NO NEED TO PANIC
As Dave Joerger’s Griz and Thunder play rollercoaster ball, outcome’s up for grabs.
In a playoff series where momentum is fleeting, it should come as no surprise to learn that the Grizzlies don’t believe the odds are against them.
“We’re not down. We’re still confident,” Griz guard Tony Allen said Saturday following an overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4.
Their hotly contested first-round playoff series with the Oklahoma City Thunder is tied at 2-2 and now comes down to a bestof-three with Game 5 set for Tuesday night in Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Two of those games would be played on the Thunder’s home court if a Game 7 is necessary. But conventional wisdom suggests that this series is up for grabs given the last three contests have each required an extra period to determine the outcome.
Both teams have blown large second-half leads, which means neither squad is playing consistently well on either end of the floor. The stars have been largely neutralized or endured long stretches of poor play, leaving the outcome of games mostly to the play of role players and hustle plays in clutch moments.
Simply put: neither squad has operated with a clear advantage.
“You see two teams and nothing’s new
under the sun now,” Thunder forward Caron Butler said. “Everybody knows each other’s tendencies, the scheme, everything. It’s all about the effort, imposing your will on the game, having the same disposition night in and night out.”
Griz coach Dave Joerger gave his team the day off Sunday to rest and recoup from a series that’s been mentally and physically draining. Memphis and Oklahoma City have hooked up for eight overtime games since 2011.
Each of the past three games in this series were seemingly in hand by one squad only to have the other rally to force the extra five minutes.
Oklahoma City blew a 14-point, second-half lead in Game 4. Memphis trailed most of the game but clawed back and took a five-point advantage only to lose it in less than 90 seconds at the end of the fourth quarter.
In overtime, the Griz struggled to do much of anything fluid offensively. Those five minutes of poor ball movement and shooting, especially from the foul line, summed up the game.
“They are fighting and we have to do the same going back to Oklahoma City,” Griz point guard Mike Conley said.
Joerger said he’s been pleased with the Grizzlies’ defensive effort, but acknowledged that it’ll take better offense to win the series.
“We thought we were not physical enough,” Joerger said. “For us, we’ve got to screen harder and deeper and get guys open when they need to get open. We’ve got to have some other guys step up and make some plays. We need to shorten some passes. We need to get a deeper post up with some movement.”
Griz forward Zach Randolph had the roughest time in Game 4. He made just 5 of 14 shots after going 5 of 20 from the field in Game 3. The Thunder have effectively crowded Randolph and made him take contested shots farther from the basket than he’d prefer.
Randolph is shooting 36 percent in the series. He made 47 percent of his shots in the regular season.
Oklahoma City also out-rebounded Memphis by nine (58- 49) in Game 4 and has won the battle on the boards in each of the first four games in the series.
“Our bigs have always been our unsung heroes,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “They really make the team flow on both ends of the floor.”
Allen said seizing control of the series is as simple as paying attention to details.
“Now it is an even series and we have to get our focus on Game 5,” Allen said. “We just have to be better as a team.”
Tip-in: The Grizzlies announced that playoff tickets for Game 6 on Thursday at FedExForum will go on sale Monday at noon. MVP season-ticket holders can purchase tickets in advance at 10 a.m. Grizzlies guard Beno Udrih (right) guards Reggie Jackson during Thursday’s Game 3. On a night when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook struggled, Jackson stepped up Saturday.