The Memphis Grizzlies had the chance to advance to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history with a win on Wednesday and the team did just that, as they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 after winning 88-84 on the road.
The Thunder never were the same in the series after losing Russell Westbrook in the previous tilt against the Houston Rockets, leaving Kevin Durant as the primary scorer, rebounder and assist man for the remainder of the playoffs. The defensive minded Grizzlies were able to shut him down with double teams and despite his team high 21 points and six assists on Wednesday, the Thunder are headed home after making the finals last year. Russell Westbrook is very angry at Patrick Beverley somewhere, as he was the one who hit his knee on a bad play and forced him into surgery and miss the playoffs for the first time in his career. Reggie Jackson filled in admirably, but it wasn't enough for the team to win.
The Grizzlies were powered by their three stars in Mike Conley, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, who have proven to be a "Big 3" throughout the playoffs. Randolph led the team in poins and rebounds on Wednesday, while Conley was tops in assists and continued to show why he is one of the top guards in the league. The Grizzlies outscored the Thunder 32-15 in the second quarter after being down 23-18 and then in the third the Thunder came back by going 24-14, but Memphis pulled back in the fourth and Kevin Durant couldn't tie the game at the end when he got a chance.
Memphis will now have to wait for the winner of the Spurs-Warriors series, but either way the franchise is trending in the right direction after taking down the Thunder and making it to the finals for the first time. Conley finished the game with 13 points and 11 assists, while Randolph added 28 points and 14 rebounds to get the fifth seeded Grizz through to the next round. Durant's shot at the end from 16 feet would have tied it with just six seconds left, but it marked another miss on a tough night of 5 for 21 shooting that saw him score 21.
The Thunder got 17 from Serge Ibaka and eight rebounds, while the team looked lost against without Westbrook. Now Durant and the Thunder will have to wonder what might have been if they kept James Harden in the deal from earlier in the year and will have to wait till next year. The Grizzlies now have more to prove as they head into the next round.
