R1/GAME3: Grizzlies (1-1) vs. OKC Thunder (1-1)

[Skrilla Steve]

I'll do my best to keep yelling the whole game...I think being a Saturday night game, the crowd should be very energized and rowdy (couldn't think of another word haha).

[darkangle901]

These games are becoming too much for my heart to handle
I can't wait to be at the Forum on Saturday. I'll be yelling my butt off. Go Grizz.

Watching on TV last night - it looked like the crowd got out of it after they celebrated at one of the timeouts with the big lead and they played the "We don't bluff" song. The fans got silent while the Thunder took over. Please don't let that happen. Keep screaming until the final buzzer. When Westbrick was taking free throws you could hear a pin drop. That was shameful!!!! The crowd can't let their fear take over and let it infect the players. You could see the Grizzlies loss their swagger. Saturday night needs to be really rowdy. THe thunder are going to come out with all guns blazing. The fans must do their part and get insane.

It wasn't just the crowd... somewhere along the way OKC made an adjustment to how they were defending Conley on the pick and roll, and began throwing soft traps at him. The strategy seemed designed to dissuade passes to the big or the weakside guard rather than trying to cut Conley off and force him to pick up his dribble.

Clearly it worked. Conley resorted to trying to super-speed dribble around two defenders instead of one, ending up way out of position without much time on the clock, and without court balance or court balance. I think part of it was that we were up 17 in the 4th and Conley didn't want to risk a pass over OKC's lengthy defenders. But that mindset was part of the problem - we were essentially in run-out-the-clock mode, and Conley pick-and-rolls seems to be our "safe" play, and basically the only thing we run in that situation. We need to do a better job of playing all our sets even when we're up.

It also didn't help that Joerger didn't make any adjustments to the strategy until OT, where the ball came out of Conley's hands earlier and we went into ball-movement mode. I was also a bit surprised that Kerr and Marv didn't comment on it, even though it's what changed the game.

Good news is we survived that game, and now the staff has had a couple days to look at the tape and prepare a little better. I don't want to speak too soon, but that may have been the best shot OKC had. They're defensive strategy was good, but they squandered it with an absolutely horrid shooting night that devolved into a chuckfest by KD and Westbrook.

I'm starting to think we win this one in 5 like last year, but I need to see what adjustments Joerger makes to OKC's change in P&R defense.

[SunsRback4Good]

Tony Allen pulled off a Paul Pierce only he didn't get carried out of the arena bug got up and finished with a dunk