Nelson Chenault – USA Today Sports Images
The Memphis Grizzlies, after being down 2-0 in the series, have won three straight games against the Los Angeles Clippers and now have a chance to advance out of the first round of the NBA Playoffs with a win in game six in Memphis. The Grizzlies have undoubtedly swung the momentum of the series in their favor.
Memphis was able to take control of the series for several reasons. One has been their dominant defensive effort as a whole. Another has been the leadership and defense of Mike Conley. Marc Gasol, the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, has also had a major impact. However, the overall play of Zach Randolph has been the catalyst for Memphis.
Early in the series, particularly in their two losses, Randolph looked like he might be trying to play through an injury or something because he didn’t look right. He was slower than normal and wasn’t able to be effective on either end of the floor. Considering what a major part of Memphis’ game-plan he is, that obviously resulted in the team having troubles.
However, Randolph has been dominant over the past three games on offense and has played nicely defensively. Over that short stretch, he is averaging 25.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and one steal per game while shooting a combined 31-56 from the field. His numbers have been fantastic, but it’s his ability to take advantage of Blake Griffin that has really proven to be the difference.
There’s absolutely no question that Griffin is the better athlete between the two of them, but Randolph has way more basketball-savvy than Griffin and has put that to use. He has gotten his shot off at will and taken advantage of Griffin’s sub-par defending. Randolph, simply put, has been schooling the young Griffin.
For the Grizzlies to close out this series on Friday, they are going to need Randolph to continue to exploit his advantage over Griffin. Randolph has proven to be aggressive and dominant in this series and it has swung the series in Memphis’ favor. The same things will have to happen if they want to finish off the Clippers.
Cody Williams is a Senior NBA Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20 and like his Facebook page.
