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Memphis 101, at San Antonio 98 (Memphis leads 1-0
Pace: 87.5
Offensive Ratings: Memphis 113.7, San Antonio 113.8
The Memphis Grizzlies got the first playoff win in franchise history in style Sunday, using Shane Battier's late three-pointer to knock off the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center. Before Battier's triple, it looked like the early game Sunday might be a replay of a pair of matchups from the day before. The road team controlled the action much of the way only to surrender the lead in the closing minutes (courtesy a 10-0 San Antonio run). However, Memphis was able to get off the mat and score the game's last seven points.
What nearly cost the Grizzlies late was their inability to defend the three-point line, clearly the coaching staff's focus entering this series. The Spurs attempted just 11 three-pointers over the first 45-plus minutes, but Matt Bonner shook free for a pair of triples that took San Antonio from down four to up two. The Spurs got two more good looks at threes inside the final 10 seconds, but George Hill and Richard Jefferson both misfired.
Until then, Memphis' strategy had mostly worked, forcing San Antonio into less efficient two-point attempts. It did not hurt that the Spurs chose to favor Tim Duncan in the post over the high pick-and-roll with Tony Parker during the first half. While Duncan scored well, his touches failed to create looks for other players because the Grizzlies did not bring double-teams. San Antonio also missed Manu Ginobili's ability to create off the dribble, but survived offensively because Memphis could not stop fouling. The Spurs attempted an incredible 47 free throws and went to the line more than a quarter of their times down the floor.
Ultimately, San Antonio lost largely because of its inability to contain Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. They feasted on the one-on-one coverage the Spurs provided in the paint, combining for 49 points on 19-of-24 shooting. Surprisingly, Gasol got the better of Duncan, while Randolph beat a variety of defenders throughout the game. Against a team that doesn't shoot the ball well from the perimeter (though the Grizzlies did make six threes in 10 attempts Sunday), San Antonio might have to get more aggressive in the post. I'd also be curious to see Tiago Splitter get a shot defending one of the Memphis big men. The Brazilian rookie got a DNP-CD as Gregg Popovich favored Bonner and DeJuan Blair alongside Duncan.
New Orleans 109, at L.A. Lakers 100 (New Orleans leads 1-0
Pace: 88.8
Offensive Ratings: New Orleans 122.7, L.A. Lakers 112.6
At the danger of oversimplifying things, this upset was almost entirely a testament to Chris Paul's brilliance. From start to finish, the Los Angeles Lakers had no answer for Paul's ability to create off the pick-and-roll, finding teammates in the early going and knocking down huge shots to keep the Lakers at bay in the fourth quarter. It was a nice reminder for those who haven't been watching closely: Paul still has a spot in the best point guard discussion. Perhaps the ultimate testament to Paul's performance wasn't his 33 points or 14 assists. It was the fact that, with the ball in his hands virtually all the time, the Hornets committed just three turnovers to tie a playoff record.
The bench came up big too for New Orleans, and carried the team through the crucial stint Paul spent resting at the start of the fourth quarter. The Hornets actually extended their lead without him, outscoring the Lakers 9-4. Jarrett Jack played well in Paul's stead and finished the game alongside him, coming up with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting and five assists. Meanwhile, backup center Aaron Gray enjoyed the game of his life, making all five of his shot attempts to score 12 points in 20 minutes, during which New Orleans was an amazing +25 in a close game. Though Gray had to be helped off late in the game after rolling his ankle, coach Monty Williams told reporters after the game it was just a "mild" sprain, which is good news for the Hornets.
The L.A. offense was reasonably efficient despite getting almost no scoring from Pau Gasol. Gasol handed out six assists, but shot just 2-of-9 from the field (one of the makes after the game was decided). Given his size advantage against the New Orleans starting lineup, Gasol can and must do more. Phil Jackson even briefly benched Gasol down the stretch in favor of Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum. That's a combo Jackson might want to use more frequently given the way Gasol struggled with the pick-and-roll, especially when he had to switch late in the game when Kobe Bryant moved on to Paul defensively. The other adjustment the Lakers could make, especially if other Hornets are unable to continue their hot shooting, is to aggressively trap Paul and force him to give up the basketball. The way he played Sunday, I'd make someone else beat me.
at Boston 87, New York 85 (Boston leads 1-0
Pace: 84.9
Offensive Ratings: Boston 99.7, New York 102.9
A curious final minute allowed the Boston Celtics to hold on for a home victory that very easily could have gone the other way. Things got crazy when Chauncey Billups missed a driving layup and came up injured in the process. Instead of calling timeout, Carmelo Anthony launched a hurried contested three-pointer. When the Celtics secured the rebounder, they had the chance to play 5-on-4 only to see Rajon Rondo airmail an outlet pass far out of bounds, giving the New York Knicks a chance to regroup.
With Billups out--his status for the rest of the series is unclear--Mike D'Antoni chose to bring in backup point guard Anthony Carter instead of shifting Toney Douglas to the point and getting another scorer like Landry Fields or Shawne Williams in the game. The game still might have worked out for the Knicks after a Douglas three-pointer, but Ray Allen gave the Celtics the lead for good with a triple with 11 seconds to play. New York took over out of timeouts, since D'Antoni had spent one of his discretionary timeouts during the third quarter trying to stop a Boston run. Amidst the confusion, the best the Knicks could do--with defensive specialists Carter and Jared Jeffries still on the floor--was a forced Anthony three over two defenders.
The endgame aside, there were encouraging signs for New York. Specifically, the Knicks were able to play even in a half-court style that figured to favor the Celtics. They did so with atypically strong defense, holding all of Boston's All-Stars save Ray Allen in check and getting nine blocks (four from Ronny Turiaf alone). Amar'e Stoudemire was active at both ends, beating Kevin Garnett off the dribble on his way to 28 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. With better decision making from Anthony, who often hunted shots (he missed 13 of his 18 attempts and turned the ball over five times), the New York offense could be effective. Of course, that rests on Billups' availability. Though Douglas played well off the ball, the notion of him running the point for 40 minutes is unappealing.
For the Celtics, the best aspect of Game One besides the final outcome was a rejuvenated Jermaine O'Neal. In 23 minutes, O'Neal blocked four shots around the rim and made all six of his shot attempts to score 12 points. O'Neal and Glen Davis teamed up to play almost all of Boston's minutes alongside Garnett, with Nenad Krstic limited to a five-minute cameo.
at Oklahoma City 107, Denver 103 (Oklahoma City leads 1-0
Pace: 91.6
Offensive Ratings: Oklahoma City 119.4, Denver 110.0
If Game One was any indication, this series will be every bit the classic we all expected. After a fast start by the visiting Denver Nuggets, neither team led by more than eight points in the second half. The lead fluctuated back and forth before a missed call--Kendrick Perkins' tip in of a Russell Westbrook miss that should have been goaltending--seemed to shift the momentum to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The call can't excuse the Nuggets' poor execution down the stretch with the game very much still winnable. On consecutive possessions off timeouts, Denver looked confused and ended up with bad shots--a long Kenyon Martin jumper followed by a desperation three from Raymond Felton. Since Westbrook knocked down a legitimate jumper at the shot-clock buzzer in between, the Nuggets were doomed by the empty possessions.
Before then, the game was as even as could be from two teams with totally different philosophies. Oklahoma City got more than two-thirds of its scoring from Westbrook (31) and an unstoppable Kevin Durant (41). Meanwhile, the Nuggets saw their two leading scorers (Nenê and Danilo Gallinari) combine for 40 points. Eight of the nine Denver players who saw action scored at least eight points.
The Nuggets have yet to find an answer for Durant, who made 10 of 16 shot attempts inside the arc and added 12 free throws and three triples as part of his hyper-efficient outing. That might eventually be Arron Afflalo when he returns to the lineup. We can say definitively it is not Raymond Felton. When Denver inexplicably put the smaller defender on Durant briefly, he had no chance.
Durant and Westbrook are unlikely to carry as much of the load going forward. It was an atypically poor night for Serge Ibaka (1-of-8 shooting, mostly on midrange jumpers) and James Harden missed four good looks at corner threes. Eric Maynor was able to pick up some of the slack with a pair of timely threes, and it was a mild surprise that Scott Brooks opted for Thabo Sefolosha instead of Maynor to match up with Denver's small backcourt down the stretch.
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Playoff Prospectus (04/19)
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