{"id":419472,"date":"2011-05-08T01:50:21","date_gmt":"2011-05-08T01:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-05-08T01:50:21","modified_gmt":"2011-05-08T01:50:21","slug":"grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"Grizzlies stun Thunder in OT, go up 2-1 (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)\u2014The Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> are finding a little desperation can carry them a long way.<\/p>\n

How far? That remains to be seen, but they sure keep finding ways to win.<\/p>\n

Zach Randolph<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> had 21 points and a franchise-record 21 rebounds, and the Grizzlies rallied from a 16-point deficit to stun the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> 101-93 in overtime Saturday and grab a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal.<\/p>\n

The Grizzlies are trying to do something no NBA team has done in climbing from the No. 8 seed all the way to the Western Conference finals. They moved two wins away from that by remaining undefeated on their home court this postseason.<\/p>\n

Memphis coach Lionel Hollins knows his Grizzlies were fortunate, but says that\u2019s the NBA playoffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to go further, you always have to be in games where you\u2019ve got to do something miraculous in order to win the game,\u201d Hollins said. \u201cI thought this was miraculous the way we fought back after being down 16, and it was a super win. And like I said, by the grace of God we were fortunate to come out on top.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Grizzlies did it with an amazing comeback in a game they couldn\u2019t have looked more out of synch or rusty early, but scored the first six points of overtime to finish off the victory. Guard Mike Conley<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said the Grizzlies just didn\u2019t come with effort the first three quarters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think once we looked up at the clock and saw how many points we were down, a little bit of desperation hit,\u201d Conley said. \u201cWe were like, \u2018Man, we cannot lose this game.\u2019 And guys amped up their game, made some changes here and there, and we were able to just be scrappy and play our game, and fortunately we got the win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin Durant<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> the NBA\u2019s scoring leader in the regular season and these playoffs, took only three shots in overtime and missed them all. He finished with 22 points, his lowest this postseason after averaging 31.6 points coming in. He also attempted only one free throw, which he missed. Durant groaned heavily as he walked away after talking with reporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a tough loss,\u201d Durant said. \u201cI\u2019m trying to stay positive, but it was tough. This was tough. We were up 13 going into the fourth, had a good roll going. It was tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

O.J. Mayo<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> had 18 points off the bench. Conley also scored 18, Marc Gasol<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> had 16 and Tony Allen<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> 10.<\/p>\n

Russell Westbrook<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> had 23 points and 12 assists, but committed five of his seven turnovers after the third quarter before fouling out late in overtime for the Thunder. Serge Ibaka<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> had 14 points and James Harden<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> 12.<\/p>\n

Thunder coach Scott Brooks said the Thunder played the way they wanted for three quarters.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we stopped doing it,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cThe last seven or eight minutes, we just stopped doing it, and we gave into their play. I give them credit. They really stepped up and got into us and made us take tough shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the credit for the Memphis comeback can go to Hollins switching to a small lineup in the second half, trying something different with Oklahoma City packing the paint to contain Randolph and Gasol. Hollins told his smaller Grizzlies that those big men had carried them to this point and that the time had come for the perimeter players to step up.<\/p>\n

Hollins went with Shane Battier<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Allen, Mayo, Conley and Darrell Arthur<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> for a stretch with Randolph and Gasol on the bench.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur guards took that challenge and were just aggressive,\u201d Mayo said.<\/p>\n

Mayo switched onto Westbrook, who hit 5 of 16 after halftime, and gave Conley the chance to rest a bit defensively. Mayo knows Westbrook well from having played against him for several years and also working out together in the offseason. Mayo was able to keep Westbrook off some of his favorite shooting spots on the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to use my size and my strength a little bit, and whenever he rose up to shoot the jumper, just contest\u2026,\u201d Mayo said. \u201cI just made it a little difficult for him.<\/p>\n

Conley said that gave him more energy and strength in his legs for offense. The guard had 10 points after the third quarter.<\/p>\n

Randolph said every time he touched the ball in the first half, he found three defenders on him. He credits Mayo as the player of the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe guy did great on Westbrook. He took it upon himself to guard Westbrook, and he did a great job,\u201d Randolph said<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City was up 70-54 on Kendrick Perkins\u2019<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> tip-in with 3:53 left in the third and seemed in control with Westbrook scoring 13 points in the period.<\/p>\n

Memphis erased that lead with a 13-2 run and outscored Oklahoma City 23-10 in the fourth quarter, then 15-7 in overtime. The Thunder hit just 3 of 12 in the extra period.<\/p>\n

With the score tied at 86, both teams had a chance to win in regulation.<\/p>\n

Brooks took a timeout with 18 seconds to go, having to holler to get referee Ken Mauer\u2019s attention in the roaring FedExForum. Durant missed a 20-footer off the back rim as the shot clock buzzer sounded with 4 seconds left, but Randolph\u2019s own 3 for the win clanked off the rim at the buzzer.<\/p>\n

Memphis took over in overtime. First, Allen drove for a layup, then Conley scored on a layup. Allen then hit two free throws for a 92-86 lead with 2:56 left. The Grizzlies polished the win off at the free throw line, hitting 9 of 12.<\/p>\n

That left the Thunder thinking of what could have been.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe controlled that whole game,\u201d Thunder guard James Harden said. \u201cWe just let one slip away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now their focus turns to Game 4 on Monday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe quicker we can get over it and realize that we need to win one game here and we can still do that the better,\u201d Thunder forward Nick Collison<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said. \u201cIf we win Game 4, then we\u2019ll still be in good shape. As disappointing as it is, we need to get over it quickly and be ready to play in Game 4.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Grizzlies, coming off a three-day layoff that was their longest break in a couple weeks, didn\u2019t give their sellout crowd much to cheer until late.<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City scored the first five points, and the Thunder did what worked so well Tuesday night by collapsing whenever Memphis tried to pass the ball into the paint.<\/p>\n

Memphis led 28-24 when the Thunder went on a 16-3 run and grabbed a 40-31 lead on a pair of free throws by Westbrook. Oklahoma City outscored Memphis 31-21 in the quarter and led 51-43 at halftime.<\/p>\n

Conley didn\u2019t score until 4:45 left in the first half on a fast-break layup.<\/p>\n

NOTES: The Grizzlies had played in May only twice previously, and they were eliminated from the postseason in both games. Phoenix handled the honors May 1, 2005, and Dallas ended the Grizzlies\u2019 season May 1, 2006. \u2026 The Grizzlies were 2-5 in overtime games in the regular season and now are 1-1 this postseason. \u2026 Memphis won despite shooting under 40 percent (37.8 percent) for the first time since Dec. 13, 2010, against Portland. \u2026 This was Memphis\u2019 11th come from behind victory this season and second in the playoffs trailing by 10 or more points in the second half.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

Visit link:
\nGrizzlies stun Thunder in OT, go up 2-1 (AP)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)\u2014The Memphis Grizzlies are finding a little desperation can carry them a long way<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-419472","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"yoast_head":"\nGrizzlies stun Thunder in OT, go up 2-1 (AP) - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Grizzlies stun Thunder in OT, go up 2-1 (AP) - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)\u2014The Memphis Grizzlies are finding a little desperation can carry them a long way\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Grizzlies stun Thunder in OT, go up 2-1 (AP)\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-05-08T01:50:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/\"},\"wordCount\":1250,\"commentCount\":0,\"articleSection\":[\"Local News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/\",\"name\":\"Grizzlies stun Thunder in OT, go up 2-1 (AP) - Ghanamma.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-05-08T01:50:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/\",\"name\":\"Ghanamma.com\",\"description\":\"News In Ghana - Latest Ghana News Headlines\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Grizzlies stun Thunder in OT, go up 2-1 (AP) - Ghanamma.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Grizzlies stun Thunder in OT, go up 2-1 (AP) - Ghanamma.com","twitter_description":"MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)\u2014The Memphis Grizzlies are finding a little desperation can carry them a long way","twitter_creator":"@ghanamma","twitter_site":"@ghanamma","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Grizzlies stun Thunder in OT, go up 2-1 (AP)","datePublished":"2011-05-08T01:50:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/"},"wordCount":1250,"commentCount":0,"articleSection":["Local News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/","name":"Grizzlies stun Thunder in OT, go up 2-1 (AP) - Ghanamma.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/#website"},"datePublished":"2011-05-08T01:50:21+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/08\/grizzlies-stun-thunder-in-ot-go-up-2-1-ap\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/","name":"Ghanamma.com","description":"News In Ghana - Latest Ghana News Headlines","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419472\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}