Grizzlies one away from next round

Posted: Tuesday, May 14, 2013 7:00 pm

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
MEMPHIS (AP) — Lionel Hollins demands a certain standard from his Grizzlies that he didn’t get in the first half against Oklahoma City.
Well, they came through after halftime, and now the Grizzlies are just a win away from this franchise’s first Western Conference final.
Mike Conley scored 24 points, while Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol each had a double-double as the Grizzlies rallied from a 17-point deficit in beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-97 in overtime Monday night.
“They were able to overcome everything, and we just kept battling until we got a win,” Hollins said. “I’m glad it didn’t go into three overtimes, but I’m glad to get the win.”
These teams played three overtimes in Game 4 in 2011 in the Western semifinals, a game in which the Thunder rallied from a first-half deficit and won. Oklahoma City eventually won that series in seven games.
This time around, the Thunder had the 17-point advantage with the Grizzlies rallying back to grab a 3-1 series lead. The comeback came after Hollins spoke to them at halftime and even shut off the film early.
“We knew he was upset, and the guys responded to that,” Grizzlies guard Tony Allen said.
Allen’s driving layup opened overtime and put the Grizzlies ahead to stay. The win pushed the defending Western Conference champions to the edge of elimination. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.
“It’s not over yet, and we understand that,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “It’s the first to four. They’re in a good position, but our challenge is not impossible. It’s something that we can do. We just have to focus one possession, one game at a time. Hopefully, we can do that and come back here Friday night. There’s a barbeque festival right?”
Memphis has yet to lose on its home court this postseason and now is 19-1 here since Feb. 8. The Grizzlies won their third straight overall and seventh in eight games to grab a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven series with a win that left Hollins very impressed with the comeback.
“We are a team that just plays hard and doesn’t quit,” Hollins said. “We scratch. We claw. They said grit and grind. I don’t know what the heck that means, but we go out and we just battle. We compete. We’re not the most talented team that’s in the playoffs when we started out. We’re not the most talented team that’s left in the playoffs. But we go and compete.”
The Grizzlies outscored the Thunder 9-3 in overtime as Oklahoma City went 1-of-8 from the floor.

Published in The Messenger 5.14.13