Thursday night is a "must win" for Memphis. I guess they will win, 97-92 over the Los Angeles Clippers. Here's what I think needs to happen for Memphis to win:
1) Make make-able shots (duh). Towards the end of the season, Randolph, Conley and Allen were the most egregious offenders. The team gets good looks, especially when the passing game is in high gear & the back-court is getting deflections and steals. Even with the team's rep as a defensive force, Coach Hollins has admitted recently the team needs to consistently get to the mid-90s to win playoff games.
2) Better help defense on Chris Paul. He's the heart and soul of the Clippers. Can Memphis generate a match up that actually gets in Paul's way?
3) Match up with the Clippers' bench. Jamal Crawford, Eric Bledsoe and Grant Hill are three productive bench guys who are much more consistent than the Memphis counterparts. Bayless must contribute on both ends. Arthur has to score, and battle DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin and others in the post. Pondexter has to do similar while chasing Caron Butler, Matt Barnes or Chauncey Billups around the perimeter.
4) Limit the Clippers to one shot more often. Memphis gave up 20+ second chance points in game 2. Cut that out!
5) The fans have to make it a raucous FedEx Forum. Get up and cheer. Don't wait for some guy with a placard to tell you to cheer for your team.
Will all this happen? I dunno. That's why I watch.
As always, my guesswork isn't for gaming purposes. Period.
After the Game: Memphis 94, Los Angeles Clippers 82. Now, that's more like it. See that stuff at the beginning of the post? Let's review, shall we?
1) Uh, kinda. Memphis shot 38.8% from the floor (ugh). So did the Clippers. No, really. What are the odds?
2) Yeah. Paul was 4/11 FG/A, and had a 4/5 assist/turnover ratio. Nice team defense against that guy.
3) Almost. The Clippers' bench outscored Memphis' bench 33-30. However, Bledsoe went 0/4 from the floor.
4) Yeah. The Clippers had 5 offensive rebounds. Five. Good on Memphis for controlling the boards a bit better.
5) Yeah. Sellout crowd that didn't leave early. Y'all need to do that EVERY game.
Memphis had 31 field goals, 45 rebs, 18/10 assists/turnovers and 11 steals. Randolph went for 27 and 11 rebs. Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol contributed 16 and 8 rebs. Conley had 10 assists, 6 rebs and no turnovers (although he was 1/9 FG/A). Pondexter contributed 13 off the bench.
Los Angeles had 26 field goals, 33 rebounds, 14/16 assists/turnovers and 5 steals. Griffin had 16, but only 2 rebs. Barnes and Crawford combined for 22, but shot a combined 5/16 FG/A.
Game 4 is Saturday afternoon. The blueprint has been established Memphis needs to do similar in execution, and maybe hit more shots. Control Paul. Control the boards. Cherish the basketball. Memphis can/should win Saturday. Then, it would become a best-of-three. Cool.
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