{"id":415737,"date":"2011-05-02T21:51:16","date_gmt":"2011-05-02T21:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/05\/02\/grizzlies-dominate-paint-against-thunder-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-05-02T21:51:16","modified_gmt":"2011-05-02T21:51:16","slug":"grizzlies-dominate-paint-against-thunder-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/02\/grizzlies-dominate-paint-against-thunder-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"Grizzlies dominate paint against Thunder (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)\u2014The arrival of Kendrick Perkins<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> was expected to give the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> the kind of inside muscle they needed to stand their ground with some of the NBA\u2019s beefiest big men.<\/p>\n

In the opener of their Western Conference semifinal series with Memphis, it was the Grizzlies who did the bruising.<\/p>\n

Zach Randolph<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> and Marc Gasol<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> combined for 54 points and 23 rebounds in leading eighth-seeded Memphis to a road victory in Game 1 for the second straight series. The Grizzlies got 52 points in the paint, more than any team but the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> have scored against Oklahoma City with Perkins in the lineup.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey played physical, they bullied us in the first game,\u201d guard James Harden<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said after practice Monday. \u201cSo, the second game, we just have to prepare and go out there and not make excuses and win a game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Game 2 is Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n

The Grizzlies, who led the NBA with 51.5 points per game in the paint, averaged a whopping 59 against Oklahoma City while winning the regular-season series 3-1. The Thunder\u2019s only win came when Memphis scored 60 points inside but went 10-for-38 outside the paint, including 1 for 15 on 3-pointers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just have to pack the paint,\u201d Harden said. \u201cPack the paint, clog it up, make them shoot outside jump shots. They lead the league in paint points, so we have to cover that up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Randolph has set the Grizzlies\u2019 playoff scoring record in back-to-back games, with 31 points in Game 6 against top-seeded San Antonio and then 34\u2014 along with 10 rebounds\u2014in Game 1 at Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s had three games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds against the Thunder.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Zach showed you how much he can do if they don\u2019t double-team him,\u201d teammate Darrell Arthur<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said. \u201cAnd if they do double-team, he\u2019s such a great passer out of the post that it doesn\u2019t really matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Randolph has become one of the stars of the playoffs, a player with no history of postseason success during his 10-year career leading a franchise that had never won a playoff series until knocking off top-seeded San Antonio a few days ago.<\/p>\n

He was better known for some run-ins with the law. But after bouncing from Portland to New York to the Los Angeles Clippers<\/a>, he has found a fit in Memphis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Zach is the epitome of life,\u201d Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. \u201cWhen we\u2019re young people, we make mistakes. We do things that we shouldn\u2019t do, and we grow and become better men. Whether it\u2019s in this game or in life, that\u2019s what this world is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Randolph has looked unstoppable, even against a front line that added Perkins\u2014one of the NBA\u2019s top low-post defenders\u2014at the trade deadline in February. The move allowed Serge Ibaka<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> the league\u2019s top shot blocker, to move from center to his natural power forward position.<\/p>\n

Coach Scott Brooks thought the Thunder did a decent job of getting Randolph and Gasol out of the areas where they\u2019re strongest, but it still wasn\u2019t good enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cZach made eight shots from the perimeter. There\u2019s nothing you can do about that, other than pushing him outside a few extra feet and crowding his space. Gasol made four jump shots, and that\u2019s not his strength of his game,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cBut they made them and give them credit. They stepped up and they made those shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gasol went 4 for 4 on jumpers from at least 14 feet and Randolph hit eight jumpers from at least 10 feet out, including a 3-pointer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can shoot the ball, pick and roll. It ain\u2019t just coming down and throwin\u2019 it in the post,\u201d Randolph said. \u201cWe can do different stuff a lot of the other big guys can\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perkins said \u201cthat wasn\u2019t Thunder basketball (Sunday), and it\u2019s going to be a different game tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t nothing like they had a lot of shots in the paint. He hit a lot of outside shots (Sunday)\u2014contested, tough shots at that\u2014so you\u2019re not overreacting to nothing,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cI feel like we just didn\u2019t play our game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get too much concerned about what the other team\u2019s doing. I\u2019m always concerned about what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Grizzlies\u2014who led the NBA in steals and turnovers forced\u2014also scored 23 points off of 18 Oklahoma City turnovers and 22 second-chance points off of 17 offensive rebounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat has to change,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cWe have to get better in those areas because that\u2019s their strength, and they had their way with their strength. We don\u2019t want that to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooks said he was hesitant to double-team Randolph too much because he\u2019s become a quality passer when the Grizzlies send players cutting to the basket.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s only so many things you can do on a basketball court,\u201d Randolph said. \u201cThey could double-team me and push me baseline. There\u2019s only two things. I\u2019ve seen almost anything, so I\u2019ll be ready for whatever they throw at me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

Continue Reading:
\nGrizzlies dominate paint against Thunder (AP)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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