NBA playoffs 2013: Grizzlies bounce back, Bulls stifle Nets’ offense, Heat blow out Bucks again

Coaches, no matter what year, what team and what series, are historically reluctant to make major rotation adjustments in the middle of an NBA Playoff series. It’s understandable to some degree, especially for the team with the better record. You experienced a lot of regular-season success playing the guys you have in the way you’ve set it up, so why change that just because a little adversity strikes? Trying to alter too much at once can cause a lot of chaos.

There are so many problems that result when you pair Evans with Wallace. Here are just a few examples from Game 3.

Luckily, Z-Bo saved them.

Keeping Z-Bo as he rolls through his 30s at a very high price is a certain risk, especially as masterful performances like his Game 3 become less and less common. But the alternatives are dice rolls, too. Should the Grizzlies’ season end after this series, Memphis’ front office has a tough decision to make.

...or maybe he was shouting “MOTH INFARCT”? Probably that.

Nope, it’s all love. Hostile, hateful, suspension-avoiding love.

In the first two games of the series, Zach Randolph scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds combined. On Thursday night in Game 3 he stepped up his game and posted a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds as Memphis secured their first win of the series. When Randolph plays well the Grizzlies are a different squad, and team blog Grizzly Bear Blues hit on his transformation in the game recap:

The Grizzlies played Game 3 within their comfort zone, and if they can replicate that in the next game we could be headed for another seven-game series between these two teams. Game 4 is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Memphis.

The Grizzlies weren’t going to go down to the Clippers without a fight. Zach Randolph hustled and muscled, and ground and hugged his way to 27 points, as the Grizzlies went up double-digits in the second quarter and wouldn’t relinquish it for the rest of the game in a 94-82 win that cut L.A.‘s series lead to 2-1.

Some wondered if Memphis was already out of this series after two crushing losses: one a genuine 21-point blowout, the other a game where Chris Paul took over, going from nova to supernova by scoring the Clippers final eight points, including a game-winner. People who said that might have forgotten last year’s series. Sure, the Clippers ultimately prevailed, but it took seven games. Seven brutal, head-to-head games where Randolph, Mike Conley, Tony Allen and Marc Gasol tried to match sturdy, ground-bound defense against the league’s highest flyers.

This is what basketball will look like in the future.

The Nets cut the Bulls double-digit lead down to three points with 15 seconds left in the game after Brook Lopez dunked an offensive rebound. But Brooklyn was unable to cut it down any further, as Chicago finished the game at the free-throw line. Brooklyn’s last effort ended when C.J. Watson missed a potential game-tying three at the buzzer.

The Nets scored only 34 points through the first half as the Bulls established their lead. Williams made only one field goal in the first half of the game, continuing to struggle against the aggressive Buils defense. The scoring drought continued into the second half, as Brooklyn put in only 18 points in the third quarter as Chicago’s lead continued to grow.

Memphis is one of the hardest, grimiest teams in the NBA. You really thought they were going to roll over and let Los Angeles sweep them?

Zach Randolph had 18 points in the first half and Memphis’ bench actually outscored Los Angeles’ bench, leading the Grizzlies to a 47-39 lead at the half. Blake Griffin leads the Clips with 10, while Chris Paul has been bottled up with three turnovers and zero assists.

The Chicago Bulls lead the Brooklyn Nets 41-34 at halftime of Game 3.

Brooklyn struggled to score through the first half. As a team, the Nets shot 22.5 percent from the floor. Chicago’s offense took until the second quarter to ramp up, but eventually the Bulls pushed ahead while Brooklyn scored only 17 points in the second quarter.

As they did in Game 2, the Bucks trailed 70-68 with 2:40 left in the third quarter, but the Heat finished on an 8-0 run to go ahead, 78-68, heading to the final frame. The run turned into a 15-1 spurt bridging the third and fourth, and the Heat led by as many as 17 down the stretch to cruise to victory.

But it was Allen’s night. He hit three shots from beyond the arc and scored 15 first-half points off the bench. James splashed a step-back jumper from the right wing to bring Miami within two as Milwaukee took a 50-48 lead at halftime. The final hoop of the half was James’ first points in the second quarter after he scored 11 points in the opening stanza.

LARRY SANDERS! is good for a highlight or two every night. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen this handle of his, though.

That was a fun, very shaky ride: coast-to-coast through traffic with an emphatic dunk as punctuation. It was like watching a giraffe skateboard and you assume he’s gonna bail at some point, but nope-- he nails the kickflip. Impressive.

The news is big for the Nets, who risked losing a 16-point-per-game scorer during the regular season if Johnson was forced to sit out on Thursday night. Johnson finished Tuesday’s Game 2 loss with 17 points after scoring 16 in a Game 1 win over the weekend.

While Johnson is in the lineup, it remains to be seen if he is limited in any way. The injury has been bothering Johnson since February.

Redick hit his first two buckets, both three-pointers, upon entering. That gave Boylan good reason to keep him in the game, and the reserve guard played 10 minutes in the first half to score 11 points. Milwaukee as a whole went 6-for-12 from beyond the three-point line to start the game. The Bucks led by as many as nine in the early parts of the second quarter, but a red-hot Ray Allen and James’ usual play kept Miami close.

No, although it wasn’t really the Bucks forward’s fault that James scored 11 points in the first quarter and had 13 at the half after making a buzzer-beater before heading to the locker room. As usual, James freight-trained his way to the hoop off long rebounds following Milwaukee jump-shots. He also played within the offense to earn four assists.

TNT cameraman: “Huh, I’d never noticed the BUTTSNIPER button before. I wonder what that does?”

[BEEP BOOP LOCATING TARGET ... TARGET LOCATED ... FIRING IN 3, 2 ... ]

Dunleavy didn’t even jump. Didn’t even flinch.

Game information:

Time: 9:30 p.m. ET

Game information:

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

Through two playoff games, NBA trade deadline acquisition J.J. Redick has played a total of 24 minutes and scored eight points for the Bucks. Jim Boylan played the veteran shooting guard less than eight minutes in Game 2 and sat him for the entire second half. After the game, Boylan failed to shed any light on the situation, saying only: “We’re trying to get him open, get him free. Get him in a rhythm. We’ve got to find a way to get him scoring for us.”

Redick may not be enough to make a big difference for Milwaukee, but he is a consummate professional who deserves a bigger role in this series. His minute-load will be something to watch on Thursday night.

With the Bulls’ aggressive defense attacking the Nets’ ball-handlers, there will be plenty of opportunities for Brooklyn to exploit. It will come down to making the right choice in those situations and their role players delivering.

The Nets try to swing Johnson around the key in an attempt to create an open look for him using off-ball movement.

The Clippers and Grizzlies tip at 9:30 p.m. ET, and they will air on TNT.

• Flannery: End of an era in Boston?

Neither Johnson nor P.J. Carlesimo would commit to anything when talking to reporters at shootaround on Thursday morning, but both appeared to be cautiously optimistic about his chances of playing.

Through two games against Chicago, Johnson is averaging 16.5 points, four assists and four rebounds on 42 percent shooting.