed to.

Every game of this series has been close so far and it’s hard to imagine anything differently happening the rest of the way.

The Thunder’s defense has not been bad in this series and they clearly need more points to win.

Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin are the key when it comes to that. Ibaka went just 6-for-17 in Game 3 and really struggled from the field at times. Martin also has yet to replicate his Game 1 performance in which he torched Memphis for 25 points.

The Thunder are certainly trying to emphasize Ibaka in the offense and he just isn’t knocking down shots.

The starting lineup is what’s really killing the Thunder which always seems to be the case when things aren’t going well.

The Grizzlies are destroying the Thunder starters who are basically playing two on five with Kevin Durant trying to create everything.

A heavier dose of Nick Collison will be needed if the Thunder intend to come back in this series. The best Thunder fans can wish for at this point is quick, early fouls on Kendrick Perkins and maybe even an injury. It’s gotten that bad.

The Thunder can still win in spite of their starting five. They could still knock down more of their spot-up shots and ride Durant’s cape the rest of the way.

I’m not ready to say this is a must-win for the Thunder yet because they are going back to OKC in this series no matter what and the momentum will have a chance to really shift their way then. But this is very close to a must-win. The way the Thunder offense has looked against Memphis, it’s hard to imagine them mustering up enough points to beat the Grizzlies three straight times.

Tonight will tip at 8:30 p.m. CST and air on TNT.

May 5, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) reacts to a play in action against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half in game one of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder defeated the Grizzlies 93-91. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

One of the biggest problems facing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals vs. the Memphis Grizzlies has been the lack of a Serge Ibaka presence.

Ibaka is averaging just 9.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 30.8 percent from the field.

We knew going into this series that Memphis was going to be a tough matchup for Ibaka since they have two of the best true big men in the NBA.

Ibaka has come out and said that he feels the shots he is getting may be too easy and that’s what has caused him to struggle so much.

“Most of the time when you’re open that’s when it’s tough to make shots because you try to get some different focus than normally when some guys try to contest your shots,” Ibaka said. “So that’s happened.”

via The Oklahoman

I don’t know if Ibaka is getting too easy of shots. Without Russell Westbrook creating for him, his looks have definitely gone down and aren’t coming in the flow of the offense as much anymore.

Ibaka also said that he hasn’t lost any confidence in his game. It sounds mostly like he’s in his own head to an extent and just in a bit of a shooting slump on top of that.

All it will take is probably one game to get him out of it. It feels like that game will have to be Game 4 to help keep the Thunder alive in this series.

The good news is that Ibaka was able to take 17 shots in Game 3 and the Thunder will look to get him going again in Game 4. The Thunder have been in every game right down to the end in this series so if they can get a little more from Ibaka, it may push them over the edge to come back and win some games.

May 11, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) in game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder are now behind in a playoff series for the first time since the Western Conference Finals last season vs. the San Antonio Spurs.

The Thunder lost Game 3 in Memphis yesterday afternoon 87-81 and the Grizzlies now have a 2-1 series lead.

You can’t really kill the Thunder’s defense yesterday. They may not have made all of the stops they needed to down the stretch and Marc Gasol was a killer, but the Thunder only scored 81 points and that is unacceptable.

The Thunder shot 36.4 percent from the field, 27.8 percent from three and 63.2 percent from the line.

What went wrong in Game 3?

Kevin Durant beginning to wear down

Durant was playing like a superhero ever since the Russell Westbrook injury. Literally, every game since then he was able to keep his efficiency with his increased workload, something no one should have expected.

In Game 3, we saw Durant brought back down to reality for a little. He ended up with 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists but it was the easy misses that stood out. He missed a bunch of bunnies by his standards after working extra hard to get the ball and then went just 5-for-9 from the free throw line including two crucial misses with 39 seconds to play and the Thunder trailing 85-81.

It’s easy to say that Durant is being asked to do too much but that is simply the world the Thunder are living in right now. There is no other option. Yesterday was just the first time that this really looked like a problem. There’s nothing wrong with this being a problem. You just have to win four of seven in a series to advance and that is still possible.

Serge Ibaka not stepping up

I wrote right after the Westbrook injury that Ibaka was going to be affected the most by Westbrook’s absence. Westbrook captured so much of the defense’s attention and Ibaka’s consistent open looks from midrange were almost always because of Westbrook’s chaotic driving.

I am disappointed to say that I was absolutely right about this.

Ibaka isn’t ready to step up and start posting up on his own and getting shots on his own. He never had to and is a long ways away from developing that in his game. It doesn’t help either that Memphis is one of the best defensive teams in the league and one that Ibaka isn’t going to be able to get a bunch of offensive boards against.

Ibaka took 17 shots in Game 3 and made six. This was actually a good sign because before Game 3, it was hard to imagine Ibaka even getting open enough to take that many shots. The Thunder are trying hard to get him going and his confidence just wasn’t there yesterday.

Not enough small ball

Even though the Thunder went small a lot more yesterday, they need to do it more. It was a great sign to see the Thunder commit to this more than ever in Game 3 and should give Thunder fans hope going forward in this series.

How much worse is Durant at guarding Gasol than Kendrick Perkins is? Not nearly enough to make up for how much better the Thunder are on offense small vs. Memphis.

I still feel like the shots Durant is getting aren’t that tough. This could be worse. With the small lineups out there, it makes it even easier for KD.

The cure is obviously to bench Perkins and hardly ever play him again, maybe five minutes a night. The rotation totally needs to be changed to have Nick Collison start in his place otherwise this won’t work as well.

That’s not going to happen though so this is just another thing the Thunder will need to overcome in this series.

The hope

The Thunder still have Durant. Durant is the type of player that will step up when his team’s back is against the wall.

The momentum of this series can change drastically when it goes back to OKC, even if the Thunder are down 3-1 at that point.

This series is not over at all. Just because it’s been ugly for the Thunder, that doesn’t mean they are done. Who thought it wasn’t going to be ugly anyway?

The Thunder aren’t getting blown out and they probably never will against the Grizzlies. They had their chances in both of the last two games and they’ll be there again in Game 4. We’ll see if they step up.

May 11, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) sets the play against Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (50) in game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies took a 2-1 series lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday evening when they powered past them in a tight game to win 87-81.

Through three games, this series proves to be one of the most consistently competitive–but oftentimes, ugly–of this semi-final round in the 2013 NBA playoffs.

For Memphis, Marc Gasol had a gem of a game, scoring 20 points and having nine rebounds. Mike Conley and Tony Allen each dished out 14 points in the winning effort as well.

Kevin Durant–who has been putting the team on his shoulders since Russell Westbrook went down in the first round–led the team with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Reggie Jackson helped out with 16 points of his own. Serge Ibaka also played reasonably well, with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks on the night.

Durant was ice cold in the fourth quarter though–he only made one basket, and missed a pair of free throws that could have helped OKC tilt this one in their favor.

The Grizzlies and the Thunder kept it close from the opening tip-off until the final buzzer, though on a few occasions, Memphis did get their lead up to ten points. The Thunder surged back each time, and even tied it at 81 with a minute to go. It was Gasol–who had 16 of his 20 points in the second half alone–that delivered the dagger, when he sunk his free throws with 1:03 left to play to put the Grizzlies up for good. When OKC resorted to fouling to extend the game, the Grizzlies responded by nailing all six free throw attempts, and ultimately secured their win

It was an ugly game, but for Memphis it meant remaining perfect at home in the postseason.

The Thunder and the Grizzlies will clash again in Game 4 on Mon., May 13, in what is sure to be another struggle for the win.

May 7, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Nick Collison (4) fouls Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) during the second half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Has there ever been a team as good as the Oklahoma City Thunder where the general consensus is so often that the wrong players are on the floor together?

It’s really pretty crazy that the Thunder have been this good the past few years and just about everyone agrees with things like Kendrick Perkins playing too much and the Thunder not going small enough.

Perkins has value in this series against Memphis which is a huge deal for the Thunder considering that you know he is going to get a good amount of minutes. But of course, Scott Brooks is still screwing everything up with his rotation.

As Zach Lowe from Grantland pointed out, Brooks is playing Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison together about 20 percent as often as he plays Ibaka and Perkins.

That’s right. The Thunder play their two best big men together hardly ever.

The reason for this is the rotation. Of course, Perkins and Ibaka start so they are going to get those minutes and that is fine.

Collison plays mostly with the second unit. He’s out there as the only big quite often when the Thunder go small. Occasionally he will close out a game as the only big. Very rarely does he close out games alongside Ibaka or even Perkins.

It’s actually pretty weird that Collison plays so little. He played 19.5 minutes per game during the regular season and somehow he is at just 15.8 minutes per game in the postseason.

Perkins was 25.1 in the regular season and is 19.0 during the playoffs.

It’s kind of an issue of the mentality Collison has when he comes in games. He knows he’s not playing a ton so he will commit hard fouls whenever a player has an opening near the rim and he plays so hard that it actually would be hard for him to sustain for 30 minutes every night.

That’s still no excuse for Brooks.

We know just how limited the Thunder’s starting five was offensively even when they had a healthy Russell Westbrook. That has taken a huge hit now and against Memphis, who is one of the best defenses in the league, that’s a pretty big problem.

The Thunder need to try and find a way to boost their offense as much as possible and playing Collison a little more instead of Perkins would help with that.

I may be in the minority believing that Perkins is at times a better defensive option than Collison. But in this series, we know Collison is proven to be great at defending Zach Randolph in the past while Serge Ibaka continues to struggle in pick-and-roll assignments in the playoffs.

Brooks will never change the rotation. The only real hope is that Collison comes out with some big offensive games while Ibaka does the same. It will leave Brooks no choice but to go with the hot hands.

It doesn’t seem too likely that will happen in this series though.

The best bet going forward will be the smaller lineups for the Thunder that have proven to be pretty effective against Memphis so far in this series, especially since Memphis has tried to match up with them.

Game 3 is tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. CST. The series shifts to Memphis and both teams have had plenty of rest and time to think up adjustments. Hopefully, Brooks decides more Collison (with Ibaka) is needed.

May 7, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) attempts a shot against Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins (5) during the first half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Last night, the Thunder heart-breakingly lost Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals 99-93. With the series now being tied up at one, the Thunder will travel to Memphis for a critical Game 3 and 4. In terms of Game 2, there were a whole lot to take out of the loss:

Durant can’t carry the load

KD was terrific once again last night with 36 points, 11 rebounds and one assist shy of a triple double with nine. He did all he could. You could not have asked for a better performance from #35. But, when you look at the other eight guys in the rotation, they quite frankly just didn’t show up (besides Derek Fisher who had a big 19 points).

Kevin Martin: six points, 2-11 shooting.

Serge Ibaka: 11 points, on 5-12 shooting.

Thabo Sefolosha: 7 points.

Reggie Jackson: 10 points on 3-8 shooting.

That is just not going to get it done. Martin combined for 50 points in back-to-back games and Scott Brooks was counting on him for another big game. And that right there is a big problem without #0.

Turnovers and second shots

How about this stat via Royce Young of dailythunder.com? “In Game 1, the Thunder turned it over 10 times, and allowed four second chance points to the Grizzlies. In Game 2, the Thunder turned it over 21 times and allowed 23 second chance points. That’s your game in a nutshell.”

Perkins and Ibaka

The two guys who are most vital in this series are Ibaka and Perkins. It’s obvious. Yes, they do have a tough assignment having to guard Gasol and Randolph. But, something? Anything, guys? Ibaka was -6 and Perkins was -10 last night. They combined for 11 rebounds. Mike Conley had 10 rebounds himself. Not to mention, Gasol and Randolph combining for 39 points on 17-34 (50%) from the floor.

The positive is that this Oklahoma City team is great at bouncing back. As  Durant said, “We feel confident. We can’t put our heads down. We can’t be upset with ourselves because we lost. Memphis is a really good team. We’ve got to keep going forward. I think there are some things we can correct and get better at and we’ll be fine.”

May 7, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) talks to NBA official Gary Zielinski in action against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies did just what they wanted to do last night. They won one of the first two games in Oklahoma City and have stolen homecourt advantage away from the Thunder.

Mike Conley led the Grizzlies to a 99-93 victory as he nearly recorded a triple-double with 26 points, nine assists and 10 rebounds.

Kevin Durant put up gaudy numbers again going for 36 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists on 11-for-21 shooting in 43 minutes.

Now with this series tied 1-1 heading to Memphis for the next two games, is it time to panic for the Thunder?

Here’s the thing, the time to panic for the Thunder has long passed. You could have rationally panicked after the team traded away James Harden and you definitely got to panic after Russell Westbrook got hurt.

It’s really amazing more than anything else that Durant and the Thunder are good enough to hang with the Grizzlies in this series. It’s a favorable matchup for the Thunder and that’s he biggest reason why they aren’t going to get run out of the gym anytime soon.

I said before this series started that every game was going to be close. Right now, neither team can score enough to run away with a game and each team should be able to play pretty good defense on the other.

The Thunder got the win in Game 1 since to late-game heroics from Durant. In Game 2 it would be Conley and the Grizzlies coming back from behind. This is how a tightly played series goes.

Could the Thunder lose in five or six games? Sure. It’s possible. The same goes for the Grizzlies though.

The biggest issue with Game 2 was the Thunder giving up 16 offensive rebounds. Memphis is of course a team that thrives on the offensive glass and part of what makes this matchup such a good one for the Thunder is that they should be able to limit that Memphis strength. They didn’t in Game 2 and that, more than anything else, killed the Thunder.

Kevin Martin also struggled from the field going 2-for-11 and Serge Ibaka was pretty quiet again scoring 11 points on 5-for-12 shooting. Nick Collison didn’t attempt a shot in 15 minutes, turned the ball over four times and didn’t get a rebound. That can’t continue either.

The Thunder are in trouble in this series but they’ve been in trouble since Westbrook went down. Nothing new surfaced after Game 2.

The Thunder will be in for a close battle in this series. They just need to continue making adjustments game-by-game and hope that Durant continues to play like a god.

May 7, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts to a play against the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Thunder lost game two 99-93 to the Grizzlies last night, and that evens the series up 1-1 as the series heads to Memphis.

Game Grades:

Kevin Durant- 43 minutes, 36 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists- A+

KD played one of the best games I have ever seen him play. He was absolutely torching the Grizzlies throughout the game, whether it was his scoring in the second half or his great play-making in the first. KD was pretty much the only consistent threat on offense for OKC and he nearly won this game all by himself for the Thunder. I continue to say that LeBron is hands down the best player in the league, but KD is making himself a good case in these playoffs.

Serge Ibaka- 38 minutes, 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks- C

Ibaka has easily been the biggest disappointment of the playoffs for the Thunder in my opinion. He has been a complete non-factor on offense and his defense hasn’t been as great as we have come to expect it to be. He gets a lot of open jump shots thanks to KD, and he hasn’t been able to knock them down. He is going to have to step up his game if the Thunder want to win this series.

Kevin Martin- 29 minutes, 6 points, 1 assist, 1 steal- D

Martin had come off two 25  point performances in his last two games and he totally stunk up the joint in this one. I was really surprised because I thought that Martin had finally found his rhythm in these playoffs. If Martin had been half as effective as he was in game one, then the Thunder would have won this game. OKC needs Martin to knock down perimeter shots and be aggressive in taking the ball to the basket to take some pressure off of KD. He did not do this last night and that was a big reason why they lost.

Thabo Sefolosha- 23 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists- B

Thabo had a decent game last night. He hit some early shots to get the Thunder started and played solid defense throughout the game. I still would like to see him hit more perimeter shots when he gets them. Because of KD’s ability to take it to the basket, Thabo gets a lot of open looks.

Derek Fisher- 26 minutes, 19 points, 1 assist, 1 steal- A

Fisher should be named MVP of this team when the playoffs end. Well, that is a bit extreme but Fisher really was playing like one during the first half of this game. He was carrying the offense by hitting a bunch of tough three point shots, and he even hit some nice jumpers  in the lane. Fisher was the only guy not named KD that had any type of success on the offensive end for OKC, and that will have to change if they want to advance in these playoffs.

Reggie Jackson- 29 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists- C+

Jackson had another disappointing game last night as he only scored 10 points for OKC, and that is not enough to take pressure off of KD. Jackson is a very talented player, and he has to be more aggressive in going to the hoop to draw more attention to himself, which will give Durant more opportunities.

Kendrick Perkins- 4 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block- B-

Perk was solid on defense, but he was awful on the offensive end. Now, we have come to expect really bad offense out of Perk but I thought last night may have been his worse offensive game as a pro. He did hit some big free throws late in the game, but other than that he did not do one positive thing for OKC on offense.

Nick Collison- 15 minutes, 0 points, 1 assist, 4 turnovers- B+

Collison’s line may look like he did nothing for the Thunder last night, but he really played some great defense on Zach Randolph. Randolph did finish with 15 points on 6-12 shooting, but when Collison was defending him he really struggled to put the ball in the basket.

Hasheem Thabeet- 13 points, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 2 fouls-B

Thabeet did exactly what the Thunder needed him to do when he was put into the game. He was a big body that was used to try and disrupt the Grizzlies inside post game. He also is a decent screener on the offense end.

Scott Brooks- B

I think Brooks managed the lineups pretty well in this game. He used small lineups when he needed to, and he rotated his big guys fairly well. I do think that he shouldn’t have kept Durant on the bench for so long to start the fourth quarter.

May 5, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Quincy Pondexter (20) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Kevin Martin (23) during the second half in game one of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder defeated the Grizzlies 93-91. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Thanks to some late game heroics from Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder are up 1-0 vs. the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Game 2 is tonight and it’s time to see how these teams adjust.

The Grizzlies found out in Game 1 that the Thunder can contain their bigs. They will need others to step up. Aside from a small stretch in the first half where Jerryd Bayless got hot, Memphis didn’t get much else from players not named Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, who combined for 38 points and 20 rebounds.

Durant stole the show for OKC going for 35 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. He just continues to play at an unreal level since the Russell Westbrook injury and has completely put this team on his back.

In the final 7:20 of Game 1, Durant scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a dagger with 11 seconds left to give the Thunder a 91-90 lead.

Durant was able to do pretty much whatever he wanted in Game 1. The looks he got were not too tough and this is something the Grizzlies need to change going forward in this series.

Another huge lift for the Thunder came from Kevin Martin, who scored 25 points off the bench for the second consecutive game. Martin hit some difficult shots and took the Grizzlies defense by surprise a few times. Look for Memphis to concentrate much more on Martin now.

The Thunder won Game 1 despite Serge Ibaka shooting 1-for-10 from the field. It would be nearly impossible for Ibaka to do any worse. Ibaka’s defense down the stretch on Randolph was very solid though and he even blocked his shot a few times.

Every game in this series promises to be close. I doubt tonight will be any different.

The game will tip at 8:30 p.m. CST on TNT.

May 5, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) during the second half in game one of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder defeated the Grizzlies 93-91. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve seen one game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies.

The Thunder came away with the Game 1 victory, winning 93-91 thanks mostly to Kevin Durant’s go-ahead, pull-up jumper in transition with 11 seconds to go.

Durant dominated the game putting up 35 points, 15 rebounds and six assists on 13-for-26 shooting. More importantly, he scored 12 points in the final 7:20 in the game on 6-of-7 shooting.

The Thunder contained Memphis’ big men, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. The two combined for 38 points and 20 rebounds but the Thunder still held their own, especially when they needed to down the stretch.

It was just one game though and the Thunder are very happy to come away with the win, especially since it was at home. What is going to change tonight and in the games after in this series?

Ibaka and Martin

The Thunder got 25 points from Kevin Martin while Serge Ibaka shot 1-for-10 from the field. Expect those two things to balance out and the Thunder shouldn’t expect much more. Ibaka can definitely play better and knock down more shots but he’s not going to dominate the offensive glass like he did against Houston and it will be tough for him to have games where he scores 20-plus points.

Martin should see Tony Allen on him more in this series and Allen should do a better job shutting him down. Martin caught Allen sleeping on a few backdoor cuts in Game 1 that will be tough to come by the rest of the series. As shaky as Martin looks even when he’s got it going, Martin is still a veteran and confident in his abilities. I may be underestimating him.

Conley

The Grizzlies need someone else to step up on offense. OKC will live with Allen and Tayshaun Prince shooting from the perimeter. Mike Conley will be the key for the Grizzlies. If he can get into the lane and create, it will open up a lot of things for the Grizzlies’ offense. He was quiet in Game 1 and will look to be more aggressive going forward.

Playing away from OKC

Winning at home will be crucial for the Thunder. Memphis has underratedly one of the best home crowds and it will be tough to win a game away from the Peake. The Grizzlies have a homecourt advantage that can totally turn the momentum in a series.

Small lineups

The Thunder are able to go small against the Grizzlies and have a big advantage. This was not the case at all against Houston, who was better off playing small ball than OKC was.

When the Thunder went small in Game 1, Memphis matched up with them. If this continues to be the case, and I think it will, then the Thunder are looking good. Memphis needs to stick to their strength at all times with two bigs on the floor and playing physical.

The best time for the Thunder to go small is when Memphis is resting Z-Bo or Gasol. That’s when they did it in Game 1 and if the Grizzlies keep trying to match up with the Thunder here, OKC will continue to torch them with their small lineups.

Durant

Durant has to eventually start looking more like a human being right? How can he continue to put up these stat lines while being so efficient? Durant is due to have a really tough shooting night some time in this series. Not just because the percentages have to balance out eventually but because Memphis is a great defense.

In Game 1, even with how great Durant was, he could have been better. The looks he got were very easy and unless they get much tougher, the Thunder will be in great shape to win this series. KD missed about five shots in the game that are usually automatic for him.

Memphis needs to make some adjustments on defending Durant. I suspect it will be more double-teaming or possibly using Allen on him for stretches. Durant just had no issue with Prince trying to stick him.

What does this mean?

A lot of people are saying that the Thunder played a great game in Game 1 and Memphis could have been better and that Memphis still looks like they have the advantage in the series. I disagree to an extent. Both teams can play better and the Thunder’s continued improvement without Westbrook was again evident in Game 1 and there were a lot of good things to take away from the win. I don’t feel like the Thunder stole one and I don’t feel like the Thunder gave the Grizzlies their best punch.

Every game in this series will continue to be low-scoring and close. This style will bode well for the Thunder in the post-Westbrook world. They can play great defense without him, especially against the conventional lineups of Memphis.

Durant is still the best player in this series. I’m not always one to say this is the most important thing in the world but in this case, I think it is.

24 hours have past since the Game 1, 93-91 victory, and yet….I’m still extremely emotional.

Martin’s spurt and production in the second and third quarter. Fisher’s timely threes. Durant’s go-ahead jumper with 11 seconds to go. Jackson’s cold-blooded free throws to seal the deal.

It all goes back to same point of emphasis about this Thunder team. They’re resilient. They’re tough. They’re experienced. And yeah, they still got #35.

But, is this game that vital and that important?

Yes. It was crucial.

Why? I’ll tell you.

Game 1 was a MUST win. If Oklahoma City lost in Game 1, they were in deep trouble. Not only in the aspect of losing and having to go and get one in Memphis, but in the aspect of mentally. Basketball is a pure mental game. If Oklahoma City lost Game 1, not only would the guys in the locker room lose hope, but so would the whole city of Oklahoma. “We can’t win without Westbrook.” “We can’t get by Memphis with no second option.” “Our playoff run is over.”

But, that’s not the case.

Kevin Martin chipped in a clutch performance with 25 points. Durant put matters into his own hands with 35 points on 13-26 shooting, 15 rebounds, six assists, and only three turnovers. And the Thunder snatched Game 1 after being down by nine for parts of the game.

There has got to be some belief and hope in that locker room. And why not? Why not have that arrogant and confident attitude about this emotional playoff run?

It’s amazing how quickly your perspective on the chances of another finals run can change. After Game 1 in Houston, it was through the roof. After Game 2, still high. Then the loss of Westbrook, it simmered down. After Game 3, it was still there. After Games 4 and 5, all of a sudden it disappeared. Loss of hope, faith, and confidence. And there here we are again, talking about how the Thunder can do it.

Can the momentum and energy be carried over to win three more games is the big question right now. Lets hope.

Apr 24, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) talks to NBA official Jason Phillips during play against the Houston Rockets in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder have become a vastly different team since Russell Westbrook has been out with his knee injury.

The chaos ingredient was suddenly removed from OKC’s simple offense and it has left the team much easier to defend. It’s gotten very ugly at times watching the Thunder offense. Kevin Durant is forced to do everything for large portions of the game and defenses have loaded up on him.

The defense suffered as well in the Houston Rockets series as the Thunder became less able to match up against smaller lineups.

In the Thunder’s second round matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies, Westbrook shouldn’t be missed as much as he was vs. Houston.

The main reason for this is that Westbrook traditionally struggles vs. the Grizzlies. Memphis – one of the getter defenses in the league – held Westbrook to 36.1 percent shooting this season in three games. Who can forget Westbrook’s 0-for-13 game vs. the Grizzlies a year ago?

Memphis has always been able to contain Westbrook better than most teams. The biggest reason for this is their size in the frontcourt and their ability to shut down driving lanes that Westbrook is used to having against other opponents.

Memphis slows the game down too and the hyper Westbrook often comes in out of control and out of pace against the Grizzlies. Mike Conley does a decent job against him and Tony Allen an even better one.

You can look at replacing a struggling Westbrook in two ways in this matchup:

1. Since Westbrook struggles against Memphis, then Reggie Jackson will struggle even more so.

2. It will now be easier for the Thunder to replace Westbrook since they don’t have to replace as much production.

I think that the second way will be the more accurate assessment in this series mainly because Jackson isn’t out there to play exactly how Westbrook did and Russ’ absence opens up other options for the Thunder, options that may actually be better choices in this matchup vs. Memphis.

There will be much less possessions in this series vs. Memphis than against Houston. That’s a good thing for the Thunder since they have Durant and Memphis doesn’t. Durant’s also playing out of his mind right now and posting the highest usage rate of his life, which in this series is an upgrade from Westbrook.

Durant had 35 points, 15 rebounds and six assists in yesterday’s Game 1 win. He dominated in the fourth quarter shooting 6-for-7 from the field and scoring 12 points in the final 7:20, including the go-ahead field goal with 11 seconds left.

Durant has free reign now without having to share with Westbrook. I’m not saying that is good for the long run and that the Thunder are better without Westbrook. They certainly aren’t. But against Memphis, this may actually not be so bad of a thing not having Russ, especially if he would have struggled against the Grizzlies like he normally does.

We will find out as this series goes on.

Kevin Durant has earned the title of “Best Closer” in the NBA and this afternoon in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, Durant showed why.

Durant came down to pull up for this jump shot in transition with 11 seconds left in the game to give the Thunder a 91-90 lead over the Grizzlies and complete a double-digit, second half comeback for the Thunder.

Durant finished the game with 35 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and two blocks. He scored 12 points in the final 7:20 of the game.

The Thunder have looked like they are in trouble ever since the Russell Westbrook injury but Durant has done everything in his power to make us forget about that. He’s averaging 35.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists in five games without Westbrook in the playoffs. He’s also shooting 50.8 percent from the field in that time.

The Thunder are going to need Durant to keep playing at this level to have a chance to get past the Grizzlies in this series. Memphis is used to coming from behind already in these playoffs as they lost the first two games of their first round series vs. the Los Angeles Clippers before going on to win the next four.

The way Memphis defended Durant, it looks like he will be able to continue to dominate unless they change something. The Grizzlies used Tayshaun Prince on Durant for most of the game and gave him little help. Durant even missed a bunch of shots that he usually knocks down.

Like the Houston series, expect the Grizzlies to start loading up on Durant even more the rest of the series. It will become even more important as the series goes on for Kevin Martin, Serge Ibaka and Reggie Jackson to step up.

May 5, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) handles the ball against Memphis Grizzlies guard Tayshaun Prince (21) during the first half in game one of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Rockets defeated the Thunder 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant scored 12 of his 35 points in the final 7:20 of the game as the Oklahoma City Thunder came back to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 93-91 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Marc Gasol made a baseline shot over Kendrick Perkins with 1:07 left to give Memphis a 90-87 lead.

Durant made a driving pull-up jump shot on the Thunder’s next possession and then a steal when Memphis got the ball back.

The Thunder didn’t call timeout after Durant’s steal and he came down the floor and pulled up for a 19-foot jumper in transition to give OKC a 91-90 lead with 11 seconds left.

The comeback almost looked like it might be wasted when Reggie Jackson fouled Quincy Pondexter on a three-point attempt with one second left and the Thunder leading by three but Pondexter would miss the first free throw attempt, allowing the Thunder to hold on.

Durant added 15 rebounds (all defensive), six assists and two blocks to his 35 points. He shot 13-for-26 from the field and went 9-for-10 from the free throw line.

The Thunder received a big lift from Kevin Martin off the bench. Martin scored 25 points for the second consecutive game, shooting 8-for-14 from the field in 32 minutes.

Gasol and Zach Randolph combined for 38 points and 20 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies. Overall, the Thunder did a decent job containing the two Memphis bigs.

Both teams got out to really slow shooting starts as Memphis led Oklahoma City 16-14 after the first quarter. The teams got warmed up though in the second where OKC outscored the Grizzlies 33-30.

Both teams did an excellent job holding on to the ball. The Thunder turned it over just 10 times while Memphis just 11 times, but two of those came in the final 17 seconds.

The Thunder would outscore the Grizzlies 29-18 in the fourth quarter. Durant played the entire second half and completely took over down the stretch.

The Thunder needed this Game 1 win. They wouldn’t have wanted to waste such a great performance by Martin and some more clutch three-point shooting by Derek Fisher (2-for-2 in the fourth). Serge Ibaka really struggled offensively however shooting just 1-for-10 from the field and missing a big free throw with 1:21 left in the game.

The Thunder can still get better but so can the Grizzlies. This series really feels like every game will be close as both teams played great defense and neither offense seems to have enough fire power to run away from the other team.

Game 2 will be Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. CST in OKC and will be on TNT.

May 3, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) drives the ball on a fast brea during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets in game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The second round of the NBA Playoffs begins today with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies kicking things off in OKC.

Both the Thunder and Grizzlies finished off their first round opponents Friday night in Game 6’s. The Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 103-94 and Memphis beat the Los Angeles Clippers 118-105.

Both of these teams’ series changed after the first two games. The Thunder saw Russell Westbrook go down with an injury that will keep him sidelined for the rest of the playoffs. Adjusting without Russ was very difficult.

Memphis lost the first two games of its series vs. the Clippers before coming back and winning four straight thanks to Zach Randolph averaging 26 and 10 in those last four games.

This series promises to be very different for both of these teams than their first round series were.

Oklahoma City will see a much more formidable defense than what Houston had. Memphis has the Defensive Player of the Year in Marc Gasol and a solid line of defense up and down their roster.

The Thunder saw their offense become much more stagnant since the Westbrook injury and that was against a poor defensive team in Houston. While OKC made some progress without Russ, things will be much more difficult vs. Memphis. Expect the open spot-up looks to decrease and life on Kevin Durant will get tougher as well.

Memphis had their way with the Clipper in the first round inside. If there is one team that can match Memphis’ bigs, it is the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Kendrick Perkins will be relevant again in this series and Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison will play much more important roles than they did vs. Houston. Memphis’ style of play actually sets up better for the Thunder in the post-Westbrook world. Playing more conventional lineups will be much easier for the Thunder and they won’t have to worry about going small to match up.

The key in this series will be how Memphis decides to defend Durant. They may try and play him somewhat straight up to ensure the other Thunder players don’t beat them or they may load up on KD whenever he touches the ball.

Either way, the Thunder are going to need others to step up and they should simply expect Durant to average 35.5 points per game like he did the last four games vs. Houston.

Reggie Jackson has done well in Westbrook’s spot. He has had success attacking in transition and sometimes in the pick-and-roll finishing at the rim. He still needs to make better decisions overall but he’s improving every game.

Kevin Martin may be the most important player in this series. Without him scoring at least 15 points every game, the Thunder probably won’t have a chance. He woke up in Game 6 vs. Houston scoring 21 of his 25 points in the first half and the Thunder will need more of that from him.

Collison seems to be the key to get Martin going. They have developed a nice two-man game this season and Martin seems to score much more when Collison is on the floor with him. Collison will of course be very valuable in defending Randolph as well and should see a lot of minutes in this series.

Ibaka is the final piece of the puzzle for the Thunder. He has been up and down in the playoffs. He seemed to have the most success when he could dominate the offensive glass vs. Houston, something that will be much more difficult to pull off vs. Memphis.

Ibaka should see more opportunities in the pick-and-pop and the Thunder ball handlers need to get him touches to get his confidence going. Ibaka will need to slow down Randolph and not bite on every pump fake that’s thrown at him. If he can help dominate the paint and really limit the Memphis bigs, OKC will be in good shape to win the series.

The Thunder have homecourt advantage and never before have they needed it as much. Memphis will look to steal one of these first two in OKC and the Thunder really can’t afford to let one slip away.

The Thunder and Grizzlies both have proven that they can win on the road in these playoffs which may result in this series gong seven.

The game will tip at noon CST and air nationally on ABC.

Mar 20, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (50) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Nick Collison (4) during the game at FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime with a score of 90-89. Mandatory Credit: Spruce DerdenUSA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 103-94 last night in Game 6 of the first round to advance to the second round.

The Thunder will see the Memphis Grizzlies waiting for them in Round 2.

The Grizzlies also closed out the first round last night beating the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6. Memphis lost the first two games of that series before beating the Clippers four games in a row.

The second round is now set in the Western Conference with the Thunder and Grizzlies doing battle along with the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors.

Russell Westbrook was ruled out of the playoffs and is very unlikely to return. Although there is still some hope out there.

The second round will begin tomorrow. Here’s a look at the schedule for the Thunder and Grizzlies.

Game 1
Sunday, May 5 at 1:00 p.m. EST on ABC

Game 2
Tuesday, May 7 at 9:30 p.m. EST on TNT

Game 3
Saturday, May 11 at 5:00 p.m. EST on TNT

Games 4-7 are all TBD

Game 7 between the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets is tonight. That will be the last first round game. After that game we should learn the full schedule of the second round.

Be sure to check back here for the entire schedule.

Mar 20, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) guards Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) during the game at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce DerdenUSA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder avoided what would have been one of the biggest meltdowns in NBA history by beating the Houston Rockets 103-94 in Game 6 last night.

After going up 3-0 vs. the Rockets, Houston came back to win the next two leaving everyone questioning how good this Thunder team was without Russell Westbrook.

It was a tough test that Houston presented but the Thunder passed. What’s ahead will be more of the unknown.

The Memphis Grizzlies dismantled the Los Angeles Clippers in six games. After losing the first two in LA, they came back to win four in a row led by Zach Randolph who averaged 25-9 in those four games.

The Grizzlies are starting to look like the Memphis team that knocked out the Spurs in the first round two years ago. Fittingly, they will again see the Thunder in the second round.

Who is the favorite in this series?

The Thunder would of course been favored if they had Westbrook. They haven’t exactly not missed a beat since his injury so a lot has changed. The Grizzlies looked very good in the last four games too so you maybe give them a little advantage momentum-wise.

I actually think this matchup vs. Memphis is better for the Thunder than Houston was in a way. The Thunder simply always had huge defensive problems against small lineups this season and never was that the case more than vs. Houston.

Against Memphis, the Thunder will see the traditional lineups with two bigs at a time. This means Kendrick Perkins will be relevant again and Serge Ibaka shouldn’t be getting lost on defense as much.

But the fact of the matter is that the Grizzlies are a much better team than Houston is. They are leagues better defensively and the problems Oklahoma City had on offense vs. Houston will be magnified tenfold vs. Memphis.

The Grizzlies actually have some decent options to use on Kevin Durant too. Tayshaun Prince is old but experienced and long and has always been sound defensively. Then of course there’s Tony Allen who doesn’t have to be concerned with Westbrook anymore.

The Grizzlies have the bodies to match up with Durant better than probably anyone. If they are able to play him kind of straight up and not have to help as much as Houston did, the Thunder will be stuck with their role players trying to create shots, which they haven’t been very good at.

Let’s not forget that Houston gave the Thunder so much trouble despite Durant playing out of this world. KD averaged 35.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in the last four games without Westbrook. He also shot 51.1 percent from the field and averaged 11.5 free throw attempts per game.

It’s going to be hard for Durant to put up those kinds of numbers vs. Memphis. The pace will certainly be slower and the Grizzlies should slow him down more than Houston did.

Some Thunder role players stepped up last night. Kevin Martin was huge in the first half where he scored 21 of his 25 points. Reggie Jackson has come on strong in Westbrook’s absence too. Derek Fisher still can’t seem to miss.

This trend will need to continue more than ever vs. Memphis for the Thunder to have a shot. OKC will really need role players stepping up every game too because Memphis will be good enough to beat the Thunder even if OKC gives them a good punch.

Defense will be the most important thing for the Thunder. Even without Westbrook, they are still a team that is built to handle a team like the Grizzlies. Without Rudy Gay, Memphis may have a very difficult time scoring against the Thunder. I don’t think anyone expects otherwise.

Let’s also not forget that the Thunder have homecourt advantage in this series. They did lost at home in Game 5 vs. Houston and the Grizzlies didn’t have homecourt against the Clippers and still won. So who knows how big this will end up being. Both OKC and Memphis have proven they can win on the road in the playoffs.

So let’s go back to the original question: who is the favorite in this series?

The Thunder have the best player, Memphis has the next two. Whoever steps up as numbers 4-7 will tell us a lot.

I honestly think this series is a toss-up at this point, one of those series where we just say it will go seven games and we don’t know who will win. Maybe I’m being a homer and the Grizzlies are the clear-cut favorites but I think the Thunder can still win this one.

The biggest thing is that we still don’t know so much about the Thunder post-Westbrook. We don’t know if they will continue to improve offensively, if Jackson can keep playing so well, if Martin/Ibaka will wake up, if Fisher will still shoot over 50 percent from three. We just don’t know so much.

But we will soon find out. Game 1 will be tomorrow at noon on ABC.

May 15, 2011; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) attempts a shot while being guarded by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) during the second half of game seven of the second round of the 2011 NBA playoffs at the Oklahoma City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies has now officially been named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13.

Gasol led the Grizzlies to a 56-26 record this season. Memphis had the No. 2 best defensive efficiency mark at 97.4 behind only the Indiana Pacers.

Gasol averaged 14.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game this season.

LeBron James finished second in the voting and Serge Ibaka came in third.

Gasol received 30 first-place votes while LeBron received 18 and Ibaka 14.

Kendrick Perkins came out yesterday endorsing Ibaka for the award and said he could not believe he didn’t win it. Today, Dwight Howard did the same thing.

Maybe this is a thing where the players really respect Ibaka as a defender more than the voters do.

Ibaka led the league in blocks for the second straight season averaging 3.0 per game. The Thunder had the fourth best defensive efficiency this season.

LeBron may have won it if Miami’s regular season defense was better. They simply did not need to though because their offense was so good and that may have worked against LeBron.

Ibaka has plenty of room to grow as a defender. Winning this award does seem like something that will come his way in the future.

Mar 20, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Nick Collison (4) comes down with the rebound over Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley (11) during the game at FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime with a score of 90-89. Mandatory Credit: Spruce DerdenUSA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost their second straight game last night on the road in overtime 90-89 to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Marc Gasol tipped in a Zach Randolph miss with less than a second to go in OT to lift the Grizzlies to the win.

The game only went into overtime because Jerryd Bayless made a very tough three-pointer with three seconds left in regulation.

The Thunder shot just 35.7 percent from the field and only made 2-of-18 three-pointers. They also had a season-low nine assists as a team.

Memphis had 19 offensive rebounds.

Here are the Game Grades:

Kevin Durant – 48 minutes, 32 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists – B

Durant was fantastic in the third quarter scoring 15 points as he outscored the entire Grizzlies team in the quarter by himself. But then he cooled off and would only make two of his last nine field goal attempts. He hit a big shot on the second to last possession in overtime to give the Thunder the lead but overall did not shoot to his capability. He shot just 11-for-28 for the game and once again finished with more turnovers than assists.

Russell Westbrook – 41 minutes, 20 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds – C

Westbrook never shoots well against Memphis and that was the case again last night as he went 7-for-25 from the field. Memphis plays him a little tighter than most teams and Westbrook can’t find his usual rhythm on his jumper and then starts pressing on drives as well. He hit some big free throws late and made a huge basket to give the Thunder the lead in the final seconds but this was still one of Westbrook’s worst games of the year.

Serge Ibaka – 22 minutes, 2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks – F

Just two points from Ibaka in this game was completely unacceptable. He needs to be the Thunder’s third option all of the time, not just occasionally. He was completely outplayed by the Memphis frontline and should be embarrassed by his performance in this game.

Kevin Martin – 33 minutes, 17 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals – B

Martin was actually pretty solid last night and came through more than he usually does on the road. He was definitely not the problem. He didn’t have any assists but that is a credit to the Memphis defense as well.

Kendrick Perkins – 33 minutes, 2 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist – B

Give Perkins a lot of credit for competing down low with the Memphis bigs all night. He helped contain Randolph to just 6-for-21 shooting and was a monster on the defensive glass.

Thabo Sefolosha – 20 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 block – C

This was a very quiet game from Sefolosha who missed the only shot he took. The Thunder are always better when Sefolosha is able to do more things on offense and last night that was not the case at all.

Nick Collison – 29 minutes, 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists – B+

Collison played well in big minutes instead of Ibaka. But he only scored four points and that is again the difference between he and Ibaka. The Thunder need Ibaka playing better so they don’t need to rely on Collison as much, as good as Collison is.

Reggie Jackson – 23 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block – B+

Jackson played very well again and he is starting to get more minutes in crunch time because of his defense. He didn’t have any assists but no one really did for OKC last night. He continues to show his ability to score driving to the rim and as a rebounder.

Derek Fisher – 11 minutes, 0 points – C

Fisher didn’t register a single statistic in 11 minutes last night. He was 0-for-4 from the field and 0-for-2 from there. The Thunder outscored Memphis by 13 with him in though.

Hasheem Thabeet – 5 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds – C

Thabeet didn’t shoot in limited minutes and only got a few boards and committed three fouls.

Mar 20, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) guards Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) during the game at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce DerdenUSA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost their second game in a row tonight on the road vs. the Memphis Grizzlies 90-89 in overtime.

Kevin Durant scored 32 points and Russell Westbrook had 20 but both did not shoot efficiently from the floor. Durant went 11-for-28 and Westbrook 7-for-25.

Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with 24 points and Jerryd Bayless scored 20 points off the bench for Memphis.

Bayless made a three-pointer with three seconds left to tie the game at 83 apiece and send it into overtime.

Westbrook scored with 13 seconds left in overtime to give the Thunder an 89-88 lead.

Marc Gasol then hit what would be the game-winner with less than a second left when he rebounded a Zach Randolph miss and scored.

Kevin Martin scored 17 off the bench but Serge Ibaka was very quiet once again scoring just two points in 22 minutes.

The Thunder shot just 35.7 percent from the field for the game and made just 2-of-18 three-point attempts. They turned the ball over 15 times and had a season-low nine assists.

The Thunder were playing a back-to-back tonight after having lost at home to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.

The Thunder fall to 50-19 overall this season and will play next at Orlando on Friday night.

Jan 31, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Jerryd Bayless (7) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the second half at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will deal with a tough back-to-back tonight on the road vs. the Memphis Grizzlies after losing last night at home to the Denver Nuggets.

The Thunder did not get the job done defensively last night and other than Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, weren’t very good offensively either.

It’s only going to get more difficult for the offense tonight vs. Memphis as the Grizzlies are second in the NBA in defensive efficiency.

The Thunder have played the Grizzlies twice already this season. Both games were at home and the Thunder lost the first time 107-97 back on Nov. 14 then they beat Memphis 106-89 Jan. 31, which was the first game for Memphis after trading Rudy Gay.

The key for the Thunder will be getting someone other than Durant or Westbrook to step up. Last night, Serge Ibaka scored only six points and Kevin Martin had 14 with 12 coming in the first half.

On the road, the Thunder will need to knock down some outside shots to stay with Memphis. The Thunder traditionally are a worse shooting team on the road and last night they were very bad as well going 4-for-25 on threes.

The Thunder will get to play more traditional lineups tonight as the Grizzlies go big most of the time. Scott Brooks prefers playing Kendrick Perkins big minutes so don’t expect as many small lineups from the Thunder tonight.

Brooks has been going with the more defensive-minded Thabo Sefolosha to close out games over Martin so we will see if Brooks does this again tonight if the Thunder are struggling to score.

The Thunder have a very difficult task tonight playing in a back-to-back on the road but the Thunder have been one of the most resilient teams in the NBA this season, rarely losing multiple games in a row.

The game will tip at 8 p.m. EST.

Mar 19, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) handles the ball against Denver Nuggets guard Andre Iquodala (9) during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Thunder surrendered just their fifth home loss of the season when they could not contain the Denver Nuggets in the second half of Tuesday’s contest, losing 114-104.

Ty Lawson scored 25 points and Andre Miller had 20 points and nine assists to lead the Nuggets to its 13th straight win for the first time in team history. They made even more history by becoming the first time in the 2012-13 season to beat Oklahoma City three times.

For Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant led with 34 points, and Russell Westbrook added 25 more.

The Thunder actually led by one at halftime, but the Nuggets took control of the reins in the third quarter and never relinquished them back to OKC. Denver took the lead thanks to Danilo Gallinari’s 3-pointer and then went on 12-2 run that stifled the Thunder crowd that had previously been riled up by Westbrook’s two-handed dunk off an inbound alley-oop pass. Andre Iguodala then slammed it down on a fast break and put Denver up 80-70 midway through the third, which forced Scott Brooks to call a timeout.

OKC scored back-to-back buckets out of the time out, but the Nuggets were not impressed: they scored seven straight baskets to push their lead to 87-74 with under three minutes to play in the third. The Thunder did slice into the lead, bringing it within five when Westbrook nailed a 17-foot jumper to make it 102-97 with four minutes left in the contest, but this team did not have enough in the tank to fully overcome the deficit.

This win for Denver was critical, as it suggests that this match-up could be a thriller come playoffs time, and that it could put the Nuggets in a good position for home-court advantage. The Thunder have five home losses, while the Nuggets only have three.

The Oklahoma City Thunder now post a 50-18 record. They face the Mephis Grizzlies next, on Wed., March 20.

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies last night 106-89 at Chesapeake Arena to improve to 35-11 on the year.

The Thunder got off to a very hot start hitting their first nine shots from the field. They shot 61 percent in the first half and led 58-34 at halftime while Memphis shot just 26 percent.

It was the Grizzlies’ first game since the Rudy Gay trade and they didn’t have any of the three players they acquired in the trade so they were shorthanded.

Zach Randolph missed his first 10 shots from the field which didn’t help matters. He did end up with nine points and 19 boards in the game.

The Thunder will be off tonight and then back in action Saturday night on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Here are the Game Grades:

Kevin Durant – 38 minutes, 27 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists – A

Durant was quiet early on and then started to get it going late. He scored five points in a row for the Thunder in the fourth quarter to end any hopes of a Memphis comeback. Durant did a very nice job passing the ball getting six dimes and turning the ball over just twice. It was another nice all-around game from Durant which we are seeing more and more of this season.

Russell Westbrook – 31 minutes, 21 points, 6 assists, 9 rebounds – A

Westbrook led the way for the Thunder getting off to a hot shooting start. He made his first four field goals and quite a few using the glass. He had an argument with Thabo Sefolosha midway through the third quarter and Scott Brooks benched Westbrook after that. He came back strong in the fourth though. The Thunder were plus-20 with Westbrook on the floor.

Serge Ibaka – 26 minutes, 4 points, 1 rebound, 6 blocks – C+

Not much was heard from Ibaka in this game except for his six blocks, many of which were emphatic. Just one rebound and only four points is not a great effort from Ibaka, especially when Randolph gets 19 boards on the other team. With Westbrook knocking down his shot and looking to score, shots were scarce to come by for Ibaka.

Kevin Martin – 29 minutes, 16 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound – B+

Martin played his role much better than the first time OKC played Memphis this season. He had just seven points in that game and 16 last night, including 3-of-4 from deep. Martin’s game almost entirely hinges on whether or not he’s making threes. The open looks will always be there though and Durant did a nice job of finding Martin a few times.

Kendrick Perkins – 26 minutes, 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks – B+

Perkins is starting to score a little more lately. Not sure how long this will last but the Thunder will take it in the meantime. He had a couple of nice blocks as well. Like Ibaka, the only drawback was allowing Memphis 21 offensive rebounds.

Thabo Sefolosha – 23 minutes, 7 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists – B

There was no Gay for Sefolosha to check so his defensive prowess wasn’t really called upon. He made 3-of-5 shots and 1-of-2 threes in the game which is perfect from him.

Nick Collison – 26 minutes, 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist – B+

Collison got a few more minutes than usual because he was playing really well and scoring. He made 4-of-5 shots and all four of his free throw attempts. He also drew two offensive fouls in the first half. Yeah, it’s hard to find anything wrong with Collison ever.

Reggie Jackson – 15 minutes, 4 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist – B

Jackson has to be the best rebounding backup point guard in the NBA. Six more boards from him last night to go with four points which was another solid effort from him.

Hasheem Thabeet – 11 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks – B+

You can’t ask for much more from Thabeet in 11 minutes. He was obviously up for the game going against the team that drafted him.

DeAndre Liggins – 8 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist – B

Typical Liggins energy and doing a little bit of everything out there.

Perry Jones, III – 4 minutes, 2 points, 2 assists – B

Jones had a really nasty dunk on the fast break in the final minutes. Can’t wait until he’s getting more run.

Eric Maynor – 4 minutes, 0 points, 2 assists – B

Of course Maynor somehow ends up with more assists than Jackson in a fourth of the playing time.

Jan 31, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) fights for position with Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) during the first half at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder deftly handled the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night, besting them 106-89.

Kevin Durant led all scorers with 27 points, while Russell Westbrook dished out 21 of his own.

The Thunder led by as many as 26 before the Grizzlies pushed back and cut it to ten points going into the 4th quarter. They did not have enough steam to keep the comeback going however, and they fizzled out in the end to lose by 17.

For Memphis, Jerryd Bayless had 23 points, while Mike Conley and Marc Gasol helped out with 17 and 16 points, respectively.

After strongly commanding this game, the Thunder had a mini meltdown coming out of the half that resulted in Westbrook riding the pine for getting into it with his teammates and head coach Scott Brooks. The Grizzlies capitalized on his absence and made it a game again, but it was ultimately not enough to overcome the Thunder.

When Westbrook finally came back in at the start of the 4th quarter, he sank a pull-up jumper and then set up Kevin Martin for consecutive wide open three pointers in transition. With that, the nail firmly inserted itself in the coffin of Memphis’ comeback attempt.

The Grizzlies–who are one of the three teams to have previously bested OKC at home–played short-handed on Thursday, as they await for the newly acquired Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye and Ed Davis to arrive and be cleared for play.

The Thunder are just returning home from a six-game road trip up and down the West Coast, and they certainly played like they were on their own turf. The team nailed its first nine shots to build an early lead and they never looked back. When Martin drilled a triple from the left side of the arc, he gave OKC their first double-digit lead with nearly three minutes left in the first quarter.

Memphis, a team that normally is very difficult to score against, had absolutely no answers for Oklahoma City; the Thunder made 61-percent of their shots, and they made it look easy.

The Thunder advance to 35-11, with an impressive 20-3 home record. The Grizzlies fall to 29-16 but are still sitting pretty as the 4th best team in the West. Next, Oklahoma City plays the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sat., Feb. 2nd.

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder return home tonight to host the Memphis Grizzlies after playing nine of their last 10 games on the road.

The Thunder made out pretty well winning seven of those 10 games but were 3-3 in their last six, all of which were on the road.

The Grizzlies come into tonight just having made one of the biggest trades of the year sending Rudy Gay to the Toronto Raptors in part of a three-team trade. Memphis acquired Tayshaun Prince, Ed Davis and Austin Daye in the trade.

It is unlikely that any of the new members of the Grizzlies will play tonight however.

Memphis is looking to go back to the team that made a run in the playoffs two seasons ago behind Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and a bunch of role players. They’re already seeing some promise off the bench from Jerryd Bayless who had 21 points in the Grizzlies’ last game.

The Grizzlies beat the Thunder earlier this year the first time they played 107-97 in OKC back on Nov. 14.

The Thunder shot 48.6 percent in that game but Memphis shot 47.3 percent, got 12 offensive rebounds and turned the ball over just eight times. Gay led Memphis with 28 points while Randolph had 20 and 11.

Memphis’ bench was crucial in the win with Wayne Ellington coming in and scoring 12 points and Quincy Pondexter 13. Ellington was traded earlier this season to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with Marreese Speights and Josh Selby.

Kevin Durant had a great game for the Thunder in the loss scoring 34 points to go with 10 rebounds and five assists. Russell Westbrook had 17 points and 13 assists but shot 6-for-19 from the field.

Serge Ibaka had a nice game with 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. The Thunder really missed Kevin Martin in that game as he scored only seven points on 1-for-4 shooting from the field.

The Thunder are well rested coming into tonight having played their last game on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers. OKC will be happy to be back home where they are 19-3 on the year.

It will be tough for the Grizzlies to keep up with the top-rated Thunder offense tonight, especially after losing their leading scorer. Memphis has just the 21st ranked offense in the NBA this season.

Memphis has the second best defense however and will hope to control the boards, not turn the ball over and play a slower paced game to get by the Thunder.

The game will tip at 8 p.m. EST tonight and air nationally on TNT.

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies traded away Rudy Gay yesterday in part of a three-team trade with the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons.

The Grizzlies sent Gay and Hamed Haddadi to the Raptors. Toronto sent Ed Davis to the Grizzlies and Jose Calderon to the Pistons. Detroit sent Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye to the Grizzlies.

We knew that the Grizzlies were entertaining the idea of trading Gay. Gay has around $53 million left on his three-year contract including this season and Memphis would have likely had to deal with harsh luxury tax penalties if they tried to keep him.

It was a similar situation that the Oklahoma City Thunder were in before the start of the season with James Harden.

The Grizzlies will save money acquiring Prince who will take Gay’s starting spot and make only $7 million on average the next three seasons. Daye is a promising young big man who is in the last year of his rookie contract.

Davis is maybe the biggest haul for Memphis in this deal. He’s just 23 years old still in his third year in the NBA and has a fantastic PER of 18.1 this season. He was averaging 9.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per game with the Raptors this season.

The immediate thought when you hear the Grizzlies are trading a former All-Star in Gay away is that the team will take a step back. Memphis got off to a great start this season and currently is 29-15, fourth in the Western Conference.

Many people even thought this might be the year the Grizzlies could make a run to the NBA Finals. They have something that very few teams can handle with their big frontline. They’re a great defensive team that forces a lot of turnovers and they don’t turn the ball over themselves.

Two years ago the Grizzlies knocked off the one-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs then nearly got past the Thunder, taking them to seven games in the next round. That playoff run was without Gay by the way.

That has to be a big reason why Memphis was okay with shipping Gay out. They have proven in the past that they can still be an elite team without him and maybe even a better one. It was still unknown whether the Grizzlies were really better with Gay in the lineup or if they’d be better off with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol as the clear one-two punch.

The Grizzlies made their decision now and will move forward with one of the most lethal big man duos in the legal as the focal point of their team. Bringing in Prince to replace Gay in the starting lineup and big depth with Davis and Daye will help ease the transition too.

Prince is a real chemistry guy who made his name in this league winning championships as the fifth man of a starting lineup consisting of four other All-Stars. He won’t have any trouble committing to defense and doing whatever he needs to fit in.

The Grizzlies will start to resemble the team that made that great playoff push two years ago. That’s the plan any way.

We can safely assume that the Grizzlies are still going to be a tough matchup for the Spurs. The size and Randolph is what gave the Spurs trouble two years ago and that hasn’t changed.

Matching up with the Clippers may be more difficult for the Grizzlies. They lost to the Clippers in seven games in the first round of the playoffs last year. Gay did not have a good series while Chris Paul dominated.

The matchup with the Thunder will be an interesting one to look at. There is still a good chance the Thunder and Grizzlies will meet again in the playoffs this season. Gay was someone who could every now and then go blow for blow with a superstar like Kevin Durant. They won’t have that now and will have to rely solely on defense and great team ball to get past a team like OKC.

The Grizzlies definitely didn’t take a big step back by trading Gay, maybe just a baby one at worse. Memphis keeps with its culture and made the right financial decision for the future. They should still be a top four team in the Western Conference this season.

Gay was always a fringe star player in this league that left you hoping for more whenever he showed glimpses of greatness but he never had the ability to do it every night. Teams don’t usually go far in this league with a player like that as their best player. Memphis made the tough decision to move on. In the end, it was probably the right one.

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies are still looking to trade former All-Star forward Rudy Gay, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

The Toronto Raptors are most interested in acquiring Gay according to reports and are looking to send Memphis a package highlighted by Jose Calderon and Ed Davis to get him.

The Grizzlies – who have the fourth best record in the Western Conference – already made a trade this season to free up cap room in the future. Had they not made any moves, they would have been hit with some heavy luxury tax penalties down the road.

Gay is making $16.5 million this season and set to make $17.9 million next season and $19.3 million in 2014-15.

If the Grizzlies do trade Gay to the Raptors, it would affect the Oklahoma City Thunder in a few ways.

Memphis is currently one of only a handful of teams that can give the Thunder a real run for their money. They have great size in the frontcourt with Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol and it’s hard for the Thunder to match up with. OKC isn’t able to play as many small lineups with Kevin Durant at the four basically.

Trading away Gay would obviously hurt the Grizzlies somewhat this season. While he hasn’t had his best season this year, he is still the team’s leading scorer at 17.2 points per game.

The Grizzlies did take the Thunder to seven games two years ago in the playoffs without Gay. But remember how great Randolph was playing that year and how much deeper Memphis was that season.

There is a good chance this season that the Thunder and Grizzlies could meet again in the playoffs in the second round. Without Gay, Memphis would definitely be an easier out for OKC.

The other thing that could happen because of this trade is Toronto could make the playoffs. The Raptors are currently five and a half games back of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and adding Gay could boost them up into contention for the postseason.

This affects the Thunder because OKC owns Toronto’s upcoming 2013 first round pick in the NBA Draft, but only if that pick falls between four and 14.

The 2013 NBA Draft class is being called one of the weakest in years so postponing receiving that pick from Toronto could be a good thing for the Thunder in the long run.

This potential trade is just a rumor at this point. If it goes down, it would definitely shake up the landscape of the league pretty good.

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers are 18-25 on the season and currently out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference.

The Lakers have been unable to take advantage of their best four players under first year head coach Mike D’Antoni.

D’Antoni has made the decision to bring former perennial All-Star Pau Gasol off the bench because in his offense, Gasol and Dwight Howard aren’t playing well together. Howard has had one of his worst seasons in years too and Steve Nash is in the same boat.

The Lakers need to change something and that could come in the form of a trade. Amazingly, this season is not totally lost yet as they are only 4.5 games behind the Houston Rockets for the 8th seed in the Western Conference.

ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that multiple teams are speculating that the Lakers could engage in a 3-team trade to bring Rudy Gay to LA. The potential 3-team deal would send Gasol to the Boston Celtics and Paul Pierce to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Gasol and Gay have been tied to trade rumors virtually all season. The Grizzlies thought they were going to need to save money to avoid future luxury tax implications by getting rid of Gay but in light of their most recent trade, now may not have to.

Pierce has been linked to only some trade rumors and with the Celtics starting to really struggle, we will see his name thrown out there more and more.

This would be a gigantic trade swapping three former alpha dogs of their teams midway through the season. Other names would likely be involved but these three would be the biggest part of the trade.

Bringing Gay in for Gasol isn’t something that will drastically help the Lakers over night. Gay would be a better fit under D’Antoni and allow for the small lineups to continue with Earl Clark at the four but it won’t make the Lakers title contenders again.

The trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 21.

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Christmas Day has come and passed and the NBA season is no officially underway. Most teams have played about a third of their games so far and we’re starting to see some teams break away from the pack.

The Eastern Conference has been decided for some time now as the Miami Heat have established themselves as the clear class of that conference. The New York Knicks are making it interesting playing so well this year and against the Heat in particular, but after those two teams there’s not a lot of competition.

The Western Conference is much stronger. Right now, it’s tough to say who will make it to the NBA Finals in June.

For now, here’s a look at Power Rankings for the Western Conference:

1. Los Angeles Clippers (22-6)

The Clippers hold the best record in the league right now thanks to a winning streak that has reached 14 games. They have really improved their depth this season and the maturation of Blake Griffin has also helped a ton. Chris Paul at the helm will always keep them in contention and their proven success against the Heat and Thunder in the past makes them deserving of this spot.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-6)

Losers of their last two puts a bad taste in your mouth when ranking the Thunder. They had their big winning streak snapped in Minnesota then disappointingly lost in Miami on Christmas Day in the same fashion they did in the NBA Finals. Still, they have been one of the most consistent teams in the league and the best offensively despite still having room for improvement, which is scary.

3. San Antonio Spurs (22-8)

The Spurs have been quiet this season and to no one’s surprise. They have some impressive wins like opening night against the Thunder but have also been beaten a few times by top teams in the conference. They still are the best in the league at getting open shots and if Manu Ginobili can return to his old form by the playoffs, they will have as good a chance as anyone to reach the Finals.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (18-8)

They had a great start to the year and have since cooled down. They can stack up against the elite in the NBA and throw something at them that is very hard to match up with in terms of their size. But there are still questions surrounding this team while the other three above have less.

5. Golden State Warriors (19-10)

One of the biggest surprises of the year has to be the Warriors. Their defense has vastly improved despite Andrew Bogut still being sidelines with an injury. Stephen Curry has stayed healthy and is having a solid year while David Lee is playing some of the best basketball of his career.

6. Los Angeles Lakers (14-15)

You still can’t totally give up on the Lakers who have just recently gotten Steve Nash back from injury. They beat the Knicks on Christmas Day and look to maybe be on the right track now. If Dwight Howard can’t start looking healthier, they really won’t be able to make much noise this season.

7. Denver Nuggets (16-14)

The Nuggets like the Lakers have been disappointing this year. They also have some new pieces that are slowly starting to get better playing together. They have the talent to make a run and finish the year with a good record if that’s the case.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves (13-13)

Minnesota has recently gotten Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio back from injury and that will make a world of difference. Love is still getting his legs back and Rubio’s minutes are still limited. Once they are 100 percent, the rest of the West needs to be on notice.

9. Houston Rockets (16-12)

The Rockets have been up and down this season but have won their last five games. James Harden and Jeremy Lin are playing better together now. If they can figure that out, they will have a real shot at the playoffs.

10. Utah Jazz (15-15)

The Jazz don’t exactly know who they are and there are some trade rumors surrounding them this year. They are a deep team with more depth on the frontline than just about anyone else. That makes them difficult to handle on a night-to-night basis and major players as the trade deadline approaches.

Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Zach Randolph and Kendrick Perkins got into it when the Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the Memphis Grizzlies last Wednesday night.

Randolph and Perkins were both ejected with 2:05 left in the game as the two exchanged words in a heated manner.

There were reports following the game that Randolph and Perkins were still going at it back in the locker room after the game and that police were involved.

Police denied that there was an altercation but after the league investigated, it is laying down the hammer on Randolph and fining him $25,000 for the altercation that occurred after the game by the locker room.

It’s interesting that Perkins is not getting fined here when before it was unclear that either of the two was more responsible for the incident. Both have histories of picking up technical fouls and getting into it with opposing players.

It seems most likely that the NBA found out Randolph was the one who continued on after the game and approached Perkins in the locker room.

The Grizzlies got the best of the Thunder on the floor that night beating them 107-97. Memphis is playing just about as well as any team in the league right now and are looking like a very tough matchup for the Thunder.

The matchup of Perkins and Randolph as well as Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol inside is maybe the most important one between these two teams. There has always been a bit of a rivalry between these two teams and it may be escalating to something more in light of the Randolph-Perkins incident.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

It’s only fitting that the Oklahoma City Thunder are missing James Harden the most when they play on national television. First, it was the season-opener in San Antonio on TNT that OKC could have really used Harden.

Last night was the second time Harden was missed greatest and absolutely needed as the Thunder lost 107-97 to the Memphis Grizzlies.

After outscoring Memphis 30-20 in the first quarter, the Thunder second unit was completely out played and OKC was outscored 36-15 in the second quarter.

Kevin Martin and Eric Maynor, the two players that are out there to replace Harden in that second unit this year, combined for just nine points and one assist in the game.

Memphis is one of the best teams in the league right now at 7-1 on the year. They’ve been a top 10 offense and even better defensively so far this season. They’re a different animal than most teams in the league defending you in your grill from 30 feet out and making you work for every inch.

This is something that never really bothered Harden too much, who is as efficient as anyone in the league with his handle, and really takes his game to another level when faced with that kind of challenging defense.

For the Thunder last night, instead of having a third star step up when they needed it, it was a disaster when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook went to the bench. Maynor could hardly get the ball past halfcourt and Martin was on his heels whenever he caught it.

The Thunder couldn’t even come back from the deficit in the second half despite playing Durant and Westbrook the final 24 minutes. A big reason for that is OKC was unable to go small because Memphis boasts such bigs in Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.

The Thunder have been at their best when going small with Durant at the four and Thabo Sefolosha as an extra wing this year. Last night, it was Kendrick Perkins logging the major minutes and not Sefolosha.

More things have to go right for the Thunder now with Harden out of town. He isn’t there to save the day with the second unit anymore when all isn’t perfect elsewhere with the team.

If there’s one thing that is definitely true about Harden, it’s that he relished in his role coming off the bench and being able to run that second unit in OKC. He was always up for the challenge of turning the Thunder offense into an efficient one when Westbrook came out of the game.

Finding that same kind of production that Harden brought is still possible for the Thunder, it’s just going to be less common especially when playing a team like Memphis. More will now be needed from Durant and Westbrook isn’t going to be able to have as many poor shooting nights as he’s had already this season.

But it’s still very early and the Thunder are still learning how to play together with this slightly new team. Last night was a test this group hadn’t seen together yet. They can grow from it and learn how to win games like that.

It’s just that they had already done that with Harden. This is the step back OKC is taking this year. Only time will tell if they can keep going forward by the end of the year.

Nov 14, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) attempts a shot against Memphis Grizzlies forward Quincy Poindexter (20) and Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (11) during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant put on his 102nd 30-point performance on Wednesday night, but the Memphis Grizzlies would win big, 107-97 over the Thunder despite his incredible effort.

He finished the night with 34 points and 10 rebounds, as well as two blocks and three steals. Durant got really hot in the third quarter, seeming to find his spots on the floor and land every shot he took.

The entire Thunder squad played with a new energy that wasn’t present in the first half, coming out strong after Russell Westbrook sprinted down the court early in the third before dishing it to Serge Ibaka who laid it in for an easy bucket. The offense really got rolling with Westbrook repeatedly driving through traffic and taking it to the hole, scoring often and scoring quickly.

The OKC team in the second half was relentless, playing with an unshakable confidence that they didn’t have in the early stages of this contest. They shot slightly better on the night than Memphis did, making 48.6-percent of their shots to the Grizzlies’ 47.6.

But ultimately, it would not be enough.

Tony Allen threw it down for a huge dunk to put Memphis up 69-55 with seven minutes left in the game, but then Ibaka responded with a slam down of his own. Rudy Gay struck back and got on a streak of his own, hitting three shots in a row and lifting Memphis back up by ten after OKC had brought it within six.

In the fourth quarter, OKC had it within reach at times but let opportunity slip through their grasp. They only scored 13 points in the fourth quarter despite coming alive at points in the third, and with every point they left on the court, Memphis picked it up on their end.

The Grizzlies extend their winning streak to six straight games, while the Thunder need to find a way to score in the fourth quarter going forward.

Nov 14, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen (9) attempts a shot against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Seerge Ibaka (9) during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The Grizzlies (5-1) lead the Thunder (6-2) 56-45 at the half, hoping to extend their five-game winning streak.

Through two quarters Kevin Durant has 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists but the player really making moves in the first half has been Quincy Pondexter from Memphis, who put up 13 points off the bench, including a big-time three that allowed the Grizzlies to eventually get on top.

Memphis started to control the tempo in the second quarter, really stifling the Thunder–and keeping their home crowd really quiet–with their third-ranked defense that they tout this season. The Thunder are playing slow and are struggling to get anything going on offense. The loss of James Harden is making itself evident in this game, as OKC does not have that player that can really take over down the stretch and lift the team.

The clash in the paint between Memphis’ Zach Randoplh and Marc Gasol and OKC’s Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins is playing out just as expected: physical and with neither duo conceding anything under the bucket. Ibaka though is really getting after it defensively and already has three blocks on the night.

Going into the half, Memphis looks like the better team, disallowing OKC from playing their game. That feat was questionable coming into this game, as Memphis’ winning streak has not come against top-tier NBA teams. But Memphis looks like a real factor on Wednesday night, and if the Thunder cannot adjust to the Grizzlies’ oppressive defensive effort, it’s going to be a long night in Oklahoma City.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder get a real test tonight at home on national TV when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Thunder have won five straight games but haven’t exactly beaten many elite teams in the NBA so far this season. Memphis would be their best win if they can pull it off tonight.

The Grizzlies are coming off a very impressive win on their home floor in their last game vs. the Miami Heat. They beat Miami 104-86 behind 21 from Rudy Gay and 18 and 12 from Zach Randolph.

Memphis has been solid on both ends of the floor so far this season ranking 8th in offensive efficiency and third in defensive efficiency. Those ranks are right behind the Thunder but also significantly higher than a lot of OKC’s recent opponents.

The Grizzlies are one of the best post-up teams in the league scoring 0.86 points per possession on those plays which is 9th best in the NBA. The Thunder are the best however at defending post-up plays allowing just 0.53 PPP on the year.

The matchup down low will be a physical one as Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka try to contain Randolph and Marc Gasol. The Thunder have been one of the best defensive rebounding teams this season but Memphis is the third best offensive rebounding team in the league this year.

The Thunder should be able to slow down the Grizzlies bigs but this year, OKC is asking for more from Ibaka offensively as well. Ibaka is averaging 14.1 points per game this season while taking three more shots per game as well. He’s mostly settling for spot-up jumpers which he should be able to still get in this matchup.

Russell Westbrook has improved his passing so far this season and his connection with Ibaka has been an emphasis. Westbrook’s coming off a big game in the Thunder’s comeback win over Detroit in which he scored 33 points to go with four dimes.

Memphis has historically played Westbrook tough. It’s hard not to forget Westbrook’s 0-for-13 performance against the Grizzlies early last season. He will be challenged to play more under control tonight and make the right decisions for the Thunder to win tonight.

In a physical atmosphere at home, it will be crucial for the Thunder to get to the free throw line. OKC is coming off a game in which they attempted 42 free throws so they have that mindset fresh in their heads.

Kevin Durant might have to take over a little more vs. some of the better teams in the league this year. He’s scored 24 or more points in each of the last four games while shooting over 50 percent from the field in that stretch.

Durant has been at his best finding alternative ways to score rather than his usual isolation and pick-and-roll ball handler game. Durant is shooting 52.6 percent from the field in the post this season and 63.6 percent as the pick-and-roll roll man. If he’s stuck relying on isolation plays vs. this Memphis defense, it won’t be a good sign for the Thunder.

The other important factor for the Thunder will be Kevin Martin. He’s been fantastic so far this season shooting 50 percent from three and is sixth in the league in points per possession. He’s most valuable to the Thunder when on the floor with Durant and Westbrook, spreading the floor and getting points with not a lot of touches.

The Thunder will see a different animal tonight in the Memphis Grizzlies. The question is: will we see a different Thunder team because of that? Or will the Thunder control the game on their home floor?

The tip is at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Memphis Grizzlies Team Overview

The Grizzlies were a popular team to pick in the playoffs last season, mainly because of what they did the year before knocking off the top-seeded Spurs in the first round.

Memphis was simply not the same team last year by playoff time. Zach Randolph had been battling injuries all season and was not the same dominant player he was a year before. The dynamic of a healthy Rudy Gay as the No. 1 scoring option did not seem to mesh well with the rest of the team either.

The Clippers would go on to beat the Grizzlies in seven games in the first round, closing them out on their home floor no less.

Memphis did not do much in the offseason and really wasn’t in position to. O.J. Mayo and Dante Cunningham will no longer be with the team next year and they are being replaced by Jerryd Bayless, Tony Wroten and Wayne Ellington.

Mayo is a significant loss for this team unless Bayless can finally live up to the expectations that followed him into the league. Wroten was taken late in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft and is believed to be one of the best passers from the draft class and a potential sleeper who could blossom into a real solid player.

The Grizzlies are still expected to compete for a high seed in the West next year. Their frontline of Randolph-Gay-Gasol is very talented and if they can figure out how to play together better, Memphis will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.

Last year

The Oklahoma City Thunder played the Grizzlies four times last year in the regular season and beat them three times.

They first played in the Thunder’s third game of the season which OKC won 98-95 behind 32 points from Kevin Durant and 20 from James Harden.

Randolph-Gay-Gasol combined for 59 points and 36 rebounds in the loss.

The Thunder won again on Jan. 10 in Memphis 100-95. Russell Westbrook led the way with 30 this time while Durant had 22.

OKC won at home on Feb. 3 101-94. Durant scored the final seven points of the game to close out the Grizzlies and finished with 36 in the game. Westbrook had 21 and Harden had 24.

The Grizzlies won the final meeting 94-88 in OKC. This was during a tough stretch for the Thunder when Westbrook was struggling. He had 19 on 5-for-16 shooting in this game. Durant had 21 and Harden had 14.

Mayo was big off the bench leading Memphis with 22 and hit a crucial three late to seal the game.

The matchup

The Grizzlies were not a great offensive team last season despite having many weapons. Their offense was just 23rd in the league overall in terms of points per possession.

They were just 12th in the league in post-up plays despite going to that very often and having players like Randolph and Gasol.

They were best in transition where they were 5th in the league. The Thunder were just 16th in the league defending transition plays but would have the advantage vs. Memphis in every other type of play.

The Grizzlies had the 6th best defense though and did make things tough for OKC on offense. They were 6th best vs. post-up plays, 8th vs. isolation plays and 9th vs. pick-and-roll plays.

The Grizzlies were just 18th vs. spot-up plays though meaning the Thunder would be at their best moving the ball more so than usual to get good shots rather than focusing on isolation play and the pick-and-roll.

The Grizzlies only played seven games vs. the Clippers in the playoffs but they were the best team in the playoffs scoring on post-up plays. Their defense regressed overall though but again, this sample size is just vs. the Clippers.

Next year

The Thunder will play the Grizzlies three times next season. They play in OKC Nov. 14, in OKC again Jan. 31 then in Memphis March 20.

The Grizzlies didn’t make any real significant moves this offseason to change their team but still will remain a tough out for the Thunder. OKC has been able to get the upper hand in this matchup the past two seasons though and that should continue next year.

The real problem for Memphis is finding offense against OKC and they didn’t really do anything to get better at that this summer. The Thunder will continue to improve offensively however and the gap between these teams should widen rather than decrease.

Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder might be interested in another free agent. According to Sam Amico of Fox Sports, the Thunder and Denver Nuggets have shown some interest in free agent point guard Lester Hudson.

Hudson played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies last season a combined total of 16 games and averaged 10.9 points per game and shot 25 percent from beyond the arc.

Hudson is 27 years old and point guard isn’t exactly a need for the Thunder right now seeing as they already have three on their roster in Russell Westbrook, Eric Maynor and Reggie Jackson.

Hudson showed some promise last season during a three game stretch in which he scored 23, 26 then 25 points for Cleveland including going 6-for-12 from three in one of those games. Hudson’s the kind of energy scorer from the guard position a lot of teams wouldn’t mind having on their roster.

The Thunder simply don’t have much need for anyone else and being that Hudson isn’t a big name, it feels unlikely that OKC will seriously consider going after him.

The Thunder have filled a 15-man roster for next season anyway. They are losing Derek Fisher, Nazr Mohammed and Royal Ivey from last year’s team and have so far replaced them with rookies Perry Jones and Hollis Thompson and free agent Hasheem Thabeet.

Here are draft grades for every team:

New Orleans Hornets
No. 1 overall – Anthony Davis, PF, Kentucky
No. 10 overall – Austin Rivers, G, Duke
No. 46 overall – Darius Miller, G/F, Kentucky

The Hornets really couldn’t go wrong possessing the first overall pick in the draft and chance to take Anthony Davis. Davis has a chance to be a franchise changer and playing alongside Eric Gordon in New Orleans is a good start. The Hornets took Rivers 10th overall which is what they wanted to do. The Hornets believe Rivers can play some point for them although he is a scoring guard at heart. Gordon is a good playmaker himself though so the two may be able to share ball handling duties a la Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. The Darius Miller pick is nice too. He is an athlete that could make it in the NBA and was a teammate of Davis’ at Kentucky.

Grade: A+

Oklahoma City Thunder
No. 28 overall – Perry Jones, III, F, Baylor

To win a championship, sometimes it takes a little luck. The Thunder got the steal of the 2012 NBA Draft with the No. 28 pick. Perry Jones III we knew was going to fall because of concerns mainly surrounding his knee but sliding this far to a franchise that is perfect for him just seems unfair to the rest of the league. It was a Spurs-like snag for OKC and they know it already. Jones III has lottery talent and top-5 pick potential. One knock on him is that he never really stepped up and dominated and was more of a supporting role type of mindset and player. Well, come on down to OKC that sounds just fine!

Grade: A+

Charlotte Bobcats
No. 2 overall – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky
No. 31 overall – Jeffrey Taylor, G/F, Vanderbilt

The Bobcats were supposed to either trade the No. 2 pick or take Thomas Robinson if they couldn’t. Instead, they shocked everyone selecting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist second overall. MKG is a player that will shine no matter where he plays, even in Charlotte. He has the potential to be the second best player in this draft class and it was a wise choice to make here by Michael Jordan. Jeffrey Taylor is a good pick too in the second round. Taylor was projected to go a little earlier in the draft and is a nice value find at 31.

Grade: A

Washington Wizards
No. 3 overall – Bradley Beal, SG, Florida
No. 32 overall – Tomas Satoransky, G, Czech Republic

The Wizards got the man they wanted at No. 3 but had to hold their breath and pray before doing so. As the Bobcats were shopping the No. 2 pick, any team that may have gotten it was probably going to take Bradley Beal second overall. The Wizards desperately wanted an elite shooter and wing to place alongside John Wall and they believe Beal is that guy. Beal measured just under 6-foot-5 so he’s not huge but he is physical and can do a lot of things on a basketball court. Tomas Satoranksy in the second round apparently is friends with Jan Vesely which makes that pick awesome too.

Grade: A

Sacramento Kings
No. 5 overall – Thomas Robinson, PF, Kansas

It was impossible not to fall in love with Thomas Robinson watching him break down after being selected fifth overall by the Kings. He won over a lot of fans with that reaction. Robinson is touted as one of the surest things at the top of this draft. The Kings wanted him bad too at No. 5, more than anybody else. Sacramento was going to pull off a trade with this pick with Houston if Robinson was off the board but obviously that didn’t happen. Robinson and DeMarcus Cousins are going to be able to get a lot of rebounds playing together.

Grade: A

Detroit Pistons
No. 9 overall – Andre Drummond, PF/C, Connecticut
No. 39 overall – Khris Middleton, SF, Texas A&M

The Pistons are extremely happy that Andre Drummond fell to them. Before the draft, they were hoping for this but planning to settle on John Henson. Drummond has as much upside as anyone in this draft. There are questions surrounding him but he is very young. It was the right pick here for Detroit without question. Khris Middleton isn’t someone that jumps out as a great pick here but at No. 39, there’s not a lot to expect.

Grade: A

Milwaukee Bucks
No. 14 overall – John Henson, PF, North Carolina
No. 42 overall – Doron Lamb, SG, Kentucky

The Bucks were pretty happy to see John Henson at No. 14 especially after trading down from 12 with Houston. Henson is the kind of guy Milwaukee wanted and someone who will block a lot of shots and grab some rebounds but really needs to put on some weight first. Doron Lamb is another player they were happy to see at No. 42. He could have gone in the first round and is an irrational confidence guy who can shoot and play some D too.

Grade: B+

Cleveland Cavaliers
No. 4 overall – Dion Waiters, SG, Syracuse
No. 17 overall – Tyler Zeller, C, North Carolina

It wasn’t a huge shocker that Cleveland took Dion Waiters No. 4. They were planning on possibly doing so and after being unable to trade up to No. 2 and take Beal, Waiters was the next guy on their list, probably just ahead of Harrison Barnes. It wasn’t an overly popular pick but Waiters has an NBA-ready body and next to Kyrie Irving should do well. With Tyler Zeller sliding in the draft, the Cavaliers pulled the trigger on a trade with Dallas to get to No. 17 and take the North Carolina center. They gave up three picks for Zeller so they must really like him. Now with a core of Irving, Waiters, Thompson and Zeller, Cleveland’s future looks kind of alright.

Grade: B

Portland Trailblazers
No. 6 overall – Damian Lillard, PG, Weber State
No. 11 overall – Meyers Leonard, C, Illinois
No. 40 overall – Will Barton, SG, Memphis

Before the Draft, Portland was intent on keeping their 6th and 11th picks and they also loved Damian Lillard. Six may sound high for Lillard but Portland did something smart: picking their favorite guy and not caring where they did it. They then filled a need at 11 with Meyers Leonard, the center from Illinois. Portland was projected in some mocks to take Andre Drummond and either Austin Rivers or Jeremy Lamb. That sounds a little better than what they ended up with. They get Will Barton at No. 40 which is another solid value pick as he was projected late-first by many.

Grade: B

Golden State Warriors
No. 7 overall – Harrison Barnes, G/F, North Carolina
No. 30 overall – Festus Ezeli, C, Vanderbilt
No. 35 overall – Draymond Green, F, Michigan State
No. 52 overall – Ognjen Kuzmic, C, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Despite his overall disappointing feeling, many still feel Harrison Barnes can be an All-Star in the NBA. Getting him at No. 7 was a pretty solid pick for the Warriors, who are starting new next year post-Monta Ellis and with Andrew Bogut. Festus Ezeli with the last pick of the first round is understandable too and he is a high-character guy who will work hard for them. Draymond Green is another good pick to get in the second round. The Warriors didn’t have a flashy draft but they made some value picks and that’s always a good strategy.

Grade: B

Houston Rockets
No. 12 overall – Jeremy Lamb, SG, Connecticut
No. 16 overall – Royce White, F, Iowa State
No. 18 overall – Terrence Jones, F, Kentucky

The Rockets were stockpiling draft picks with one thing on their mind: Dwight Howard. That hasn’t happened yet and now feels like it won’t. They were hoping to move up to No. 5 to take Andre Drummond but since Thomas Robinson fell to the Kings there, they weren’t trading that pick. The Rockets will settle for three pretty solid players starting with Jeremy Lamb at No. 12 who has a lot of pro potential as a scorer. When they took Royce White at No. 16, you knew they weren’t trading their picks anymore. White has gotten a lot of buzz this draft as a more athletic Boris Diaw who plays a little like Charles Barkley too. Terrence Jones two picks later is another talented forward that can do a variety of things. You always feel players Daryl Morey drafts are guys who can find a spot in the NBA. The Rockets just had bigger sights for this draft than this.

Grade: B

Phoenix Suns
No. 13 overall – Kendall Marshall, PG, North Carolina

It’s just about official now that Steve Nash is on his way out in Phoenix. Kendall Marshall is their point guard of the future. Marshall was one of the best assists men in college the past two seasons and has drawn comparisons to Mark Jackson and Andre Miller so yeah, he’s not quick. He’s fun to play with and will make the players around him better. They like that in Phoenix.

Grade: B

Chicago Bulls
No. 29 overall – Marquis Teague, PG, Kentucky

The Bulls were either going backup point here or combo-guard shooter. Marquis Teague is a talented player with this pick and someone who may be able to play alongside Derrick Rose some. It’s nothing special for the Bulls but a good pick nonetheless. Bulls fans were dying for Perry Jones III to slip one more pick into their laps.

Grade: B

Toronto Raptors
No. 8 overall – Terrence Ross, SG, Washington
No. 37 overall – Quincy Acy, PF, Baylor
No. 56 overall – Tomislav Zubcic, PF, Croatia

The Raptors would have loved to see Harrison Barnes fall one more pick into their laps. They would have loved even more to move up and snag Dion Waiters. They settle for Terrence Ross who can do things that will make him have a solid NBA career: shoot threes and defend. Quincy Acy in Round 2 could be a Reggie Evans type which is something this franchise has experience with. Tomislav Zubcic will not come over right away. If Toronto gets Steve Nash, a lot of their problems will appear solved.

Grade: C+

Orlando Magic
No. 19 overall – Andrew Nicholson, PF, St. Bonaventure
No. 49 overall – Kyle O’Quinn, C, Norfolk State

The Magic are in a weird situation and have been ever since Dwight Howard started pouting. Howard ran their head coach and GM out of town and still wants out himself. He hasn’t gotten it yet but it’s really only a matter of time. Orlando’s picks of Andrew Nicholson and Kyle O’Quinn may have been logical, but they won’t make their fans feel better yet

Grade: C+

Boston Celtics
No. 21 overall – Jared Sullinger, PF, Ohio State
No. 22 overall – Fab Melo, C, Syracuse
No. 51 overall – Kris Joseph, SF, Syracuse

We knew Jared Sullinger would drop, we just didn’t know how far. The Celtics are in a rebuilding stage now and looking to bulk up their front court with Sullinger and Fab Melo. The Celtics were hoping for Royce White here or to trade up and take Doc Rivers’ son Austin Rivers in the lottery. The best case scenario for Kris Joseph (taken No. 51 overall) is Gary Forbes, according to DraftExpress.

Grade: C+

Philadelphia 76ers
No. 15 overall – Maurice Harkless, SF, St. John’s
No. 27 overall – Arnett Moultrie, PF/C, Mississippi State

Philadelphia fans are not happy with the decision to take Maurice “don’t call me Moe” Harkless 15th overall. When you draft a guy who plays the same position as your best player at No. 15, it never feels like it makes sense. Harkless came out after just one year at St. John’s and is said to have some pro potential but he’s nothing special. The 76ers traded up with Miami to get Arnett Moultrie at No. 27. It’s just another lateral move here for Philly. Their fans want more than that.

Grade: C

Denver Nuggets
No. 20 overall – Evan Fournier, SG, France
No. 38 overall – Quincy Miller, G/F, Baylor
No. 50 overall – Izzet Turkyilmaz, PF, Turkey

The Nuggets surprisingly went with Evan Fournier at No. 20 despite some talent sitting on the board. Fournier will not come over to the NBA next season but was the highest rated international prospect of the draft. The Nuggets clearly weren’t looking to try and strike gold with late first round picks this year. They’ve already accomplished that with Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried. Their pick at No. 38 felt a little better. Some fans wanted Quincy Miller with the 20th pick so getting him this late is a win in that sense. Miller is young with a ton of potential but has the usual question marks. Denver went with another international product late in the second round that we won’t see in the NBA right away.

Grade: C

Atlanta Hawks
No. 23 overall – John Jenkins, SG, Vanderbilt
No. 43 overall – Mike Scott, F, Virginia

Nothing special here for Atlanta. John Jenkins could be decent but he won’t turn any heads. He can really shoot it though and might get some run for the Hawks where Josh Smith is on the way out. It would have been great if Atlanta had decided to draft Marquis Teague here and run an all-Teague backcourt with his brother Jeff. Love the Mike Scott pick.

Grade: C

Dallas Mavericks
No. 24 overall – Jared Cunningham, G, Oregon State
No. 33 overall – Bernard James, C, Florida State
No. 34 overall – Jae Crowder, F, Marquette

It doesn’t seem like Dallas was trying to do a ton in this draft. They dealt their 17th overall pick to Cleveland probably because there was no one they were in love with. They got three picks back for it and didn’t do anything crazy with them. One of the cooler moments in the draft though was Bernard James having his name called and walking to the podium. The crowd started chanting “U-S-A” because James served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dallas’ main priority this offseason is wooing Deron Williams and/or Dwight Howard.

Grade: C

Memphis Grizzlies
No. 25 overall – Tony Wroten, Jr., PG, Washington

The Grizzlies wanted a point guard and a lot of mocks had them going with Marquis Teague but they choose Tony Wroten, Jr. instead. Jay Bilas calls Wroten, Jr. a taller Rajon Rondo. That means he’s a good passer and can’t shoot a lick. Maybe it’s what Memphis needs and there is some upside there.

Grade: C

Utah Jazz
No. 47 overall – Kevin Murphy, SG, Tennessee Tech

Utah has enough young players from the last few drafts that they didn’t care too much about this year. Kevin Murphy is the only player from this draft to score 50 or more points in game last year in college. Why not?

Grade: C

Miami Heat
No. 45 overall – Justin Hamilton, C, LSU

Miami could have had Perry Jones III at No. 27 and it would have been just as scary as OKC getting him if not more so. They just didn’t want to have to pay a first rounder this year. Their cap space will be tight the next few seasons. They trade down here and get a 7-footer which they need. Something tells me we won’t see a ton of Justin Hamilton playing for the defending champs.

Grade: C

San Antonio Spurs
No. 59 overall – Marcus Denmon, G, Missouri

The Spurs drafted him so he’ll be an All-Star in four years. Marcus Denmon feels a little Patty Mills/James Anderson. The Spurs probably aren’t expecting too much from Denmon though.

Grade: C

New York Knicks
No. 48 overall – Kostas Papanikolaou, F, Greece

Not doing anything here. The home crowd really loved this pick at least.

Grade: C-

Los Angeles Clippers
No. 53 overall – Furkan Aldemir, PF, Turkey

Love this pick. He may never play in the NBA but he is a great rebounder and can only score on putbacks, according to Fran Fraschilla. What’s not to love?

Grade: C-

Los Angeles Lakers
No. 55 overall – Darius Johnson-Odom, SG, Marquette
No. 60 overall – Robert Sacre, C, Gonzaga

Darius Johnson-Odom plays the wrong sport. He’d be an awesome football player and used that to his advantage in college for Marquette. He will look a lot smaller in the NBA. If Robert Sacre is playing for the Lakers next season, it won’t be a good thing.

Grade: C-

Brooklyn Nets
No. 41 overall – Tyshawn Taylor, PG, Kansas
No. 54 overall – Tornike Shengelia, PF, Georgia
No. 57 overall – Ilkan Karaman, PF, Turkey

Brooklyn not trying to go crazy here. They are just praying for Deron Williams and Dwight Howard to hookup in their new city. Tyshawn Taylor might make it as a backup point in this league but nothing more. Tornike Shengelia goes by “Toko” and is a 6-foot-9 scorer who is good at attacking and can score around the rim well but has no jumper. Ilkan Karamen has a ton of tattoos and may “never play in the NBA” according to Fran Fraschilla.

Grade: C-

Minnesota Timberwolves
No. 58 overall – Robbie Hummel, SF, Purdue

Kevin Love, Chase Budinger and now Robbie Hummel. Good luck rest of league.

Grade: C-

Indiana Pacers
No. 26 overall – Miles Plumlee, PF, Duke
No. 36 overall – Orlando Johnson, SG, UCSB

This may have been the worst draft pick ever, worse than Sam Bowie. With names like Perry Jones III, Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli on the board, Indiana elects to take the worst Plumlee brother, Miles. If they weren’t Indiana and known for their white hoopsters, this would be an even worse pick. It’s still so horrible though words can’t describe it. There’s nothing that could make this pick ever make sense. They get Orlando Johnson from UCSB in the second round who was a 20-point scorer last year and might do something for them.

Grade: F

Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE

The Los Angeles Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies promised us a great series before it even started. They came through with the series going seven games with a physical playoff style of play in each.

Chris Paul and the Clippers came through on the road in a Game 7 shocking the home crowd in Memphis. The Clippers won Game 7, 82-72 as Paul led the team with 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

The Clippers won this game in a way that no one expected too. Their bench rose to the occasion in the fourth quarter scoring 25 of the team’s 27 points in the final period.

The Clippers entered the fourth quarter trailing by one and outscored the home team 27-16 in the final 12 minutes.

Vinny Del Negro gets a lot of heat but credit him for sticking with the right personnel down the stretch. He sat Blake Griffin for most of the fourth quarter and played guys like Reggie Evans and Kenyon Martin instead, two guys the Clippers needed to close out the Grizzlies.

Both teams were shooting poorly in the game but Memphis was the worst shooting 32.5 percent from the field and going 0-for-13 on threes.

Marc Gasol and Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies with 19 points each but Zach Randolph again did not look like the Randolph from last year as he was held to just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting.

The Clippers now move on to play the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Spurs swept the Utah Jazz in the first round and have been waiting awhile to play their next game.

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The Miami Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 95-86 Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in their series.

LeBron James led the Heat with 32 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in 43 minutes on the day he was presented with the MVP trophy before the game.

Dwyane Wade scored 29 points in 40 minutes and the duo of LeBron and Wade combined to go 21-of-24 at the free throw line.

LeBron and Wade had to step up not only because the Pacers came out strong but Chris Bosh went down with an injury late in the first half and did not return in the game.

Indiana played better than most people thought they would but did not come through in the areas they needed to pull off the upset. They gave up 15 offensive rebounds to Miami and Danny Granger went 1-for-10 from the field with only seven points.

The Pacers looked young and inexperienced and the Heat looked like they knew they were going to win the game no matter what. This series will be frustrating for Pacers fans but they could have a window of opportunity if the Bosh injury proves to be more serious.

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Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

LeBron James and the Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks 106-94 Wednesday night to win the series 4-1.

LeBron led the Heat with 29 points, seven assists and eight rebounds. LeBron set the tone early getting to the line eight times in the first quarter and also dishing out five assists in the opening quarter.

LeBron covered Carmelo Anthony for most of the game but Anthony had it going and scored 35 points but needed 31 shots to get those points. LeBron was criticized much for not covering Anthony down the stretch of Game 4 in New York.

Anthony got little to no help though from his teammates. The entire Knicks team looked like quite a mess in Game 5 as it seemed every time down the floor it was nothing but isolation offense.

The Heat will move on to play the Indiana Pacers in Round 2 who beat the Orlando Magic in five games in the first round.

Miami took three out of four from the Pacers in the regular season and while Indiana seems like they could be a tough matchup for the Heat, Miami and LeBron just seem to have their number.

LeBron averaged 26.8 points, 6.5 assists, 8.5 rebounds and 10.0 free throw attempts per game against the Pacers in the regular season.

Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE

The Memphis Grizzlies staved off elimination beating the Los Angeles Clippers 92-80 Wednesday night.

The Grizzlies got out to a great start and big lead in the first half with the game feeling a lot like Game 1 when the Clippers came back from a 27-point deficit to win.

Memphis did not give up their lead this time however and relied on Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to lead the way for them.

Randolph scored 19 points to go with 10 rebounds in the game and had 15 points and five rebounds in the first quarter.

Gasol scored 23 points to go with four rebounds and seven rebounds.

Chris Paul’s impact in the game was not its normal noticeable self. He scored just 19 points and dished out four assists.

Mo Williams led Los Angeles with 20 points in the game.

The Clippers still lead the series 3-2 and will host Game 6 Friday night.

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You can also download the podcast here.