Grizzlies

Grizzlies 106 - Lakers 98 (final) The Memphis Grizzlies emerged Friday as the best team in the NBA with a 9-2 record, defeating the Lakers 106-98. The New York Knicks lost their second straight game to fall to 8-3. The Grizzlies had all five starters in double figures, led by Rudy Gay's 19 and Mike Conley's 19. They shot 50.7% from the field and out-rebounded the Lakers 39-28. For the second game in a row, the Lakers did not get much out of Dwight Howard (seven points, four boards)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Uh-oh, 2-0? The San Antonio Spurs find themselves in a familiar place, having won the first two games of the Western Conference finals for a second consecutive season. This is where their season unraveled in stunning fashion last year amid a barrage of baskets by Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. The Spurs lost four consecutive games, a season-ending slide that seemed all the more improbable considering they had won their previous 20 games.

  The Clippers' first appearance in the NBA playoffs since 2006 couldn't have gotten off to a worse start for them. It couldn't have had a better finish. They fell behind by 18 points in the first quarter and  later trailed by as many as 27. Then Nick Young and the Clippers changed identities. They had been ineffective inside and out for 3 1/2 quarters but went on dramatic run to put themselves in position to eventually win, 99-98, in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series.

SAN ANTONIO - He did it with lobs into the post, simple bounce passes and wild flings into the corners. Wherever Tony Parker put the ball Tuesday night at AT&T Center, the San Antonio Spurs usually turned it into a basket. Including the one they needed most. Tim Duncan took one of Parker's passes late in overtime and made a floating jumper that helped the Spurs hold on for a 93-89 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

1. Can the Lakers finally correct their road struggles?  Sorry for being redundant, but the Lakers have yet to solve a season-long problem. Their 7-14 road record featured two losses last week against Eastern Conference basement-dwellers in Detroit and Washington. Of course, part of the blame pointed to a lack of focus and letting up after holding double-digit leads. Memphis, which has won eight of its last 10 and holds a No. 4 playoff seed, should inspire the Lakers to play with more urgency.

Memphis 111, at Boston 91: Rudy Gay scored 28 points as the Grizzlies picked up their franchise-record seventh straight road win. at San Antonio 97, New York 87: Manu Ginobili scored 28 points in the Spurs' win over the Knicks, who are assured of a team-record ninth straight losing season. at Oklahoma City 98, New Orleans 83: Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Russell Westbrook added 17 points and came up just shy of a triple-double for the Thunder. Utah 115, at Detroit 104: Deron Williams had 18 points and 12 assists for the Jazz, which posted its 10th straight victory over the Pistons.

Grizzlies 75, Clippers 69 (end of third quarter) MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Chris Paul is keeping the Clippers in the game, pretty much all by himself. He has 23 points and has made nine of 13 shots, including all three of his shots from beyond the arc. If the Clippers win, Paul will deserve about 99.5% of the credit, and that's a conservative estimate.   The Grizzlies started playing their patented "grit-and-grind style" of defense, mucking up the Clippers' offensive possessions and forcing them into turnovers.

The Clippers, making their first appearance in the NBA playoffs since 2006, looked like it in the early going of Game 1 of their opening playoff series against Memphis, falling behind quickly and trailing the Grizzlies, 34-16, after the first quarter. The Grizzlies shot 65%; the Clippers less than half that. It was at least as one-sided as the score indicated. Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 10 points. For the Clippers, Caron Butler made two three-pointers for six points, but no other Clipper had more than three points.

The Memphis Grizzlies got everything working; the Clippers got nothing going and Memphis held on to a 58-39 lead at halftime of their playoff game at Memphis. The perfect exclamation point to the half came as the clock expired for the second quarter, with Marc Gasol getting a lob pass and dunking the ball for the 19-point lead. Memphis finished the quarter on an 8-0 run. Gasol led the Grizzlies with 14 points in the first half. No Clippers starter had more than Caron Butler's eight points.

Here are four reasons the Grizzlies would give the Lakers a competitive playoff series. 1. Defense. Memphis suddenly exposed what Metta World Peace called the "glitch in the Matrix" in the Lakers' 102-96 loss Sunday to the Grizzlies. He didn't explain what that was, but the Lakers' recently improved offensive efficiency since Ramon Sessions' arrival came crashing down. Everyone outside Andrew Bynum shot less than 50% from the field. Memphis forced 16 turnovers. Tony Allen made Kobe Bryant work hard for 18 points.

SAN ANTONIO - Stumbling in playoff series openers is nothing new for the Memphis Grizzlies. Of course, they've never experienced the kind of fall they did against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. San Antonio may have left Memphis with a bruised psyche to go with a 105-83 defeat Sunday at the AT&T Center, the Spurs turning the Grizzlies' strengths into glaring shortcomings with the same smart, disciplined approach that has characterized their four championship runs.

SAN ANTONIO - Surprise, surprise, the Lakers made it to the Western Conference finals. Not really. But they did get repeatedly name-dropped Saturday by the San Antonio Spurs, which made sense considering the frontcourt duo the Spurs face in this round of the playoffs somewhat resembles the Lakers' tandem they quickly dispatched in the first round. Even one of the last names is the same. Instead of Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard, the Spurs must contend with the Memphis Grizzlies' Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph starting Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of the conference finals at AT&T Center.

2 San Antonio vs. 5 Memphis Season series: Tied, 2-2. Key stat: Memphis is averaging a league-low 11.1 turnovers a game in the playoffs, with point guard Mike Conley averaging only 1.9 turnovers in 38.5 minutes. Outlook: Both teams will have to hit the reboot button to prepare for a dramatically different opponent than they faced in the previous round. Having vanquished guard-oriented Golden State, San Antonio must deal with the interior tandem of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, who are averaging a combined 38 points and 17.2 rebounds in the playoffs.

It is always easier to be critical when you don't have a dog in the fight, so let's go ahead. The NBA playoffs are in full swing. If we think hard, we in Los Angeles can remember what that's like. People flying purple flags out car windows. The Clippers going past the first round. Close your eyes and savor. Then open them so we can take a hard look at the game and the league that has built such a ga-ga fan base. As popular as it is, the NBA keeps edging closer to pro wrestling.

Western Conference semifinals No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 5 Grizzlies Season series: Grizzlies, 2-1. Key stat: Memphis power forward Zach Randolph averaged 24.8 points over the Grizzlies' final four games of their first-round series victory over the Clippers. Outlook: Memphis was a tough matchup for Oklahoma City even before Thunder guard Russell Westbrook suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for the rest of the playoffs. The Grizzlies' strength is in the post, where Randolph and center Marc Gasol pounded their young and athletic counterparts in the first round and are certainly eager to try to do the same to Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins.

The Clippers have been pushed to the brink of playoff elimination despite a career effort from Chris Paul. Paul tried to carry the Clippers by himself because his running mate, Blake Griffin, could only play 19 minutes 34 seconds because of a sprained right ankle. But for as much as Paul did in tying his career playoff high with 35 points, he alone couldn't take down the Memphis Grizzlies, who won Game 5, 103-93, Tuesday night at Staples Center. BOX SCORE: Memphis 103, Clippers 93 After Memphis big men Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol combined for 46 points and 19 rebounds, the Clippers, who won the first two games in this series, now trail the Grizzlies, 3-2. Game 6 is Friday night in Memphis, where the Clippers lost Games 3 and 4 by an average of 16.5 points.

With the Grizzlies making three-point shots look as easy as layups, Memphis continued to humble the Clippers in Game 1 of their playoff series, taking an 85-64 lead going into the fourth quarter at Memphis. The Grizzlies have been imposing their will through three quarters offensively and defensively; the Clippers have been unable to get any inside game going and their outside game has not been nearly good enough to compensate for that. An ineffective Blake Griffin committed his third foul, on a trip while setting a pick, at the start of the third quarter, which was hardly the way the Clippers wanted him to become more involved.

Before taking the court against the Houston Rockets (45-36) on Wednesday night, the Lakers (44-37) clinched a playoff berth when the Grizzlies (56-26) defeated the Utah Jazz (43-39) in Memphis, 86-70. Power forward Zach Randolph had 25 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies to the victory, which eliminated the Jazz from postseason contention. Center Al Jefferson had 22 points and 16 rebounds to lead Utah. Win or lose against the Rockets, the Lakers have qualified for the postseason.

An air of finality might be the closest they get to catching a whiff of the Finals. The Lakers are done. The Clippers could be by Friday night. And to think some people actually wrote that these teams could go all the way. Oh, right. Sorry about that. Given the expectations, this could easily go down as the most disappointing NBA season in L.A. in the 29 years the city has hosted two teams. The Lakers were presumed Finals contenders who were supposed to challenge the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' record of 72 regular-season victories.

It's tough to win a playoff game going one on five. The Clippers gamely tried Tuesday at Staples Center, but not even the sustained brilliance of Chris Paul was enough on a night he nearly doubled the output of his fellow starters with 35 points. The Memphis Grizzlies didn't deliver a powerful jab during a 103-93 victory in Game 5 of their Western Conference first-round series as much as what seemed like a knockout blow, taking a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.