Tonight's game between the Clippers and Grizzlies was highly anticipated for several reasons. The last game finished in such spectacular fashion that it encapsulated every NBA playoffs slogan ever. Viewers were wondering if the Grizzlies could mentally come back from the home loss.
Another reason was that due to scheduling, the teams had a long break in between games, so we had to wait even longer for Game 2. The final big reason it was so anticipated was because people wanted to check on the Clippers' playoff beard status. They're looking mighty fine.
So, the Grizz shut up everyone who projected that they were emotionally debilitated due to Game 1. While that was a big blow, to give up a lead like that, they're tough, and they showed it tonight. To put it simply, they out-muscled the Clippers.
Memphis had 12 more offensive rebounds than the Clippers, and nine more rebounds overall. While their defense essentially won this game for them, it can't be denied that they were aggressive in the paint on both sides, and it helped them win.
The Clippers struggled. They struggled on offense and defense. They had nearly double the turnovers of the Grizzlies at 20. With this many turnovers, it's completely believable that they lost the game. There's also the issue of Blake Griffin.
He's one of the most athletic players in the NBA, but for some reason this gets lost on him. When he's under the basket, rather than jump up and put the ball in the hoop, he kicks it out to Chris Paul. On several occasions Paul passed the ball down low to Griffin for a high percentage shot, but he seemed intimidated and dished it back out.
The Clippers also didn't look as hungry as the Grizzlies. It's well documented at this point that at the end of Game 1, Chris Paul asked Coach Del Negro to give them a chance to win. Coach did, and Paul led the charge. He tried to do it in this game, too, but it seems like the team was gassed and not willing to make the final push. They lacked the fire that a team needs for all four quarters in order to win a championship.
The two teams head back to Los Angeles, where the home crowd should help the Clippers get excited and back on track. While the series is 1-1, it feels like the Grizzlies have the upper hand right now.
Jon Sim Jason Arnott David Clarkson Patrick Davis Tyler Eckford Mark Fraser
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