Grizzlies stay alive as inside game beats Clippers
MEMPHIS -- The Memphis Grizzlies hopped in their 2011 playoff time machine Wednesday night at FedExForum.
They went back to riding the broad shoulders of center Marc Gasol and forward Zach Randolph, who combined for 42 points and 17 rebounds in a 92-80 victory over the Clippers in Game 5 of a Western Conference first-round series.
Gasol had 23 points and 7 rebounds, Randolph added 19 points and 10 rebounds and Rudy Gay had 14 points including a clutch drive with 19.1 seconds left to stave off elimination. Game 6 is Friday in Los Angeles where Memphis has lost five consecutive games in Staples Center.
"I talked to them (Gasol and Randolph) about needing to play better, needing to work harder in the post," Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. "And we needed to make sure we threw it to them when they were open. They got off to a good start."
A good start? No, a great start.
Gasol scored 18 first-half points, hitting several face-up jumpers and his usual sweeping hooks. Randolph added 15 points and five rebounds, doing his expected yeoman work on the offensive boards.
"We wanted to play through the post and that's what we did," Randolph said. "That's what we need to do -- play inside-out. That's what got us here and that's what we need to keep doing."
After leading by 17 at the half, the Grizzlies cranked up their team defense a few notches higher, causing the Clippers to have a third-quarter meltdown featuring four technical fouls.
But as in Game 1 when the Clippers came back from a 24-point deficit for the win, the technicals seemed to fire up Chris Paul and his teammates. Paul had 12 third-quarter points and the Griz lead was down to 77-65 entering the final quarter.
The Clippers turned it loose down the stretch, as the Grizzlies desperately tried to hang on. This time, Memphis did, because Paul, who finished with 19 points, six assists and four rebounds, only had two fourth-quarter points.
Only Mo Williams, who bounded off the bench to score 20, kept the Clippers from going under.
"You spend a lot of energy trying to come back," said Williams, who hit 8-of-21 field goals and took on the bulk of the fourth-quarter offense when Paul tweaked his groin that had been bothering him entering this series. "We dug ourselves too big a hole and we waited too late to play."
There was no pretense on the Grizzlies' offensive game plan. They were going back to what earned them most of their 40 victories this season and their seven playoffs victories last year.
That meant the ball being shipped on almost every possession quickly inside to Gasol and Randolph, who combined for 33 of the Grizzlies' points en route to a 57-42 halftime lead.
"We knew they were going to go back to their bread-and-butter," Clippers center DeAndre Jordan said. "Gasol and Zach were going to get force-fed the ball inside. We contested a lot of their shots, but once you get in a groove like they did, the shots come easier."
The Grizzlies' defensive plan called for their two most physical on-ball defenders to guard Paul, who has averaged 23.5 points, 8.8 assists and 5 rebounds in the first four playoff games.
Grizzlies guard Tony Allen, who has finished in the top six in NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting the last two seasons opened on Paul. Then, O.J. Mayo, usually Memphis' big gunner off the bench, became the reserve who closely covered Paul. In the final quarter, Quincy Pondexter tailed Paul and clearly bothered him with his length and size (6-foot-6, 225).
"I thought it was a collective effort on the defensive end," said Allen, who had seven points, five rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals. "We wanted to stop Chris Paul. He's been the fuse for their wins this whole series."
Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro would have loved the win to close out the series. But knowing he's going back to the Staples Center still with a 3-2 lead, he wasn't sweating Wednesday's loss, even with forward Blake Griffin sustaining a sprained knee in the fourth quarter.
"A couple of things didn't go our way, but we kept fighting," Del Negro said. "We just couldn't get over the hump, because we didn't shoot well enough (37.8 percent from the floor). We've got to get home, get some therapy and then get back to work on Friday night."
