Memphis Grizzlies ready to host Los Angeles Clippers in the series decider – NBA Preview
The Memphis Grizzlies will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night at the FedExForum for the game 7 of their Western Conference matchup.
This is going to be a trip the Clippers did not want to take when they had a chance of eliminating the Grizzlies and closing the series on Friday night in Los Angeles. Instead, they let Memphis back into the series, gave them confidence
and momentum, and now have to play the final game at their home.
The Grizzlies were struggling in the series and the Clippers seemed to have everything under control. They had a 3-1 lead in the series. Now the series is tied at 3 games apiece and the Grizzlies are looking to become the 9th
team in franchise history to come from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series.
Marc Gasol had another amazing night Friday when he scored 23 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Zach Randolph contributed 18 points and 16 rebounds as the Grizzlies front court got the job done for the second game in a row to save
the Grizzlies from elimination. This is the type of front court combination that helped the Grizzlies defeat the Spurs in the first round last year and then take the Thunder to 7 games in the second round. The Grizzlies are heavily dependent on this combination
for game 7 as well.
The Clippers, on the other hand, need consistent games from Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, as when these two are not at the best, the whole team crumbles. Paul and Griffin combined for 28 points in game 6 and Griffin, suffering
from a knee injury, managed 5 rebounds for the game. This gave the Grizzlies a 66-50 advantage in rebounds in game 6 which alone was big enough to be the deciding factor in the game. A lot depends on the physical state of Paul and Griffin and it remains to
be seen how much they have recovered by then. Paul is suffering from a strained right hip flexor while Griffin has a sprained left knee. Both injuries were suffered in the game 5 loss to the Grizzlies.
“This is why you play for those Game 7s, everyone to see what we're made of," Paul said.
Although both teams are young and do not have a great deal of playoff experience, Memphis are comparatively more experienced in playoff games, particularly a 7th deciding game. Their loss to the Thunder in game 7 last
year is still fresh in their mind. Last year, they played the game in Chesapeake Energy Arena. This year, they have home court advantage so they will be looking to change past trends.
"We'd much rather be playing Game 7 here than in L.A. and having a chance to close out a series here at home. It's definitely going to be a loud environment, and we're expecting a lot of people to come ... We just got to be emotionally
stable and ready to go" said Grizzlies guard Mike Conley.
Both teams have not had a great deal of playoff success in recent history and would like to make a longer push this year. It would all come down to which teams holds their composure, sucks up the pressure of a game 7 better and
makes difficult plays in pressure situations.
We know the teams and we know what the individual players are capable. It is now time to see which teams has more strength and poise.
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