The Grizzlies could have closed out the Thunder in Memphis on Thursday night. Instead, the Thunder rolled to a 20-point win. Now, Memphis is stuck playing a Game 7 in Oklahoma City without Zach Randolph, who was suspended for a punch he threw at Oklahoma City's Steven Adams.
Grizzlies vs. Thunder, NBA playoffs 2014: Time, TV schedule, radio and more
Without Z-Bo, the Grizzlies face an uphill battle in Game 7.
Ronald Martinez
Randolph was leading the Grizzlies with 18 points per game and was tied for first with Marc Gasol with 8.7 rebounds per game. Memphis now has to find someone to fill that hole. They can choose to go small, playing either James Johnson or Tayshaun Prince at power forward, or go huge with Kosta Koufos and Gasol.
Another option is young power forward Ed Davis. The North Carolina product has been mostly a bench player in his four years in the NBA. This season he appeared in 63 games, starting in four. He put up modest numbers, but his per 36 production--13.4 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks--was solid. He’s set to be a restricted free agent this summer and could make himself a nice chunk of change with a good performance.
Oklahoma City undoubtedly has the advantage here as they're playing at home and with all of their core pieces. Kevin Durant answered the "Mr. Unreliable" headline in Game 6 with a 36 points, 10 rebound performance; Russell Westbrook slashed the Grizzlies for 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists; Reggie Jackson chipped in 16 off the bench, and when the Thunder get production out of guys not named Durant and Westbrook, they are nearly impossible to stop.
TV schedule: TNT; 8 p.m. ET
Local: SportSouth, FS Oklahoma HD, WMFS, WWLS 98.1FM OKC
Canada: SPORTSNET ONE
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