Thunder Capitalize on Youth
After a wild triple overtime Game 4 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies, very few were quick to predict the outcome of the next match-up just two days later. How do you ascertain the effect of an extra 15 minutes of playing time added to regulation in a hard-fought playoff battle?
It was a thriller that Thunder star Kevin Durant called "the biggest game of my life."
Prior to tip-off of Game 5, head coaches of both teams were questioned about the fatigue factor, if any. HOOPSWORLD asked a weary-looking Thunder coach Scott Brooks if his players were tired, and also inquired if he was tired.
"No, I’m not. I’m ready," he answered after a long pause. "Fortunately, I don’t have to be out there playing. But our guys, they’re ready. You’re kinda used to that, playing all the games that you play back-to-back."
Contrast that response with Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins when asked if he suspected fatigue would be an issue.
"I don’t know," he stated, rather simply. "If it is, it will be for both teams. Everybody keeps talking about 22 years old and young legs. Fifty-six minutes is fifty-six minutes on everybody."
He was referring to 22-year-old Durant who played 56:49 minutes in that game.
"It was an incredible game and it was exhausting. By the third overtime, I was dehydrated," Hollins shared.
And as it turned out, Brooks was right. After a shaky start the Thunder, led by Durant (and Russell Westbrook, also 22) at home, took command of the game showing no signs of fatigue. The Grizzlies ended up looking like the only ones playing with heavy legs.
The Thunder pounded Memphis 99-72 in that post-triple-overtime-matchup, jumping out to a 3-2 lead in the series.
"I don’t think fatigue was the issue," said Memphis center Marc Gasol following the game. "It was more our effort. When we got down a little bit, I think we gave up too easily."
However, watching how ineffectively the Grizzlies performed in the game may suggest otherwise. A quick check of Game 5 stats confirms the Thunder topped Memphis in these critical areas:
• Total rebounding. Thunder-50 vs. Grizzlies-33.
• Field goal shooting percentage. Thunder-.474 vs. Grizzlies-.359.
• Three-point shooting. Thunder-9 threes (.450) vs. Grizzlies-2 threes (.250)
• The Thunder’s bench outscored the Grizzlies starters 53-45 (Grizzlies bench scored 27 points).
The above stats are eye-popping enough, but check out these daggers:
• The Thunder won the second-chance points battle, 18-9.
• The Thunder’s 20 fast-break points dominated the Grizzlies 7 fast-break points.
"When your starters go 20 for 54, and your perimeters go 11 for 49 for the game, it’s not a lot," said Hollins. "Early on, when we had energy, we kept shooting ourselves in the foot by missing layups, or turning the ball over in transition or not finishing in transition.
"That was huge," he added.
Hollins glared at his players during time-out huddles, strongly encouraging them to get their heads back in the game.
Both teams are full of young players; the average age of Oklahoma City’s starters are a full three years younger than the Grizzlies (23.4 vs. 26.4).
The average ages of the two benches (only regular-rotation guys) are very close (Thunder-26.0 and Grizzlies-25.2).
We analyzed certain stats that shed light on the effort being made by the two teams in the postseason.
The Thunder starters have played a total of 1592 minutes in the playoffs (10 games) while Memphis’ starters have played a total of 1844 minutes (11 games). In total all postseason, the Thunder team has played 2500 minutes (fourth) vs. the Grizzlies, 2765 minutes (second).
Durant and Westbrook have combined for 794 minutes in the playoffs. Randolph, nearly 30 years old, and Gasol, 26, have combined for 880 minutes thus far in the playoffs.
Memphis has the highest postseason field goals made (406) and field goal attempts (921).
Memphis and Oklahoma City are ranked first and second, respectively, during the playoffs in personal fouls (265, 264), defensive rebounds (341, 339) and total points scored (1097, 1048). They also rank second and third in offensive and total rebounds.
Reversing that, Oklahoma City and Memphis are ranked first and second, respectively, in free throws (268, 245), free throw attempts (331, 325), average points scored (104.8, 99.7).
Durant leads in scoring (29.7 ppg), and Gasol is second in rebounds per game (11.8).
These teams have been playing hard.
We broke down key stats in all five games for the three top Grizzlies scorers and team shooting:
Game 1 – Randolph made 12 field goals (.545) and scored 34 pts/10 reb
Gasol made 9 field goals (.818) and scored 20 pts/13 reb
Mike Conley made 5 field goals (.385) and scored 15 pts/7 assists
The team was .494 in field goal shooting. Won 114-101.
Game 2 – Randolph made 2 field goals (.154) and scored 15 pts/9 reb
Gasol made 3 field goals (.333) and scored 13 pts/10 reb
Conley made 10 field goals (.667) and scored 24 pts/8 assists
The team was .443 in field goal shooting. Lost 111-102.
Game 3 – Randolph made 8 field goals (.364) and scored 21 pts/21 reb
Gasol made 4 field goals (.286) and scored 16 pts/7 reb
Conley made 8 field goals (.533) and scored 18 pts/4 assists
The team was .378 in field goal shooting. Won 101-93 in overtime.
Game 4 – Randolph made 9 field goals (.360) and scored 34 pts/16 reb
Gasol made 11field goals (.550) and scored 26 pts/21 reb
Conley made 2 field goals (.167) and scored 16 pts/5 assists
The team was .360 in field goal shooting. Lost 133-123 in triple OT.
Game 5 – Randolph made 3 field goals (.333) and scored 9 pts/7 reb
Gasol made 6 field goals (.667) and scored 15 pts/5 reb
Conley made 4 field goals (.250) and scored 9 pts/4 assists
The team was .359 in field goal shooting. Lost 99-72.
Note how in Game 5: 1) Randolph and Conley failed to score in double digits for the first time in the series (only Gasol managed it), and 2) team field goal percentages decreased with each passing game. Memphis, the regular season league leader in points in the paint, scored only 8-of-24 at the rim, missing 18 lay-ups according to Hollins.
{AUTHOR_BOX}Overall, Oklahoma City has averaged .454 in team field goal shooting vs. Memphis’ .407 in the series.
Later, Hollins admitted fatigue was probably a factor in Game 5 and said: "Not only were we physically down, we’re probably down a little bit mentally."
"The series is not over by any means. I still believe in my team and I still believe we’ll come back. For us, it’s a one-game series," he proclaimed.
Brooks gave his starters a pass during the whole fourth quarter thereby insuring even fresher legs for Game 6. In fact, things were going so well for OKC that bench-warmers Nate Robinson and Royal Ivey even logged their first playoff minutes. With such a thumping, the Thunder’s confidence and momentum are soaring.
Durant donned the white Thunder giveaway shirt to the delight of fans during his long fourth quarter rest.
"Going through that (the series losses) kind of molds our character and brings us closer together. It’s all about us sticking together," Durant said at the post-game press conference.
Hollins shared with HOOPSWORLD how he approached Game 5 after the triple overtime loss; we asked him if the Thunder/Grizzlies series had played out in any manner he may have predicted or expected.
"I don’t predict and I don’t expect," he began. "I just go out and take each game at its face value right then. I don’t know what’s gonna happen tonight, but we’re gonna go play it and that’s why we play it. That’s why each game is played. Who could have said what would have happened in Memphis happened in Memphis (in Game 4)? Who could have said what happened in OK City the first two games would have happened? You just gotta go play them.
"I don’t stay up at night worrying about what’s gonna happen," Hollins continued. "I just go to sleep, and when I wake up and I go to practice, we have a game plan, I go to shoot-around. We watch tape. I just take each moment right up to moment. You guys asked me about what concerns me, I haven’t even been thinking about the game really. I’ve been just roaming around the locker room talking to different guys and getting ready to play."
Brooks offered a different take to the same question.
"Well, we expected it was going to be a tough series because of how they played and how we played during the regular season. Over the four games that we played, it could have gone either way. Unfortunately we won only one of them.
"We knew going into the series that they are a big team," Brooks continued. "They play physical and they play tough defensive basketball. I kind of expected it was going to be a very difficult series for both teams."
"I wouldn’t say we predicted it," Thunder guard Eric Maynor told us. "We try to take it one game at a time. You know it’s going to be a tough series. It’s the playoffs. (There) was no predicting going on."
"It’s an exciting series though," said Maynor.
Statistics show that the Game 5 winner in a 2-2 split is the ultimate victor of the series 83% of the time. If the Thunder can seal just one more win, they will move on to face the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. Memphis will need to win the final two to keep their postseason bid alive.
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