Grizzlies vs Thunder 05/15/11 Game 7 West Semifinals - Recap & Highlights

Grizzlies-Thunder notebook

By Randy Renner, for NBA.com
Posted Sunday May 15, 2011 7:32PM

THE FACTS: The Oklahoma City Thunder used star power and a raucous, roaring sellout crowd to blow past the Memphis Grizzlies 105-90. The win sends the Thunder into the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. Oklahoma City All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook had huge games. Durant bounced back from an 11-point performance in Game Six to lead all scorers with 39 on Sunday. He also grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots. Westbrook became the first player since Scottie Pippen in 1992 to record a triple-double in a Game 7. The OKC point guard finished with 14 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, six of those were off the offensive glass.

Super-subs James Harden and Nick Collison also had big games. Harden had 17 points, including three 3-pointers, while grabbing four rebounds. He also had four steals and three assists. Collison had eight points but pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked three shots. Memphis point guard Mike Conley led the Grizz with 18 points, but it took him 19 shots to get there. Zach Randolph had 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. The Grizzlies shot only 39.8 percent, the fourth time in this series they shot less than 40 percent.

QUOTABLE: "We didn't make shots and we gave up 17 points in transition. They deserved to win, they earned this win. Durant showed the heart of a champion. But I'm also proud of my team and where we are and where we're heading in the future."
--Grizzlies Head Coach Lionel Hollins

QUOTABLE II: "I just attacked the basket. My teammates put me in good position to score. I was so upset with myself in Game Six I just wanted to be aggressive today. We stuck with playing our game and then let whatever was gonna happen happen."
--Durant

THE STAT: In Game Six Durant scored 11 points on 3-for-14 shooting. In Game Seven he scored 39 on 13-for-25. Oklahoma City, which had averaged almost 17 turnovers against Memphis in the series gave the ball back only 13 times Sunday and the Grizzlies managed just 11 points off those turnovers.

TURNING POINT: The Thunder had an eight point lead at the half but started the third quarter 0-for-5 and Memphis stalked back to within three points (52-49). But after that the Thunder went on a 14-3 run that gave them a comfortable cushion. Memphis could not respond.

QUOTABLE III: "Every time we started to get close we'd either turn the ball over or miss a shot and Westbrook we key the fast break. And it seemed like every time they would miss a shot Westbrook was there to get the offensive rebound, he or Collison."
--Hollins

HOT: In the second half, Durant scored 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting. OKC was 21-for-39 (53.8 percent) in the last 24 minutes.

NOT: In the first quarter, Memphis was just 7-23 (30.4 percent). OKC wasn't much better 8-for-23 (34.8 percent). ... Durant was just 2-for-9 (22.2 percent). ... In the first half, the Thunder were 3-for-11 (27.3 percent) on 3-pointers. Memphis was 1-for-7 (14.3 percent). ... Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo was 0-for-3, forward Shane Battier was 1-for-5 including 0-for-4 on 3-pointers. ... In the critical third quarter, Memphis was just 7-for-20 (35 percent). Oklahoma City was 11-for-23 (47.8 percent) in the third.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Another "blue-out" inside Oklahoma City Arena as 18, 203 Thunder blue T-shirts were passed out to the crowd. NBA Commissioner David Stern was among those in the audience, along with NBA "Superfan" James Goldstein. Actor James Cromwell of LA Confidential, Babe, among many others, sat courtside. He's in town shooting a movie.

GOOD MOVE: Early in the first quarter, Thunder point guard Westbrook drives into the lane, puts up a shot that misses, grabs his own rebound and gets the putback.

GOOD MOVE TOO: Halfway through the second quarter, Westbrook leads a fast break, drives toward the lane but instead flips a behind-the back pass to Durant who hits a 3-pointer to put OKC in front 31-23.

GOOD MOVE III: Late in the third quarter, Durant blocked a shot at one end, triggering a fast break led by Westbrook who fired a pass back to KD for a 3-pointer.

GOOD MOVE IV: With less than five minutes left in the game, Mayo drives into the lane, spins past one Thunder defender, then another to score the basket.

NOTABLE: Oklahoma City is now 25-6 (regular season and playoffs) in bounce back games. OKC is 14-1 at home following a loss.

UP NEXT: For the Thunder, it's on to the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. Game 1 is set for Tuesday night in Dallas. The Grizzlies are done for the season.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• nba
• playoffs
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• Grizzlies
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• 05
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• western
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• seminfinals
• game
• seven
• Recap
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• kevin
• durant
• russell
• westbrook
• kobe
• bryant
• zach
• randolph

[jets495]

@gabejohnson88 no shit

[911goathead]

@gabejohnson88 yeah butt seems the spurs have been in a slump for a while now, btw stuff asshole, and blocked

[gabejohnson88]

Kevin Durant is better than Zach Randolph! 

[gabejohnson88]

@911goathead hmmmm spurs 4 and memphis 0 yeah rings speak more than words! Russell Westbrook just destroyes Mike Conolly! Shane Battier can't hold K.Durant he is way better player!

[Charlie100]

I wonder if the grizzlies will be able to play like they did with rudy gay back. Because they seemed to play inside out more with z-bo. I wonder...they could always trade rudy gay and get someone really good.

If im wrong and Rudy is able to mesh well with the team. They will be a scary force in the west. Gone is the era of the lakers and spurs.

[911goathead]

@TheThefall1986 dude fuk off, grizzlies raped the spurs best i the west, and took the thunder to game 7, whats your team the timberwolves?

[ekj598]

@TheThefall1986 first of all, f**k off. its amazing that Memphis can beat a team like the spurs without their best player. im not saying that okc is a bad team, but Mem is on their way up and okc is going nowhere.

[daniel234512]

shows how great of a player durant is, to bounce back and drop 39

[TheThefall1986]

Finally, finally the crappy inferior team MEM gets eliminated

they ought to lose

[cobaltbluehue]

epic series