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Come Fan with UsSunday, June 21, 2026

Thunder Vs. Grizzlies: Oklahoma City Blogger Sees Memphis Victory Due To Zach Randolph, Defense

By Zeb Benbrook (Zorgon) of Welcome To Loud City, SB Nation’s Thunder blog.

The Memphis Grizzlies are the perfect team to upset the Oklahoma City Thunder and move on to the conference finals. They have a point guard who can simultaneously take advantage of the Thunder's tendency to trap on the perimeter and Russell Westbrook's turnover prone ways in Mike Conley.

They also have two of the best offensive big men in the NBA, and while the Thunder were built to deal with offensive two-man tandems down low, Zach Randolph showed last series that he can't be slowed down by the best of defenders.

The one area where the Thunder do hold an advantage is on the bench, since the Grizzlies have no backup point guard and haven't had much recent success from their lone backup big, Darrell Arthur. But when it comes down to it, the Grizzlies have had the Thunder's number all season, and have two excellent defenders (Tony Allen and Shane Battier) ready to make things difficult for Kevin Durant. It pains me to say it, but I see the Grizzlies winning in 6.

Be sure to follow our Thunder vs. Grizzlies hub for full series coverage. For more on the Thunder, visit Welcome To Loud City. For more on the Grizzlies, visit Straight Outta Vancouver.

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