Nice job of ignoring this part of my post: The Griz could come back and make a series out of this. I wouldn't be surprised if they win 2 or 3 games, but they're not true championship contenders. The series victories that they had over LAC and OKC were fool's good, because both of those teams had injured all-stars who didn't play. Either way, I'm assuming you don't disagree with my conclusion that the Griz are NOT true championship contenders. They struggled against OKC for all 5 games without RWB. They haven't had one victory against a fully healthy team in the playoffs yet this post-season.
Memphis won't quit and this game indicates that. I didn't watch the game, but some really interesting things happened if you kept up with the score and betting lines.
Memphis can't score to save their lives. This was why it was laughable people thought they could beat OKC with WB. Memphis is tough enough to extend this series, but their lack of offense kills them. They need to add another perimeter scorer for them to be truly competitive.
When did I say it was bogus? Injuries are part of the game so no excuses. It was just laughable that some people actually think that Memphis can beat a healthy OKC team, which had a very explosive offense.
You just made an excuse. Anyway, it was probably laughable to think that the rockets could have won a championship if MJ had not went off to play baseball. Or if they had to play the sonics in route.
No it's not an excuse. What t-macs said was reasonable. I am a Rockets fan, but I know we could've be swept by OKC if Westbrooks was healthy.
if the thunder had taken the grizzlies to 6 games, maybe I see your point. But the facts are the thunder won one game and that one game was a last second shot at the buzzer at home. The grizzlies beat the thunder twice in okc, which is unheard of in the playoffs for ANY TEAM
Why is it laughable? You have to consider matchups. Westbrook is a great player, but Memphis has fantastic perimeter defenders. Conversely, OKC simply can't come close to stopping both Gasol and Randolph. If you want to laugh at something, check out Collison's rate of fouls for those last 4 games.
Losing a top 5 player is HUGE. That could be the difference in making and not making the playoffs, or get a top seed or a very low seed, let alone winning a few games in a playoff series.
If Memphis's fantastic perimeter defenders can not contain Parker, what makes you believe they can contain a healthy Westbrook? And I think Parker hasn't put the injury completely behind him yet.
Yup, have the Spurs lose Tony Parker and see how the series will turn. Unbelievable how people think WB is like losing just another player.
To be fair, Spurs have very well polished offensive schemes designed to get parker open, setting multiple screens, having him run elaborate curls with simultaneous movement elsewhere, etc. On the other hand, I can't tell if Scott Brooks has called a play in his life.
OKC had an elite offense when healthy. They had one of the best point differentials during the regular season in league HISTORY. Memphis problem is they can't score. They have no offense (ala like the Pacers). They are a grind it out team who win low scoring games. A healthy OKC and spurs team can score with the best of them, but can also defend. Memphis isn't in that league. If Memphis can obtain a perimeter talent to complement their bigs (which aren't that efficient to begin with), then they will be legit contenders. Throughout this playoff run, you see Memphis consistently shooting in the high 30s or low 40s EVERY damn game. That's pathetic offense regardless of how you slice it.
Parker and Westbrook play differently. The Spurs run a lot of pick and rolls, and that means that by the end of the play, Parker is being guarded by one of Memphis' bigs. Conversely, Westbrook likes to iso, and that means that Conley remains his primary defender. Memphis' defense would be more effective against OKC than SA. Anyways, I'm looking at the overall matchups. Gasol/Randolph have a much bigger advantage in their matchup against Perkins/Ibaka/Collison than Durant/Westbrook have against Conley/Allen/Prince....especially when you consider the fact that Gasol is protecting the paint.
