These Grizzlies, like their stubborn coach, refuse to give in

He's done an amazing job with these Grizzlies, convinced a handful of second-chance players to believe in themselves (and each other) and created a storyline that's turned this city into an "NBA Town" for the first time in a long time, and arguably ever. But one of Hollins' weaknesses -- though it can be a positive at times -- is that he can be a hard-headed SOB less interested in change than showing you he won't, which is why it was surprising when he announced before tipoff that O.J. Mayo would start instead of Sam Young.

Really, Lionel?

"They were just clamping down on Zach [Randolph] with two or three guys," Hollins answered when asked to explain his reasoning. "We felt like if we put a shooter out there they would have to honor him."

Or succumb to him.

Mayo started and played 39 minutes, made six shots and finished with 16 points while pushing the Grizzlies to a 95-83 win over Oklahoma City late Friday that'll give the world its first Game 7 of these NBA Playoffs. Tipoff for that game is Sunday afternoon at 3:30 ET in Oklahoma City. The winner will face the Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.

"We're gonna go there and try to make it a close game," said Grizzlies forward Shane Battier. "We're gonna try to sneak one out."

The night began in a truly "Memphis" way with the Reverend Al Green singing the national anthem before a sellout crowd of 18,119. He was so good that several players started the anthem facing the United States flag with their backs to the Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer but slowly turned around to catch a glimpse.

"That was pretty sweet," Battier said. "He's a big reason why my wife and I are married. … Can I say that?"

Yes, Shane. As long as your wife doesn't mind.

Anyway, Battier's 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer was the only thing that allowed the Grizzlies to be down by just 10 points after 24 minutes, and though folks were still waving those "Believe" towels it would be dishonest to suggest everybody still actually, you know, believed. The Thunder were outplaying Memphis for the fifth consecutive game. They seemed on their way to a series-finishing victory, but then their best player -- and the world's best scorer -- stopped making shots and Oklahoma City stopped scoring points.

Kevin Durant was 1-of-10 from the field in the second half.

He missed contested shots and open shots.

He missed runners and long jumpers.

"It was frustrating to go out there and prepare so hard and not play as hard as I wanted," said Durant, who finished with just 11 points on a 3-of-14 shooting effort. "But I have to stay positive."

While Durant was missing shots, Randolph and Mayo were taking advantage of each other's presence. Randolph was 7-of-13 for 20 points in the second half while Mayo was 4-of-6 for 10. They combined for 46 points in the game, helped Memphis outscore the Thunder by a 51-29 margin over the final 24 minutes and complimented each other afterward.

"[Mayo starting] definitely makes a difference because you have to guard O.J.," Randolph said. "He can make shots from outside so it opened up a little bit in the paint. We had great spacing. They had to guard our perimeter."

And now the Thunder will have to do it again -- one last time.

Because Hollins made a lineup change and put a shooter in the court.

And because that shooter opened things up for the Grizzlies' best post player to operate.

Stubborn?

Yeah, Hollins is still a stubborn dude.

But he put that personality trait aside on this night.

Consequently, the Mavericks will have to wait till Sunday to find out their next opponent.

"He's just a coach -- a good coach," Mayo said when asked about Hollins' stubbornness. "He came to this franchise and turned it around with his headiness and toughness, and we resemble him a lot. He's got an old-school mentality. Good teams resemble good leaders, and he's the leader of this thing."

Of this thing that lived to play one more game … at least.

Thunder evens series against Grizzlies with triple overtime win

Kevin Durant scored six of his 35 points in the third overtime, and the Oklahoma City Thunder survived a thriller in holding off the Memphis Grizzlies, 133-123, in a game that ended Tuesday morning.

With the victory, the Thunder grabbed back home-court advantage and tied this Western Conference semifinal at 2-2.

Game 5 is on Wednesday night back in Oklahoma City. The winner of this series will play the Dallas Mavericks in the conference finals.

Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 40 points. James Harden added 19, and Daequan Cook had 10.

The Grizzlies ran out of energy in the third overtime as they hit just one of nine from the floor.

Zach Randolph led Memphis with 34 points and 16 rebounds. Marc Gasol had 26 and 21 rebounds.

O.J. Mayo had 18 and Mike Conley 16 before both fouled out. Greivis Vasquez had 14.

Conley forced the first overtime with his lone 3 of the game. Vasquez, the rookie playing because Conley had fouled out late in the first overtime, hit a 3 to set up the second overtime. Gasol scored on a tip-in that set up the third OT.

The Thunder had their chances to win at the end of regulation and each overtime.

Westbrook's jumper hit the rim before the buzzer to end the first 48 minutes. Durant, the NBA's leading scorer, had a 3 fall short of the basket at the end of the first overtime, and Westbrook's long jumper grazed the front of the rim at the buzzer ending the second overtime.

In the third overtime, the Thunder finally took control.

Miami 98, at Boston 90 (OT): LeBron James scored 35 points, Dwyane Wade had 28 and Chris Bosh had 20 as the Big Three dominated the Celtics and gave the Heat 1 3-1 edge in series.

"Wednesday night will be our greatest challenge that we've had with this group so far," Miami Coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We'll get their best games on Wednesday. And we have to be better. If we're real about what we want to do, we have to beat the Boston Celtics at their best."

One game after their worst performance as a threesome, James, Wade and Bosh had 83 of Miami's 98 points and 35 of its 45 rebounds.

They scored all 12 of Miami's points in overtime; Bosh and Wade had five apiece after James' fallaway jumper on the Heat's first possession of the extra period gave them the lead for good.

"We're the guys. We're the ones who get all the attention. We're the ones that get all the praise," Wade said.

"This team is going to go as far as us three takes it."

Paul Pierce scored 27, Ray Allen had 17 and Kevin Garnett had seven points and 10 rebounds for Boston. Rajon Rondo, who dislocated his left elbow Saturday in Game 3, played 39 minutes with a padded sleeve covering what appeared to be a brace on his left arm, scoring 10 with five assists.

Boston would need to win the next three games, two in Miami, to have a chance to defend their Eastern Conference championship.

"These are those moments. I look forward to it," Allen said.

"Everybody on this team, we know what to do. We can't talk about it; we just have to put our best foot forward.

NBA Playoffs: Round 2 predictions.

Now that each of the teams have one series under their belt, it’s a little more clear as to what is going on. Obviously, the one huge surprise was Memphis over San Antonio in six games – although I have never heard so many people giving so much chance to a #8 seed before the series began. Still… a #8 over a #1 in six games is pretty incredible.

A few days ago I wrote about the biggest choke jobs in history. In the NBA, the biggest almost certainly was in 2007 when #1 Dallas lost to #8 Golden State.

Both Golden State in 2007 and Memphis in 2011 had 42-40 records. Both won four games to two. Dallas had 67 wins in 2007, San Antonio had 61 wins in 2011. So, I guess you would have to say the Dallas choke was bigger than the San Antonio choke simply because Dallas had more victories during the season.

And, that also underscores how often the playoffs are about matchups. As I mentioned in my choke job post, Golden State had played Dallas three times during the regular season in 2007. They won all three and by an average of 16ppg! So, it wasn’t even as big a surprise as Memphis over San Antonio even though they split during the regular season.

I think the Grizzlies are probably better than most people realized and they did finish the second half the season very strong whereas the Spurs stumbled into the playoffs. So, the stars were aligned and an eight beat a one. What does it mean?

COOL FACTOID: Prior to the San Antonio series, Memphis had never won a single playoff game – having been swept the three previous appearances.

MEMPHIS vs OKLAHOMA CITY

Oklahoma City should have an easier second round opponent than what was expected. But, again, Memphis has proven they are no pushover and with Durant and Westbrook being a little streaky at times, they might be vulnerable.

The two teams played four times during the season and Memphis won three of the four – scoring 100+ in each game. But, it is also worth noting that Kendrick Perkins did not play in any of the games. So, whether his presence on the inside will affect Memphis ability to score in the paint (#1 in the NBA)… it remains to be determined.

Of course, Grizzly fans are lamenting more than ever the loss of Rudy Gay for the season – and who can blame them. But, they have been getting outstanding help from other players and should be able to make this a very competitive series.

My pick: OKC 4-3.

BOSTON vs MIAMI

Everyone knows the actors in this play! The obvious question is whether or not the Celtics “team” can beat the greatest collection of “individuals” of our era. I say no. But then, I’ve underestimated the Celtics before. My opinion is not based upon how good Boston is as much as it is based upon how good Miami is.

The Celtics have collapsed in the second half the season each of the four years this group has been together. But, that didn’t keep them from winning one title and almost a second. So, just because they ended 11-11 doesn’t mean you can draw a lot of conclusions from it. They did, after all, sweep the Knicks in the first round even if a couple games could have gone either way and even though Billups and Stoudemire were injured.

Miami did what they needed to do dispatching Philadelphia 4-1.

The most likely reference that you will hear is that Boston beat Miami 3-1 during the season. But, that has to be looked at in context. Boston was fortunate enough to play Miami twice within the first nine games of the season, winning once at home (+8) and once on the road (+5).

As I’ve pointed out in the past, the Heat were only 9-8 early on while trying to get familiar with each other as well as dealing with a Dwyane Wade injury. From there, they were 49-16 (62 win rate). And, after that, they played the Celtics twice – losing by three in Boston and winning by 23 late in the season in Miami when the #2 seed was at stake.

Miami has the home court advantage and I simply don’t think the Celtics can beat them. The big advantage Boston was to have was inside the paint, but I don’t think that’s going to be all that big of a deal. I think this series is going to be decided on the perimeter and driving to the basket. I don’t think it’s going to be decided by O’Neal vs Ilgauskas or even Garnett vs Bosh. It’s going to be Wade and James vs Rondo, Allen and Pierce. Wade and James are two of the best handful of players in the NBA. Rondo, Allen and Pierce are good, but not nearly that good… and I mean both offensively and defensively.

My pick: Miami 4-2.

ATLANTA vs CHICAGO

The Hawks surprised a lot of people by beating Orlando 4-2 despite a super human effort by Dwight Howard. The big question is whether it says more about Atlanta or more about Orlando. I say it says more about the Magic – that they have tremendous weaknesses apart from Howard. Consequently, I don’t give Atlanta as much credit as perhaps they deserve.

On the other hand, the Bulls were less than impressive against Indiana. They did win in five games, but the first three Chicago wins could have gone either way.

Rose had a good series, but the NBA MVP is going to be held under a microscope and with justification. No PG should be shooting 21 FGA per game! If he continues to do that, THEY WILL LOSE – if not to Atlanta, then to the winner of Boston/Miami. Rose also only hit 7.8 FG per game, so his FG% was sub 40%. That ain’t going to cut it.

Additionally, Boozer was abysmal in the series. His EFF for the playoffs so far is 12.40. Ok, “abysmal” is a little strong, but his season average was 19.85. That loss of production will be devastating unless he recovers. Deng and Noah are playing well. So, they need a little less domination by Rose and quite a bit more production out of Boozer.

Even so, Atlanta is far too skitzoid for me to pick them. They lost to the Bulls in two late-season games by 18 (road) and 33 (home). Plus, they don’t have the leadership necessary to beat Chicago. Not that Hinrich is in the category of Smith or Johnson or Crawford or Horford, but his injury is significant. He’s a glue guy on a team that needs glue badly.

My pick: Chicago 4-1.

LOS ANGELES vs DALLAS

This is a no-brainer. The Lakers are a far superior team to Dallas – assuming two things – no injuries and Bynum plays the way he’s been playing. There is no team in the league that is as talented up front with Bynum and Gasol. Dallas will get taken to the cleaners inside.

Although Nowitzki is great, his game is more of a small forward. He’s not going to bang with Gasol and Bynum – although their willingness to “bang” along with that of Odom and Artest is oftentimes a function of what kind of mood they are in.

The Lakers have been so good that they don’t always feel the need to get down and dirty, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Dallas pulled a couple games out. But I’m a believer that LA can (and will) turn it on when necessary. Now that San Antonio is out of the picture, it’s hard to see how Jackson will be able to convince his players that they aren’t a shoe-in for the finals.

Of course, Dallas has more weapons than just Nowitzki, but if LA plays shut-down defense – which they are capable of – I can’t see Kidd or Terry or Marion or Chandler making any difference. If Caron Butler hadn’t been injured… maybe. Otherwise…

My pick: LA 4-1.

Z-Bo's the hero as Memphis stuns San Antonio for 2-1 series lead

The chant started in the rafters and quickly spread into the lower bowl.

Z-Bo, Z-Bo, Z-Bo.

Hundreds quickly became thousands -- 18,119 to be exact -- their voices becoming louder, stronger with each passing second.

Z-Bo, Z-Bo, Z-Bo.

Standing alone on the sideline the object of their adoration, Zach Randolph, couldn't help but let a smile slip. He has gone through so much to get here. Dismissed by Portland. A salary dump by New York. Shoved aside by the Clippers. Everywhere Randolph went, it seemed, his weaknesses overshadowed his strengths.

Not here. Not in Memphis. Here, he is beloved. His past is his past. They know about it. They just choose to forget. "As far as I'm concerned," said Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley, "his career started here." That career began with an All-Star season in 2010 and, perhaps, reached a high water mark with a 25-point, five-rebound and three-assist effort in Saturday's 91-88 win over San Antonio. The final margin came courtesy of a Randolph 3-pointer over Tim Duncan that whipped the sellout crowd into a frenzy and gave eighth-seeded Memphis a surprising 2-1 lead in the series and its first home playoff win in history.

"That's the shot I work on and practice every day," Randolph said. "It felt good when it left my hands."

Said Duncan, "I didn't assume that was in his arsenal."

It is, and much more. Randolph has always been able to fill a stat sheet -- "you could pretty much chalk up a 20 (point) and 10 (rebound) night every time you played him," said Shane Battier -- but in Memphis, his game has diversified. Often accused of being a black hole in the post, Randolph is an improved passer. On the Grizzlies' first possession, Randolph found a cutting Mike Conley. Later, Randolph executed a perfect high-low pass to center Marc Gasol, who picked up the bucket and the foul. In the second quarter he skipped a behind-the-back pass to Tony Allen for a layup.

"Zach's the kind of guy who always wants to do the right thing," Battier said. "And he's a heck of a basketball player."

In Memphis, however, Randolph has become more than that. He is a one of the most oft requested players for community events and interacts with fans like he is one of them. A "Let's go to work Z-Bo" from a teenager in the fourth row? That gets a wave. A constructive criticism from a middle-aged man on the baseline? A nod and a "you're right" look. When seven-year old Ellen Taylor shuffled off the floor after singing the national anthem, Randolph was the first one to give her a high-five. Indeed, the small town boy from Marion, Ind. has found a home in one of the NBA's smallest markets.

"This city has adopted me," Randolph said. "The people here work hard, they accept you for who you are. That feels good."

That acceptance has been well earned. Randolph and Gasol have been human wrecking balls in Memphis's two wins. On defense, they have clogged up the paint and have been there to meet every Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili drive. And against San Antonio's smallish front line, the Grizzlies' big men have exploited every mismatch. Gasol pumped in 17 points of his own on Saturday, with the duo accounting for the bulk of the team's 44 points in the paint. It was only when San Antonio started to take away some of their post-ups in the second half that the Spurs were able to claw their way back in it.

"They are big bodies and they are taking some stuff away from us," Duncan said. "We are just not reacting as well as we usually do to what is open and to what we have."

The Spurs have never won a series in the Duncan era when they had home court advantage and lost two of the first three. But the series is far from over. San Antonio outscored Memphis 46-39 in the second half and had a chance to tie it in the final seconds of regulation. This Spurs team won't be rattled by a 2-1 deficit or an energetic home crowd. Been there, done that.

"As I told the players, it's going to be a dogfight," Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. "This was a battle. [The Spurs] are not going anywhere."

Neither, of course, is Randolph. The Grizzlies workhorse will be back at his familiar position in Game 4, banging his 6-foot-9, 253-pound frame on the blocks. The player ushered out of Portland, New York and Los Angeles has become Memphis's most indispensable man. The man so many coaches thought couldn't be counted on, trusted, now has a team and a city's unbending faith. Zach Randolph has always put up big numbers. Now, he is the biggest reason a playoff team is posting big wins.

Spurs need Manu to go mano a mano against rugged Grizzlies

Every aspect of Manu Ginobili's elbow injury was covered in Gregg Popovich's pregame media availability Wednesday night. Would Ginobili wear a brace in Game 2 against the Grizzlies? Would it be the same brace he wore in practice? A different one? How healthy was he? Could a percentage be placed on it?

Popovich often has little tolerance for the simplistic question, but in this case, he was verbally kinder and gentler than he's been known to be.

"Either you play, or you don't," the Spurs coach said.

The left-handed Ginobili did not play in Game 1 because of the right elbow strain and the top-seeded Spurs lost to the eighth-seeded Grizzlies. He played in Game 2 Wednesday and the Spurs won. His importance is obvious.

But what has to be sobering for the Spurs is that even though they were the best team in the Western Conference during the season, they not only have to be at full strength to beat the Grizzlies, but they have to be at the very top of their game.

When No. 1 meets No. 8, it's not supposed to be this difficult, although Popovich disagreed.

"It didn't just happen," Popovich said. "It's been like that for awhile so it's really nothing new. It doesn't matter who you get in the West as far as playoff position is concerned. It's going to be a tough series for everybody and it's been like that for awhile."

That is only partially true. Although there is no doubt the West has been a deep conference in recent years, only one No. 1 seed -- Dallas in 2007 -- has lost in the first round this century. Since the Mavericks were defeated by the Golden State Warriors, the top seeds in each conference are a combined 6-0 with a record of 24-8. One series has gone seven games, two have gone six, one was five games and there were two sweeps.

Overall in the history of the 16-team playoffs, the No. 8 seed has a 3-51 record against the top-seeded team.

But this is a different Memphis team. The Grizzlies rested their regulars late in the season and were satisfied when they dropped from seventh to eighth place. They preferred to play the Spurs rather than the Lakers in the first round. Memphis had a 2-2 record against San Antonio during the regular season and with the twin bulks of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies are a rugged team in the low post.

They were neutralized Wednesday night, however. After combining for 49 points in Game 1, Randolph and Gasol had only 23 points between them in Game 2. Gasol still came up huge with 17 rebounds, but after shooting 55.2 percent from the field in Game 1, the Grizzlies were held to 39.8 percent.

Antonio McDyess did a nice job on Randolph while Tim Duncan did not allow Gasol to go off like he did in Game 1. Gasol had 24 points in the first game and 12 on Wednesday.

"I thought Timmy was much more physical and did his work a lot earlier and didn't let Marc get to spots so easily," Popovich said. "It was a big change for us. Him scoring 24 points was not something you expect."

Ginobili had been out 10 days since injuring his elbow late in the regular season. He wore a padded brace during the game and it kept his arm bent at a slight angle. He could not completely straighten the arm.

But in terms of effort, the brace had no effect. Ginobili played with his usual abandon and even managed four steals. One midway through the third quarter was spectacular as Ginobili stripped Memphis guard Mike Conley of the ball at midcourt and ambled in for an easy layup. Ginobili had seven rebounds and a blocked shot to go along with his 17 points.

"I took some risks," Ginobili said. "I went for steals and rebounds. It's not like I played worried that something would happen. So overall, I felt better than expected."

Ginobili said he expects to wear the brace the rest of the first round and then team medical personnel will re-evaluate whether he will need it in the next round.

That, of course, is if the Spurs manage to win the series. In winning Game 1, the Grizzlies secured home-court advantage and the series now moves to Memphis for games on Saturday and Monday. Players on both teams said the physical play increased in Game 2 and even though Duncan fouled out and Randolph and Gasol had five fouls each, the referees still allowed both teams to play. It figures to get rougher.

"Whenever you see somebody consecutive games, that's when it gets annoying," Spurs forward Richard Jefferson said. "We have a ton of respect for them. We know it's a battle. They wanted to play us and we knew why. They match up well and they had a lot of confidence against us because of the regular season. It's one of those things that we know it's going to be a battle throughout."

The Spurs don't mind the battle -- as long as they are full strength.

"Everybody knows what kind of competitor Manu is," Popovich said. "Just to have him on the floor is a plus for the psyche of the whole team without a doubt. And on top of that, he played pretty well."