GRIZZLIES VS. THUNDER
When, where: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City TV, radio: SportSouth, ESPN; WMFS 92.9-FM/680-AM Records: Grizzlies 50-32, Thunder 59-23. Grizzlies: Mike Conley 6-1, Courtney Lee, 6-5, Tayshaun Prince, 6-9, Zach Randolph, 6-9, Marc Gasol, 7- 0. Thunder: Russell Westbrook, 6-3, Thabo Sefolosha, 6-7, Kevin Durant, 6-9, Serge Ibaka, 6-10, Kendrick Perkins, 6-10. The Grizzlies lost the regular-season series 3-1, but only one game in the last nine meetings with the Thunder has been decided by more than seven points. Last season, Memphis beat Oklahoma City in the conference semifinals, but Russell Westbrook didn’t play because of a seasonending knee injury. Since the 2010-11 season, the Griz have 14 wins and the Thunder 13 in their matchups, and that includes two previous postseason battles. Westbrook’s performance vs Mike Conley looms as a pressing issue for the Grizzlies. While Conley (6-1, 185) has emerged as a more aggressive, confident and clutch scorer, Westbrook is still a more physically imposing player with his size (6-3, 200) and court speed at point guard. Westbrook averaged 24.5 points and 7.5 assists in the two games he played against the Griz this season. Conley, though, is an above-average on-ball defender. He’ll have to keep Westbrook in front of him so the Grizzlies’ defense doesn’t break down because of penetration into the paint. The goal is for the Griz to play Westbrook to a standoff, and they will use other defenders (i.e., Tony Allen) to help the cause. The ability of Mike Miller and Courtney Lee to consistently make shots bears watching because they were acquired to help space the floor for Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. They are the Grizzlies’ main shooting threats on the perimeter. The Thunder are among the worst teams at defending the 3-point arc so there should be open looks. Meanwhile, Thunder backup guard Reggie Jackson is the best weapon off a bench that struggles to make an impact. Oklahoma City is 32-4 when Jackson scores 14 or more points. “I’m definitely looking forward to the challenge because Russell is one of the best point guards in the league and you always want to play against the best. You always want to test yourself and compete at a high level.” — Conley. Since 1984, when the NBA went to a 16-team playoff, No. 7 seeds have beaten No. 2 seeds five times in 60 series. Thunder in seven. Kevin Durant cannot be stopped and he won’t be in this series. He’s averaged 30.7 points in four games and is the most likely to ensure that his team advances in what promises to be a series filled with close games.
THE PICK-AND-ROLL
The story of Mike Conley’s pick-and-roll mastery begins in a gym in Columbus, Ohio.
It was the summer of 2006 with Conley fresh off a high school career that featured three state championships in four years. Conley was part of the “Thad Five” recruiting class put together by Ohio State head coach Thad Matta, a wondrous group of freshmen that included future pros Oden and Daequan Cook. The group ranked among the top three classes in the nation.
And from the very first open-gym workout with his new teammates, Conley flashed the floor vision and intelligence that would help him master the pick and roll.
“It took two games of the first open gym,” Terwilliger said. “We realized he was the real deal.”
Terwilliger and his teammates fixated on Conley’s keen ability to think one play ahead of everyone else on the floor — freshmen and seniors alike. He could see things a bit quicker, react a bit quicker and, before you knew it, shred the defense because his raw speed was just a bit quicker, too.
All of those characteristics aided Conley in his introduction to the pick-androll, which took place for the first time under Matta at Ohio State. He and Oden became a feared duo in college basketball, with Conley lobbing and Oden dunking, and the result — many months later — was a trip to the national title game. “I guess it worked well,” Oden said with a wry smile in the Miami Heat locker room recently. “It got us that far.”
Conley’s education intensified in Memphis, where Damon Stoudamire took the young point guard under his wing. Stoudamire, who had already completed 12 seasons in the NBA, recognized Conley as the future of the team, and the pair became almost inseparable, the mentor and his student.
They bonded as undersized guards, as lefties (kind of), as players who needed a bit of craftiness to succeed against bigger and stronger defenders. Conley was fast enough to get to the rim with ease, but he lacked the knowledge of what to do next. Who knew he could pull up for floaters and jumpers? Who knew he could shield defenders with his small body? Stoudamire knew, and he taught.
On his own time, Conley studied some of the best point guards in the NBA, from Steve Nash to Chris Paul to Tony Parker, watching what they did well and adapting their nuances to fit his game. And in the form of wonderfully gifted center Marc Gasol, Conley had the perfect, nimble partner.
Seven years later, the tandem is among the best in the NBA.
“He’s a sponge,” Stoudamire said. “He really soaks things up. When you watch him play now, it’s amazing to me to see the growth in Conley’s game.”