Zach Randolph had been on perhaps the best individual run of the 2011 NBA Playoffs before he ran into a buzzsaw in the Memphis Grizzlies' Game 2 defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. Randolph shot just 2-13 from the floor; while he did total 15 points, he used 18 shooting possessions to get them. He had four offensive rebounds, but this wasn't the Z-Bo that'd been carrying the Grizzlies to a 5-2 playoff record.
Zach Randolph Struggles In Grizzlies’ Game 2 Loss To Thunder
Randolph was 0-5 on jumpers of at least 10 feet, and didn't fare a whole lot better (2-8) inside. Z-Bo can be prone to having his shot blocked by longer defenders, but that wasn't entirely the case in Game 2: just two of his 11 misses were blocked. (Serge Ibaka, the primary defender on Randolph, had just two blocks after five in Game 1.)
Memphis' offense ended up performing well, finishing at 1.09 points per possession -- that should get the Grizzlies a win if their defense plays up to its ability, which it did not in Game 2. But in closer games in which Mike Conley doesn't go nuts, Memphis will need better efficiency from Randolph. When you're flying on clouds, you can't afford your chariot breaking down.
See More:
