Memphis Grizzlies Continue to Play Well, Defeat Oklahoma City Thunder

Behind the strong play of Zach Randolph the Memphis Grizzlies continue to advance through the NBA playoffs and last night defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder to take the lead in the series 1-0. They Grizzlies did not allow themselves to revel in the joy of being only the fourth eight seed to knock of a number one since the NBA switched to seven game series, mostly because they do not look at themselves as underdogs.

"We believe, we definitely believe. Our confidence is up high I tell the guys we can play with anybody," Randolph said. He backed up his talk with 24 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday night while playing with energy. Teammate Marc Gasol added 20 points and 13 rebounds himself and the Grizzlies walked away with the win 114-101.

Oklahoma City counted on its stars to keep them in the game and they tried as hard as they could. Kevin Durant posted 33 points and 11 rebounds while Russell Westbrook scored 29 points but it wasn't enough. Every time it seemed like Durant had taken momentum from the Grizzlies with a thunderous dunk or Westbrook spun through the lane to tighten the score the Grizzlies fought back to keep the Thunder at arm's length.

The Grizzlies put on a showcase of low post passing and ball movement as they scored 52 points in the paint against the Thunder. That number is more impressive considering the Thunder's acquisition of Kendrick Perkins primarily for defense and the emergence of Serge Ibaka (I-block-a as he is called in Oklahoma City) as a stopper. A steady stream of fade-away jump shots and hooks kept falling as the lead grew and couldn't be overcome.

On a side note Zach Randolph has gained one of the most popular nicknames on Twitter as he plays with contributors routinely referring to him as "Chunky Eddie Winslow," a character from the '90s sitcom Family Matters that featured the character Steve Urkel.