Oklahoma City Thunder hang tough to fend off the Memphis Grizzlies in triple overtime – Part 1
The game-4 of the Western Conference semi-finals series between the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder turned out to be a classic contest, one that will surely go down as the most exciting games of this post-season.
In danger of going down 3-1 in the series, the desperate Oklahoma City Thunder team stood up to a ferocious charge by the Grizzlies. They first overcame big shots by Mike Conley to go into overtime and then survived a casual three pointer from rookie Greivis
Vasquez to limp into second overtime. Then somehow in the third O.T, they found a way to break the hearts of the sell-out FedEx Forum crowd, grabbing a 133-123 win to draw level in the series at 2 games each.
Russell Westbrook was the star of the night, scoring a mammoth 40 points to lead Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder to a memorable win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Not to be outdone by his All-Star teammate, Kevin Durant scored 35 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
James Harden also provided 19 off the bench.
The Memphis Grizzlies had five players in double figures. Zach Randolph was the pick of the bunch with 34 points and 16 rebounds. Marc Gasol had a huge double-double with 26 points and 21 rebounds. The other three Grizzlies, to get over the ten point mark
were Mike Conley, O.J. Mayo and rookie point guard Greivis Vasquez.
After the game an exhausted Zach Randolph reflected on the game, professing that the Grizzlies should have closed it out when they had the chance to do so. He was disappointed with the loss but hoped that this will be a lesson well learnt by Memphis,
"I think both teams were a little fatigued toward the end. It was a tough game. We've got to learn how to take care of leads better. It's a tough loss. You've got to give them credit. They played well and hit big shots. Their two star players hit big shots
toward the end of the game.''
In the OKC camp, the player couldn’t hide their jubilation after coming out on top in a colossal game. Kevin Durant, who hit big shots at the end and helped stage the superb win, said that he was just happy to be a part of such a glittering night,
"This game is something people are going to be talking about for a while," Durant said. "I'm glad I'm a part of it."
The Grizzlies looked the better team for much of the game. They started with a 10-2 run to put their stamp on the game. Then behind 12 points from centre Marc Gasol, they took the lead to twelve by the end of the quarter, finishing on 28 – 16.
The Thunder came back strong in the second period and outscored Memphis 33 -25. However, they were always playing catch-up, as the Grizzlies maintained their lead going into the break. At halftime the scores was 53-49 in Grizzlies favour.
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