NBA Playoffs: Heat Finish Knicks; Grizzlies Stay Alive

There’s plenty of reason to be down on the Knicks. Reason No. 1 with a bullet: Amar’e Stoudemire, the power forward due another $65 million over the next three years. Stoudemire’s performance and importance began to backslide the second Carmelo arrived in 2011. With Chandler’s arrival, Mike D’Antoni’s dismissal and a new Knicks identity being born this season, he’s become a massive sore thumb for the club. Simply put, he does not nor will ever “fit” on a defense-first club. He’s bad at defense, his injuries (past and present) make it impossible to do his job properly and he seems unable to fit his offense around that of Anthony.

What’s good is that progress was made this year. The 2011-12 Knicks were better than the 2010-11 Knicks. The end result -- a first-round ejection -- was the same, and questions about the future remain. But a dozen teams would be pigs in slop if they improved as much as the Knicks did this season. New York went from 15th in scoring margin to eighth, from flirting with .500 to solidly above it. That’s progress! Given the number of injuries the team suffered -- data shows New York in the top 10 in games missed -- the prospectus for next season, pending the Lin matter and recoveries for Stoudemire and Shumpert, is bright ...

For all news and information regarding the Memphis Grizzlies, please visit Straight Outta Vancouver. For updates and perspective on the Los Angeles Clippers, head on over to Clips Nation or check out SB Nation Los Angeles. For complete coverage of the 2012 NBA playoffs, stay tuned to SB Nation’s dedicated NBA hub.

On the next possession, Paul tried fighting for a defensive rebound and came down awkwardly on his groin. The Clippers are diagnosing the injury as a strained groin. His status for Game 6 will become more clear after the game.

For all news and information regarding the Memphis Grizzlies, please visit Straight Outta Vancouver. For updates and perspective on the Los Angeles Clippers, head on over to Clips Nation or check out SB Nation Los Angeles. For complete coverage of the 2012 NBA playoffs, stay tuned to SB Nation’s dedicated NBA hub.

But this stat is concerning.

Admittedly, it’s harder to get the ball in the post in the fourth quarter than in the first, but this still needs to change.

That’s the alternate title for this fourth quarter.

Should be the other way around, right?

The only reason the Clippers are back in this game is because the Grizzlies’ offense has reverted in the fourth quarter again. This begs the question: how can a team that scores so well in the first three quarters, especially in the post, falter so badly in the fourth quarter?

I’d love to know the answer.

The Grizzlies’ offense goes through lulls, which allow teams to get back into the game. This shouldn’t surprise anyone.

However, after staying on the ground for several minutes, Griffin hobbled back into the game and has tried to fight through the pain. Because of that, ostensibly, the Grizzlies fans booed, thinking he was faking the injury.

For all news and information regarding the Memphis Grizzlies, please visit Straight Outta Vancouver. For updates and perspective on the Los Angeles Clippers, head on over to Clips Nation or check out SB Nation Los Angeles. For complete coverage of the 2012 NBA playoffs, stay tuned to SB Nation’s dedicated NBA hub.

With the Grizzlies pulling away, Paul was called for a technical foul for arguing with an official. The Grizzlies’ crowd felt this was the perfect time to let out all that frustration.

You’ve got to love the playoffs.

Many people on Twitter are tired of the Los Angeles Clippers flopping. This one Memphis Grizzlies fan speaks for all those people here.

UPDATE: Upon closer inspection, this gentleman is wearing a great, great mask and an awesome Star Wars shirt. Well done, sir.

Be warned.

For all news and information regarding the Memphis Grizzlies, please visit Straight Outta Vancouver. For updates and perspective on the Los Angeles Clippers, head on over to Clips Nation or check out SB Nation Los Angeles. For complete coverage of the 2012 NBA playoffs, stay tuned to SB Nation’s dedicated NBA hub.

As much as I mock the zone defense, it has served its purpose. The Clippers are still kind of, sort of in this game, having confused the Grizzlies enough to throw off their offensive rhythm.

They better be careful not to overdo that zone but, considering the Grizzlies’ play throughout this first half, things could be worse.

Otherwise known as the “I give up, we can’t play defense and I’m desperate” defense.

This is why nobody likes Reggie Evans.

Grizzlies average points in the paint, Games 1 through 4: 38.5.

Grizzlies points in the paint in the first quarter of Game 5: 24.

UPDATE: Griffin is back in the game.

It remains unclear how serious the injury ends up being. Griffin was slated to get his rest at around the two- or one-minute mark of the first quarter, and that’s when he got hurt. However, he has yet to return to the game, and we have reached the end of the first quarter.

It’s as if they went back to being the 2011 Grizzlies.

The lesson is: I’m an idiot.

The idea is to keep Gasol more engaged after he didn’t take enough shots in Game 4. We’ll see if it works.