Top Performers from the second round playoff Game 1 – 1st May, 2011
Zach Randolph
Playing at the Oklahoma City Arena, Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph started from where he left off against the San Antonio Spurs. Rated among the best power
forwards of the league, Randolph posted another top shelf performance as the resurgent Grizzlies outshone the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.
The prolific forward racked up a game-high 34 points, clutched 10 rebounds and spearheaded the Grizzlies for a comprehensive 114-101 victory, giving them a 1-0 lead
in the Western Conference semi-finals.
Randolph’s performance not only be-dazzled the Grizzlies, but also left his adversaries be-witched. Thunder’s All-Star forward Kevin Durant was all praise for Randolph’s
dominating play, "You can't stop him (Randolph). We've got to make him shoot tough shots but even when he missed he'd be there to get his own rebound and the tip-in. He's an animal. I think he's the best power forward in the league."
Zack went invincible in the second half of the game and scored 20 of his 34 points, leaving few options for the Oklahoma City to strike back.
Marc Gasol
The 26-year-old Marc Gasol had a brilliant double-double as he landed 20 points and gathered 13 boards to support the scoring machine of the night, Randolph. The
7ft-1in centre was incredibly active on both the ends of the courts and was one of the main reasons in hounding Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook.
Kevin Durant
Two nights after spearheading the Oklahoma City Thunder in to the Western Conference semi-finals with his post-season high performance, Kevin Durant was the again
the highlight in the Thunder line-up. Durant truly had an impressive night with a team high 33 points with 11 rebounds. However, his supper effort was neutralized by Randolph as the Grizzlies took the game-1 of the best-of- seven series.
Dwyane Wade
Fuelled by the determination to clinch the Larry O'Brian Trophy, Miami Heat’s shooting guard Dwyane Wade blistered away with game-high 38 points and 5 assists to
overthrow the Boston Celtics 99-90 at the American Airlines Arena.
In a highly confrontational spectacle, Wade and the Big Three of the Heat took the fight to the physical Celts and beat them in their own game. Wade was pumped up
after the victory. "We're going to have to fight for every inch, every game we get. Right now, we won Game 1. We're supposed to. We'll go back and focus on winning Game 2. We're at home; we have home-court advantage."
The sharp shooting guard headed out aggressively and smashed the Celtics with 23 points in the first two quarter as the Heat sealed a comprehensive 51-36 lead at
the break. From there on, the Heat never trailed and finished off with 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semi-final series.
James Jones
James Jones, the reigning three-point champion of the league, made the Celts dance to some of his downtown music on Sunday night. The reserve small forward landed
25 points, gathered 3 rebounds and dished out 2 assists to lend a substantial support in wrapping up a magnificent victory.
Ray Allen
Celtics’ guard Ray Allen was the top performer for the visiting Boston, who racked up a team-high 25 points and saved the team from an embarrassing defeat. Allen
was quite influential from beyond the arc and buried 5 blistering 3-pointers in 8 attempts. However, his flawless shooting couldn’t match the offensive brilliance of the superstar Wade.
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