Western Conference Champs: Memphis Grizzlies?

This year’s NBA Playoffs have already left many fans bewildered. The Atlanta Hawks knocked off Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic, which was a little shocking. But by far, the most jaw dropping event of the Playoffs this far, is the Memphis Grizzlies upset victory over the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs. The 61 win team dropped four of six games against the Grizzlies. The series win was the first in the franchise’s history. Led by Zach Randolph, Mike Conley & Marc Gasol (Paul Gasol’s younger brother), the Grizzlies crashed the boards, and attacked fearlessly inside the paint to shock the basketball world. The Grizzlies knocked off the team with the NBA’s second best record in the opening series, and took the momentum into Oklahoma City taking the first game of the series. So much for home court advantage. Zach Randolph had 34 points and added ten rebounds to lead the way. Marc Gasol added 20 points and 13 rebounds to help upend the Thunder in game one. The Thunder stole game two after jumping out to an early lead. The Grizzlies began the second quarter down by 11 points. They kept up the rest of the game, but they couldn’t cut the lead down and the Thunder won 111-102. Game three is Saturday at 5pm. I personally believe that the Grizzlies have a really good shot at the NBA Finals. If they can compete with the Thunder like they did in game one for the rest of the series, I feel that they can pull off another upset. Also, if Dallas can take their 2-0 series lead over the two-time defending champion L.A. Lakers, I believe that Memphis can pull of a third straight upset and advance to the Championship series. After all, the Grizzlies defeated the Dallas Mavericks three out of four games during the regular season.