Well, that opening weekend was something, wasn't it? It started with Paul Pierce's crunch-time dominance in Toronto, and it ended with LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard putting on a show in Houston. Five of eight road teams stole home-court advantage, and on Monday Memphis will try to do the same thing. The Clippers will take the day to try and rebound from a tough loss.
NBA playoff schedule 2014: Grizzlies, Clippers look to bounce back
After the first weekend of playoff basketball, the Thunder and Clippers will try for wins at home.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies, Game 2
8 p.m. ET, TNT, Thunder lead series 1-0
The Thunder earned the most lopsided Game 1 victory in the first round, and they were only home team to win on Saturday. Kevin Durant dropped a cool 33 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on the Grizzlies, and Memphis had absolutely no answer for Oklahoma City in transition. If Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and company are going to get a split, Game 2 will have to be played drastically differently.
It’s hard to decide which end of the floor was more troubling for the Grizz in the opener. Known for their stout defense, they allowed OKC to run circles around them for three quarters of the game. Aside from a dominant third period, there wasn’t much good to take away from it. No Memphis player scored efficiently, and the team shot a collective 36 percent from the field, 18 percent from downtown and 58 percent from the line.
Stephen Dunn-Getty Images
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors, Game 2
10:30 p.m. ET, TNT, Warriors lead series 1-0
The Warriors won a physical, controversial game on Saturday, but it should be a lot tougher to take the second one at the Staples Center. Blake Griffin fouled out after only 16 minutes of action, and it still went down to the final few possessions. The league issued a statement about a missed foul call late in the game that would have given Chris Paul the chance to tie it at the free throw line.
This is arguably the most fun first-round matchup (personally, I'd go with Rockets/Blazers, but just barely) and it'd be nice if the focus was on the brilliant players involved rather than the officiating in Game 2. It wasn't just the late blown call; no one seemed happy with the final foul on Griffin, nor the one that ended Andre Iguodala's afternoon after 20 minutes of action. The Clippers had no answer for Golden State's pick-and-roll game on Saturday, and J.J. Redick has his biggest game in months. Let's see what happens if Griffin and Iguodala get to play a full game.
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