The Memphis Grizzlies are into their first Western conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs and while many feel that the team is one of the most balanced in the NBA, some feel that they got lucky after Russell Westbrook was hurt for the Thunder in the previous round.
While the Grizzlies did catch a lucky break with Westbrook getting hurt, it doesn't mean they would have lost the series if he played, as the team proved they have an elite big three in Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Zach Randolph that could take them to a title. The Thunder were hampered without Westbrook, but their biggest issue came up months ago when they decided to trade James Harden to the Houston Rockets because they didn't want to pay him a max contract.
While that may have been a smart financial move, it may have been the thing that kept the Thunder from going to back to back finals, as he could have been the secondary option after Westbrook went down, but instead Durant had to serve was the first, second and third option for the team during the Grizzlies series. The three main players for the Grizzlies were dominant for most of the playoffs and Randolph came up big in Game 5, dropping 28 points and 14 rebounds, while Conley led the team with 11 assists.
Durant led the Thunder for all of the playoffs in scoring, rebounding and assists and that became a big issue in the Memphis series, as Reggie Jackson stepped up but not enough for Westbrook. Gasol won defensive player of the year and proved why during the series, while Conley proved that he is one of the best young point guards in the game, arguably in the top five. The Grizzlies came from behind early in the game and then kept back a nice Thunder comeback that ended when Durant couldn't hit the shot that tied the game.
The Grizzlies will have their hands full with the Spurs, who appear to finally be playing championship level basketball after defeating the Warriors in Game 6,. Earlier in the series the team fell back a bit when things went 1-1, but Tim Duncan and Tony Parker played very well and looked like they did a few years ago when the team was winning three titles in five years. The Spurs will be the favorites in the series, but they shouldn't overlook the Grizzlies, who have a solid bench and a great front court with Gasol and Randolph.
While Duncan is one of the best players of all time, both Gasol and Randolph are in their primes and it will be an interesting battle of point guards in Mike Conley and Tony Parker, who could go head to head all series as they try to dish their way into the finals. Both teams will be ready to battle when the series starts and the Miami Heat will likely be waiting for them when the Eastern Conference series is over.
