NBA Playoffs 2013, Grizzlies vs. Clippers: Memphis wins four straight to win series

And isn’t that a problem?

That’s a problem because no sports league, especially the NBA, wants to draw attention to its referees ... even the good ones. Officiating is extremely difficult, and because it relies on humans, mistakes happen. Even if you assume a 95 percent accuracy rate for NBA refs, in a 200-possession game, you’re going to have ten blown calls. Fans will harp on those. Media will harp on those. Players and coaches will harp on those. The league may know its referees do an unimpeachable job the best they possibly can. But because mistakes are inevitable, you’d want to draw as little attention as possible to the whole subject.

The parade to the free throw line didn’t stop after halftime, either, although it did slow. But while Memphis knocked their foul shots down, making 38-of-47, LA made just 16-of-24.

The game remained close throughout the third quarter and looked like it would go into the fourth in single digits, but the Grizzlies made a 8-0 run to close the quarter. Jerryd Bayless capped the period with a buzzer beater three that ignited the FedEx Forum and floored the Clippers.

Can the Clippers Stun Memphis Fans Again?

The thought of the Game 7 Clippers win in Memphis from last year still stings for most Grizzlies faithful. It’s part of the reason why Memphis fans were so nervous about another matchup against L.A. in the 2013 NBA Playoffs. Steve Perrin of Clips Nation has noticed the parallels between the situation last year and this scenario, and he thinks a Game 6 win could lead to a similar result for L.A. in the end:

Be sure to check out Clips Nation for updates and analysis on Griffin’s status as tip time approaches.

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The Memphis big man, at the very least, wasn’t making a big deal out of Griffin’s injury and how the ankle might limit Los Angeles’ fellow All-Star forward. Randolph told ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz that it’s a “big-boy game,” so why should it matter?

Randolph mildly sprained his left ankle in Game 2 of the series but hasn’t missed time. He also sprained the ankle two months ago in a March 1 game. Meanwhile, Griffin remains listed as day-to-day heading into a Game 6. His high ankle sprain limited him to 20 minutes in Game 5, a 112-91 loss for the Clippers. The Los Angeles forward put in four points on 2-for-7 shooting. He also had five rebounds and two turnovers but clearly struggled to get up and down the floor.

A week ago, we were talking about the Los Angeles Clippers as Western Conference contenders, L.A. was up 2-0 on the Memphis Grizzlies, and in a dead-even series, Memphis had to win four out of five games to secure things. A week later, the Grizz have won three straight and everything we said a week ago looks ridiculous.

Were the Grizzlies ever really “dead”? No, definitely not. But the comeback is still insane.

Speaking after Tuesday’s 103-93 loss at Staples Center, which has the Clippers on the brink of elimination heading into Game 6, Del Negro made it clear that Jordan needs to step up, as Phil Collin of the L.A. Daily News writes:

With Del Negro effectively on the hot seat given his expiring contract and disappointing results this season, it’s not surprising he’s pulling out all the stops to keep his job. How his relationship with Jordan will fare going forward is another question, though, particularly after he pushed the Jordan-for-Kevin Garnett trade idea earlier this year.

So perhaps we’ll put the brakes on discussing Z-Bo’s future. Because all of a sudden the questions are trained on Los Angeles.

For the third straight game, L.A.‘s top-10 defense was pummeled by a Memphis offense that often has trouble scoring. Z-Bo’s been at the center of that. At the same time, L.A.‘s typically lovely offense has struggled since Game 1 to get off the ground against the league’s best defense. In Game 1 the Clippers had an offensive rating of 134, which is phenomenal against any opponent, let alone one as defensively stout as Memphis. Since then? 103, 96, 96, 107. You can win games at 103 and 107 ... but not at 96 and not when you’re letting the Grizz score as easily as they did Tuesday.

How they managed to do it is of greater interest, however, as the Clippers are normally a dynamic team on the offensive end of the floor, especially at home.

Even with Gasol blocking two shots and changing numerous others, it’s the team defensive stats that tell the story for the Grizzlies’ signature win. They blocked a total of seven shots, grabbed 14 offensive rebounds that resulted in a whopping 19 second-chance points. The only thing they didn’t do particularly well from a team standpoint was stopping the speedy Clippers squad in transition by allowing 18 fast break points.

Not having Griffin could be a death knell for a Clippers team that has lost three straight after going up 2-0 in the series, but the power forward is still holding out hope that he will be able to suit up. With Game 6 not until Friday, he does have a few days to rest and receive more treatment.

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Memphis forced 13 Clippers’ turnovers and outrebounded LA, 42-40.

Even though the Clippers shot the ball well at 47.2 percent through two, they couldn’t secure it well enough to take advantage of their efficiency with possessions. Griffin’s injury was an obvious advantage for the Grizzlies down low as they scored nine second-chance points on seven offensive rebounds in the first half.

After struggling through the first half and playing 13 minutes in obvious discomfort, the forward left for the locker room in the middle of the third quarter after playing six minutes in the frame.

According to the Clippers’ training staff (via TNT’s broadcast), he will not return to the game and was in too much pain to continue. Griffin was clearly not himself, and he was just 2-of-7 from the field with four points in 16 total minutes.

So far, we’re seeing the good Z-Bo. He’s efficient and aggressive, leading the Grizz to a respectable showing through the first half with 11 points and 6 rebounds on 4-of-8 shooting. He’s getting involved on both ends of the floor and is benefiting from a hobbled Griffin who is obviously laboring and limited on offense. That means he doesn’t have to work as hard and can save his energy to contribute in the scoring department.

Memphis’ offense is trending in the general direction of Randolph’s game, and it appears that if he can turn in a second half similar to the first, then they’ll have a legitimate shot at stealing one at Staples Center.

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, Griffin sustained the injury at Clippers’ practice and will see how he gets through the game as the night wears on. Griffin was in head coach Vinny Del Negro’s starting lineup.

Griffin will try to help the Clips maintain the team’s home-court advantage, as the series is currently tied, 2-2. Thus far in the playoffs, he is averaging 19.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest. The third-year pro, who relies largely on athleticism and explosiveness, will likely struggle if the ankle gives him significant trouble.

Both sides have reason for optimism. Over the last two years, the Clippers have had the edge whenever the games between these two teams have gone to the wire, thanks to Paul, one of the premier closers in the NBA. From the Grizzlies’ point of view, Paul’s shot in Game 2 is the only thing preventing them from being in firm control of the series with a 3-1 edge.

Either way, Game 5 could very well be the decisive contest between these two evenly matched teams, both of whom can dream of a run to the NBA Finals if they can just survive the first round.

After struggling early in the opening game of the series, his first-ever postseason appearance, Curry has been one of the most impressive performers in the playoffs so far. In the past three games, he’s averaging 30 points, 10.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and three steals per game.

Coming off a pair of shaky performances in the first two games of the series, the Grizzlies were rather dominant in two double-digit victories at home in Games 3 and 4. Now Memphis heads back on the road with an opportunity to win a pivotal Game 5, which would force the Clippers to keep the series alive against a raucous crowd in Memphis.

Conley passes to Prince who hits the jumper.

The Clippers cannot commit three defensive players to any ball-handler, much less Conley, on a pick and roll.

However, the past two games have to leave fans seriously concerned about the Clippers’ chances. If the start of this series is any indication, this team’s supporting cast is a legitimate issue.

After being fairly productive in the first two games of the series at Staples Center, even Paul has been unable to get his teammates going on the offensive end. The combined shooting numbers from Games 3 and 4 bear out that frustrating reality.

Yes, sans Gay, the Grizzlies aren’t a good offensive team. They have one real point guard, mediocre three-point shooting and few guys who can create their own offense off the dribble. But they do have Gasol and Randolph, two big men with size, skill and grit.

Sometimes, that can be enough.

Heading back to L.A. for Game 5, the series is now tied 2-2.

Memphis came out strong in front of their own fans, expanding its lead to as many as 12 points in the first quarter before letting the Clippers crawl back into things. Hot shooting from the field powered the early effort, as Memphis made 54 percent of its attempts in the first quarter to hold a 33-25 advantage.

It’s a pivotal game -- Steve Perrin of Clips Nation called it a “turning point” in his preview, the Grizzlies just want to keep the ball rolling -- who gets the win? Here are three key questions about Saturday afternoon’s Game 4, which is at 4:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

You don’t see Chris Paul have nights like he had Thursday night often. No, seriously, you don’t see it often. His five-turnover, four-assist outing was just the third time this season Paul had more giveaways than helpers, and he only had eight points a game removed from scoring the Clippers’ final eight points and the game-winner. As one would expect when a player as pivotal as Paul struggles, the Clippers were down double digits most of the way and lost.

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.

Chris Paul is a human, apparently, just like you and me.

Thursday night, Paul had eight points on ten shots. He had five turnovers and four assists. In his 70 appearances this season, he had more turnovers than assists only twice.

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.

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.