Spurs against Heat or Pacers

     According to Aschburner (2013), the Spurs look like the best team in the league right now (p. n.d.). The Spurs have a good chance of beating the Miami Heat or the Indiana Pacers because they have a good starting lineup and bench players. There is also Gregg Popovich who is one of the best coaches in the league. On top of that the Spurs have been in the Finals a few times and they have the experience of winning the championship. The Spurs have the advantage because they are resting and practicing until the Miami and Indiana finish their series.
 
     According to Schuhmann (2013), the series in the eastern conference finals are tied at 2-2 (p. n .d.). The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers are having a great series because in all of their games the score was always close and you never know what will happen. The Miami Heat's main scorers are LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Indiana Pacer's main scorers are Paul George, Roy Hibbert, and Lance Stephenson.. Many people, including myself, believe that the Miami Heat will win the series against the Pacers. Whoever wins the series will have to face the Spurs in the Finals. According to Cooper (2013), the series is most likely going to Game 7 (p. n.d.).

References:

Aschburner (2013). What Chance for the Spurs
  Retrieved from: www.nba.com/2013/05/29/what-chance-for-the-spurs/

Schuhmann (2013). 2013 Conference Finals: Pacers-Heat
  Retrieved from: www.nba.com/category/2013-conference-finals-pacers-heat/

Cooper (2013). Crucial Next Few Games
  Retrieved from: www.nba.com/2013/news/05/29/heat-pacers-crucial-next-few-games.ap/index.html

 

Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors history

        Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors history

                    The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team in Denver,Colorado that plays in the National Basketball Association. According to the Funding University(2003) the team was founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association (ABA) but changed its name to the Rockets before its first season , it changed its name again to the Nuggets in anticipation of an ABA-NBA merger in 1974 and played for the final ABA championship title in 1876, losing to the New York Nets(P.N.D).The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based on Oakland, California. According to Simmons(2010) the team was established in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania. Where the franchise won the championship in the inaugural season of the basketball Association of America (BAA) the league that would eventually become the National Basketball Association after the merger with the National Basketball league(P.N.D).

Funding University (2003): Denver Nugget history

Retrieved from:http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/denver-nuggets-history/

Simmons.R(2012): Limp to victory is fitting finish

Retrieved from:http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Limp-to-victory-is-fitting-finish-3192479.php

             

Heat vs Pacers Games 2 and 3

     Games 2 and 3 of the Heat vs Pacers series were very different from game 1. Game 1 was also a close game but games 2 and 3 weren't In game 2, the Pacers led almost throughout the whole game. In game 3, the Heat lead by 18 points at the end. The Pacers were very physical in game 2. According to Coleman (2013), the emotion of the Pacers showed in game 2 (p. n.d.).

     They knew they had to step up because the Heat are a very physical team. The Miami Heat knew that they had to think of a new strategy of playing when they lost game 2. In game 3, LeBron took control of the paint. He knew that he was stronger than Paul George so he had an advantage in the paint. He usually doesn't post up a lot, but he did it well. According to Coleman (2013), the turnovers were a big part of the games (p. n.d.).

References:

Coleman (2013), Pacers vs Heat Game 2, NBA Playoffs 2013 LeBron James late turnovers lead to 97-93 Indiana win.
    Retrieved from: www.sbuation.com/nba/2013/5/24/4364360/2013-nba-playoffs-heat-vs-pacers-game-2-results-score

Spurs vs Grizzlies Game 4 and Game 5

     According to Caplan (2013), the Spurs beat the Grizzlies again to make the series 3-0 (p. n.d.). In game 3 the spurs scored 104 while the Grizzlies only scored 93. Throughout the game the Spurs kept the lead and never gave the Grizzlies a chance to come back. Tony Parker scored 26 points and Mike Conley scored only 20 points. The Spurs outscored them once again and the coach was disappointed that they couldn't find a way to stop them.
   
     According to Marlon (2013), the Spurs are now finally in the Finals once again for a chance to win the championship (p. n.d.). When the NBA reporter said no team has ever come back from a 3-0 series in the playoffs, it might have affected the Grizzlies' confidence because they played very poorly. The main scorers were Tony Parker with 36 points and Quincy Pondexter with 22 points. The Grizzlies' all stars, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, didn't show up when they were needed and they haven't played well against the Spurs. The Spurs swept the Grizzlies in a 4-0 series and they will be facing either the Miami Heat or Indiana Pacers in the Finals. The Spurs are on a winning streak and have a high chance of winning it all.

References:

Caplan, J. (2013). Spurs 104, Grizzlies 93
  Retrieved from: www.nba.com/data/html/nbacom/gameinfo/20130526/0041200313_notebook.html

Marlon, M. (2013). Spurs sweep Grizzlies
  Retrieved from: www.nba.com/2013/05/26/spurs-sweep-grizzlies/

Spurs vs Grizzlies Game 3 Highlights

Spurs vs Grizzlies Game 4 Highlights

Pacers survive the Heat in Game 2

     According to Coleman (2013), Lebron Jame's late turnovers lead to 97-93 Indiana win in Miami (p.nd). Lebron had a very good game, in which he had 36 points, 3 steals and 3 assists. Lebron's mistake was to do 2 turnovers with 45 seconds left in the 4th quarter. The Eastern Conference finals are tied and home-court advantage now belongs to the Indiana Pacers (Reynolds,2013,p.nd). According to Reynolds (2013), Roy Hibbert scored a postseason career-high 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds (p.nd). Unlike Game 1, Roy Hibbert was on the floor for nearly the entire 4th quarter; Lebron wasn't able to get any easy layups (Coleman,2013,p.nd). According to Coleman (2013), the Pacers did a nice job of controlling the pace throughout the entire game, leading by as many as 13 points midway through the first half (p.nd).

     That game was just Heat's 4th loss in the last 50 games (Reynolds,2013,p.nd). According to Reynolds (2013), the Pacers closed the game on a 13-5 run and denied one of the game's best play makers in James twice in the final moments to finish it off (p.nd). Dwyane Wade had another solid-yet-unspectacular night with 14 points and 5 assists; Bosh ended his night with 17 points and 5 boards (Coleman,2013,p.nd). Chris Andersen continued to provide a spark off the bench with 7 points and a blocked shot in just 15 minutes on the floor (Coleman,2013,p.nd). "It's one of the best basketball games I've ever been part of Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "It wasn't about Lebron making mistakes down the stretch, he played one of the best backetball games I've ever seen anybody play, we were just able to make a couple plays late in game" (Reynolds,2013,p.nd). Game 3 will be in Indianapolis, on Sunday night.

References:
Coleman (2013) Pacers vs Heat Game 2, NBA Playoffs 2013 Lebron James' late turnovers lead to 97-93 Indiana win. Retrieved from: www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/5/24/4364360/2013-nba-playoffs-heat-vs-pacers-game-2-results-score

Reynolds (2013) Pacers steal Game 2 from Heat, 97-93. Retrieved from: www.nba.com/games/20130524/INDMIA/gameinfo.html?ls=pot

Spurs and Grizzlies history

Spurs and Grizzlies history

           The San Antonio Spurs or Spurs for short; is part at the South-West division . They are located in San Antonio. They are located in San Antonia, Texas which was their origin. According to Michael (2007) the Spurs are one of four former American Basketball Association team to remain intact in the NBA after the 1976 ABA-NBA merge and is the only former ABA to have won an NBA championship (P.N.D). They were founded in 1976. The Memphis Grizzlies or Grizzlies for short is also part of the South-West division. According to Springer (2007) the Grizzlies we established in Vancouver,British Columbia in 1995. The team relocated to Memphis  in 2001. They are also the team out the four major professional leagues that play in Memphis (P.N.D). 

Michael. L: (June 15,2007)  "For Spurs a familiar ring." Retrieved from: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/14/AR2007061402517.html

Springer. S: (May 19,2007)  "GM Wallace joins Grizzlies" Retrieved from: www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2007/06/19/gm_wallace_joins_grizzlies/

NBA Live (Video game series)

NBA Live (Video game series) 

            The NBA Live series of Basketball video game, published by EA Sports. It's main video game competitor was the NBA 2K series. According to Suszek (2102) the EA Sports has canceled NBA Lice 13. The company plans on work on the next game in the series (P.N.D). The EA has canceled another game called NBA Elite 11 because it had failed to see publication. But the new Xbox ( Xbox One) will release the new NBA Live 14. According to Mike (2013) EA hasn't released an NBA Live game since 2009, but that streak looks like it might finally come to an end as the company has said that it plans to release NBA Live 14 on the next-gen consoles this year (P.N.D). 

Suszek.M:(September 27,2012) "NBA Live 13 canceled by EA" Retrieved from: www.joystiq.com/2012/09/27/nba-live-13-has-been-canceled/

Mike.E: (May 22, 2013) "EA says NBA Live 14 will be released in 2013 on next-gen consoles" Retrieved from: vr-zone.com/articles/ea-says-nba-live-14-will-be-released-in-2013-on-next-gen-consoles/20342.html 

Heat vs Pacers game 1

      The Miami Heat knew that game 1 wasn't going to be easy. The pacers' coach was certain that they were going to win but the Heat had something else planned. According to Jeff Zillgitt (2013), the Miami Heat put the ball in the hands of the world's best player (p.n.d). The score was close throughout the whole game so it was anyone's game. Dwane Wade made a lay-up with 0.7 left in the 4th quarter.
       Paul George then made an off balance 3-pointer to tie the game at 92-92. According to Jeff Zillgitt (2013), it didn't take a brilliant coach to get James the ball (p.n.d). Lebron James then made a huge game winning shot with 2.2 seconds left in overtime. The score was 102-103 at the end. The Miami Heat take game 1 and game 2 will be back in Miami.

Referee: Zillgitt, J. (2013) Lebron James outshines paul George as Heat beat Pacers.

Retrievied from: www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/playoffs/2013/05/02/miami-heat-vs-indiana-pacers-game-1-score-eastern-conference-finals-Paul-George-Lebron-James/2353185/

Lebron saves the Heat and takes game 1

     In game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Lebron was the main player of the night. He had 30 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. The 4th quarter was the most exciting moment of the game. Dwyane Wade had 19 points, Chris Bosh had 17 points and Chris Andersen had 16 on 7-for-7 shooting for Miami (Reynolds,2013,p.nd). The main problem of the Pacers were the turnovers (19 turnovers). In the 4th quarter, Ray Allen missed 1 of 2 free throws (93%) and Paul George saved the Pacers at the end of regulation with a 32-footer 3 pointer with 0.7 seconds left, and then in overtime made 3 free throws (up by one) with 2.2 seconds left (Reynolds,2013,p.nd).

Put the ball in the hands of the world's best player, that's exactly what Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra did (Zillgitt,2013,p.nd). According to Zillgitt (2013), it didn't take a brilliant coach to get James the ball, but it was a questionable coaching decision by Pacers coach Frank Vogel- Roy Hibbert wasn't in the floor on Miami's final 2 possessions (p.nd). Lebron said that the "two teams fought hard", and that "they were able to make one more play" (Reynolds,2013,p.nd). According to Reynolds (2013), Miami found a way to outlast the Indiana Pacers 103-102 in a wildly back-and-forth Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night (p.nd). Frank Vogel (Indiana's Coach) said that two great teams were just throwing punch for punch, that their spirit is very high, very confident, and that they know they can play better; but they will have to demonstrate that in Game 2 which is in Friday night in Miami (Reynolds,2013,p.nd).

References:
Reynolds (2013) Lebron saves Heat at buzzer of Game 1
Retrieved from: www.nba.com/games/20130522/INDMIA/gameinfo.html?ls=pot

Zillgitt (2013) Lebron James outshines Paul George as Heat beat Pacers
Retrieved from: www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/playoffs/2013/05/22/miami-heat-vs-indiana-pacers-game-1-score-eastern-conference-finals-Paul-George-Lebron-James/2353185/

           

   

Grizzlies vs Spurs in Game 2 of Conference Finals

     According to Price, T. (2013), the Grizzlies lost the second game against the Spurs (p. n.d). The Spurs scored 93 while the Grizzlies scored 89. The Grizzlies coach, Lionel Hollins, seems to be having trouble with the lineups. The game was very close even though the Memphis started out poorly. It was a good game because it came down to the last few possessions.

     According to Blinebury, F. (2013), the Grizzlies seem to have some offensive struggles. The Grizzlies had a low field goal percentage this game as well as last game. Tony parker led the Spurs once again with 15 points and a career high 18 assists. Mike Conley carried his team in shooting with 18 points. The Spurs have a good chance of sweeping the Grizzlies in the Conference Finals.

References:

Price, T. (2013). Notebook: Spurs 93, Grizzlies 89
  Retrieved from: www.nba,com/data/html/nbacom/gameinfo/20130522/0041200312_notebook.html

Blinebury, F. (2013). 2013 Conference Finals Spurs-Grizzlies
  Retrieved from: www.nba.com/category/2013-conference-finals-spurs-grizzlies/

Heat and Bull's history

                             Heat and Bulls history

     Miami Heat or Heat for short was founded in 1988, owned by Micky Arison and manager Pat Riley. They have had two championships one in 2006 and 2012. According to Patel (2013). The Chicago Bull's is the enemy team competing against the Heat's (P.N.D). The Bull's is also the shorter way, it was founded in 1966, owned by Jerry Reindorf  and managed by Gar former, they have six championships in 1991,1992, 1993, 1996,  1997, 1998. According to Nelson (2013) they have four more championships than the Heats (P.N.D). I believe that the Bull's have more experience and better players which could result in a victory. 

      Patel. J: (2013) Miami Heat championships 

Retrieved from: Espn.go.com/heat/column3/history/957/?=01

     Nelson. D (2013) Bull's championships 

Retrieved from: Espn.go.com/bulls/column2/history/8329/579?=013

HEAT VS PACERS PREVIEW

                Now that the Bulls are out of the picture, the Miami Heat's next victim is the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers beat the Knicks in a 4-2 series which ended in Indiana. It was a close game but it looked like the Pacers wanted it more. Roy Hibbert got the highlight play of the day when he blocked Carmelo Anthony's dunk. Now it's between the Heat and the Pacers in the eastern conference finals. According to Steve Aschburner (2013 May 20), they need to learn from the past or risk repeating it (P.N.D). The Heat beat the Pacers last year so now they want revenge.

Reference:
        Aschburner, S. (2013) 2013 conference finals: Pacers-Heat
Retrieved from:
        hangtime.blogs.nba.com/category/2013-conference-finals-pacers-heat/

                                                                               

Grizzlies vs Spurs in Game 1 of Conference Finals

     According to Price, T. (2013), the Grizzlies have lost in the first game against the Spurs (p. n.d). The Spurs did a good job of defending Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol in the paint. Tony Parker was a major factor in the win against Grizzlies because he scored 20 points and had 9 assists. Even though the Memphis had the advantage, having more rest days than the Spurs, they still lacked energy. Memphis didn't play as well as when they faced the Thunder.
   
     According to Blinebury, F. (2013), they have to play harder in order to win (p. n.d). In this game, Zach Randolph had his worst shooting night of his career. The Spurs, however, have played extremely well against the Grizzlies. They had a blowout because they scored 105 to 83. They look to keep up the same level of play in the next few games. Even though most of the Spurs' players are old, they make up for it with their experience.

References:

Prince, T. (2013). Notebook: Spurs 105, Grizzlies 83.
  Retrieved from: www.nba.com/data/html/nbacom/gameinfo/20130519/0041200311_notebook.html

Blinebury, F. (2013). 2013 Conference Finals: Spurs-Grizzlies.
  Retrieved from www.nba.com/category/2013-conference-finals-spurs-grizzlies/

Carmelo and the Knicks loss 106-99 and the Pacers are going to the Eastern Conference Finals

     The Indiana Pacers knock out the New York Knicks with 106-99 win in Game 6 (Marot,2013,p.nd). The Pacers are going to the Eastern Conference Finals and will face the Miami Heat (NBA Champion). The Pacers will have a rematch of last year's conference semifinals loss to Miami (Brunner,2013,p.nd). According to Marot (2013), the Indiana Pacers spent the entire season perfecting its defense, but Carmelo evaded that defense and scored 39 points (p.nd). In the Pacers, Lance Stephenson "eliminate the Knicks" scoring 25 points (career-high), and added 10 rebounds (ESPN,2013,p.nd). Paul George had 23 points and Roy Hibbert had 21 points.
     The Knicks were loosing by 10 points at the beginning of the 3rd quarter, but they made a 12-2 run to go 81-81 to the 4th quarter. Iman Shumpert made some 3's and lead the 12-2 run when they were loosing by 12 points.For this game, the Pacers could play with George Hill, who didn't played in Game 5 due to a concussion suffered in Game 4. J.R. Smith was also making some 3's and with Copeland they added a streak of 7 consecutive 3-pointers made as the Knicks took 92-90 lead with 5:42 remaining in the 4th quarter (Brunner,2013,p.nd). According to Brunner (2013), Carmelo missed 2 shots and committed 3 turnovers while Stephenson scored 7 straight points in a 9-0 run to put Indiana in front 99-92; a 3 point play by Smith and a dunk by Anthony cut it off to 103-99 with 49 seconds left but the Pacers closed it out at the line (p.nd). The Indiana Pacers beat the Knicks 4-2, while the Miami Heat beat the Bulls 4-1. The Pacers won 2 of 3 games in the regular season against the Heat; the only game that the Heat won was when they were in their 27-game winning streak.

References:
Marot (2013) Pacers knock out Knicks with 106-99 win in Game 6
Retrieved from: www.nba.com/games/20130518/NYKIND/gameinfo.html?ls=iref;nbahpt13a

Brunner (2013) Notebook: Pacers 106, Knicks 99
Retrieved from: www.nba.com/games/20130518/NYKIND/gameinfo.html?ls=iref;nbahpt13a


ESPN (2013) Lance Stephenson leads way as Pacers knock out Knicks
Retrieved from: scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId-400464469

                                      

 Bonus:  Block of the Night

NBA History

                                                   

NBA History

NBA is an acronym for National Basketball Association.According to the ESPN (1989) Basketball  was on the top four sports in america (N.P.D). This is only for professional men. According to NBA(2002) the NBA Association was created on June 6, 1946 (N.P.D). Before it was named Basketball Association of America; it later adopted it’s name from a from a rival to create the association that we know today.

Shelburne. K : (2010) NBA History

Retrieved from:NBA.com/nbahistory/12FPIWbHZGEErDm2Se-/sdsDb25oiS0U/MXHZNfhnIGqqg

Pelton. K : (2007) History of NBA

Retrieved from : ESPN.com/273405306697551545/32934049547=244/3408

Stein. M: (December 8,1989) NBA ball controversy reaches new level

Retrieved from: ESPN.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc8id=2689744

Knicks facing Elimination

In game 5, things changed a little bit. Carmelo Anthony had 28 points (24 in game 4), J.R.Smith 13 points (19 in game 4), and Paul George had 23 points (18 in game 4), but the most important thing is that  the Knicks won (ESPN, 2013, p.nd). The most shocking moment was when the Pacers announced that George Hill was not going to play due to a concussion that he had in game 4 (26 in game 4). That was good news to the Knicks, because they know that the Pacers will have a big offensive problem. The Knicks were facing eliminaton, and that's why they needed this win.
The Pacers loss the offense, and Roy Hibbert didn't dominated the post. The Knicks shot 41% from the field, and the Pacers just shot 36% and was a dismal 19 of 33 at the free throw line (Mahoney, 2013, p.nd). David West was 5/13 in the first half. The other 4 Indiana starters were 5/23. According to Mahoney (2013), the Knicks are trying to become the ninth NBA team to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series. (p.nd) The Pacers were trying to reach the Eastern Conference finals for the 1st time since 2004 (Mahoney, 2013, p.nd). The winner faces the defending NBA Champions Miami Heat in a series that will start Wednesday (the Heat beat the Bulls in a 4-1 series).

References:
ESPN (2013)
Knicks 85, Pacers 75
Retrieved from:
scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400464468

Mahoney (2013)
Anthony has 28, Knicks beat Pacers to stay alive
Retrieved from:
www.nba.com/games/20130516/INDNYK/gameinfo.html

                                               

               

Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls

Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls

In the first round of the 2013 playoffs, the Miami Heat played against the Milwaukee bucks. The Heat were the only team in the eastern conference that won 4-0. They were the favorites of that series. Lebron James was the leading scorer for the team. Now they are facing the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the eastern conference. The Heat lost their first game against the Bulls. They came back the next game and blew them out by as much as 45 points. They also won the next two games so they lead the series 3-1. According to bleacher report, the Chicago Bulls’ wild run through the NBA playoffs appears to be running out of gas. (Michael Walsh, 2013, P.N.D)

Retrieved from bleacherreport.com/articles/1638769-miami-heat-vs-chicago-bulls-game-4-video-highlights-and-recap

Reference:Miami heat vs Chicago bulls game 4: video highlights and recap. By Maxwell Odgen (featured columnist) on May 13 2013.

Knicks vs Pacers

In game 1, the Pacers defeated the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Pacers dominated the post, David West and Roy Hibbert had a combined of 34 points. In game 2, the Knicks took revenge on the Pacers. With a Carmelo Anthony playing really good with 32 points, the Knicks dominated the second half to rout the Pacers at Madison Square Garden to even their second-round series 1-1 (Zagoria,2013,p.nd). In  game 3, Roy Hibbert lead the Pacers to another win over the Knicks.In this game he had 24 pints, and he shot 9/18; he was the only player of the Pacers who shot 50% (Brunner,2013,p.nd).

The Pacers didn't changed in game 4, and that’s why they won that game. George Hill stepped up in this game scoring 26 points and letting the Pacers to a 3-1 over the Knicks (Brunner,2013,p.nd). Paul George had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists. For the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points and J.R. Smith 19 points, but it still wasn't enough. The Pacers want to go to the NBA Finals, but first they need to defeat the Knicks one more time, and they will be living their dream.

References:

Zagoria (2013)

Notebook: Knicks 105, Pacers 79

Retrieved from:
www.nba.com/games/20130507/INDNYK/gameinfo.html

Brunner (2013)

Notebook: Pacers 82, Knicks 71

Retrieved from:

http://www.nba.com/games/20130511/NYKIND/gameinfo.html

Brunner (2013)

Notebook: Pacers 93, Knicks 82

Retrieved from:

www.nba.com/games/20130514/NYKIND/gameinfo.html

NBA Playoffs: The Grizzlies Advance to Western Conference Finals

                                The Grizzlies finally eliminate the Thunder

       According to NBA (2013), the Memphis Grizzlies are moving on to the Conference Finals. In Game 5 of the 2nd round the Grizzlies has finally defeated the Thunder in a 4-1 series (p. n.d). Both teams shot very low percentages but the Grizzlies played better. The problem with the Thunder was that they had a lot of turnovers and gave the Grizzlies second chance points. The Grizzlies’ defence was a main factor in their win because they double teamed Kevin Durant and stopped him from scoring.

       The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t have a lot of ball movement and depended too much on one player to score. The Grizzlies played a little better than the Thunder so they deserved this win. This is the first time that the Memphis Grizzlies advance to the Conference Finals. In the Conference Finals the Grizzlies will either face the San Antonio Spurs or the Golden State Warriors. According to (Sportsworldreport), the Grizzlies might actually be capable of beating the Spurs or Warriors in the Conference Finals (p. n.d.).

References:

Renner, R. (2013) Grizzlies vs Thunder in Game 5

    Retrieved from: www.nba.com/data/html/nbacom/gameinfo/20130516/0041200225_notebook.html

Garcia, F. (2013) NBA Playoff Prediction: Memphis wins Western Conference Finals

    Retrieved from: www.sportsworldreport.com/articles/15286/20130516/nba-playoff-predictions-memphis-grizzlies-win-western-conference-finals-of-spurs-or-warriors.htm

NBA Playoffs: OKC vs Grizzlies in 2nd round of playoffs

OKC vs Grizzlies in 2nd round of playoffs

        According to ESPN (2013), the Oklahoma City Thunder has a high chance of being eliminated in Game 5. The impact of losing one of their all stars, Russell Westbrook, has really affected their last few games. As of May 14, 2013 the series is 3-1 with the Grizzlies having three consecutive wins. The Oklahoma City Thunder has to play very hard in the next couple of games or else they will be eliminated from the playoffs. Kevin Durant, from the Oklahoma City Thunder, has stepped up his game but his teammates need to contribute more in order for them to win.

       According to ESPN (2013), The Memphis Grizzlies have played very well to get three consecutive wins over the Thunder. They have a strong lineup with Mike Conley at the point guard, Tony Allen at the the shooting guard, Tayshaun Prince at the small forward, Zach Randolph at the power forward, and Marc Gasol at the center. They have all the pieces they need unlike the Thunder. The Grizzlies have one of the best defense in the league as well as offense. If they keep playing like this they might have a chance to advance to the finals.

References:

Pelton, K. (2013) Oklahoma City Thunder Struggling.

       Retrieved from: insider.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2013/story/-/page/PerDiem/-130515/oklahoma-city-thunder-struggling-russell-westbrook

Shelburne, R. (2013) Grizzlies rally past Thunder to take 3-1 lead

       Retrieved from: scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400464455