Zach Randolph

The extras stepped out of the large shadow cast by their co-tenants, the Lakers. The Clippers will always have this one special night in February in which they crafted a memorable upset against the Boston Celtics, beating the defending NBA champions, 93-91, at Staples Center on Wednesday. It was wild. It was emotional. There was heated smacking and shoving -- Mardy Collins and Paul Pierce on the verge of throwing down -- bringing the Clippers coaches off the bench late in the game.

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.

Memphis 120, at New York 109: Zach Randolph had 31 points and a career-high 25 rebounds against his former team, and the Grizzlies tied a franchise record with their fourth straight road win. Marc Gasol had 25 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for the Grizzlies, who out-rebounded New York, 52-32. at Utah 133, Houston 110: Deron Williams scored 35 points in 32 minutes as the Jazz routed the defenseless Rockets. Williams was 13 for 17 from the field and had 13 assists and seven rebounds for Utah, which set a season high in points.

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.

Memphis 105, at Chicago 96: Zach Randolph scored 31 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, and the Grizzlies rallied from a big first-half deficit. After trailing by 17 in the second quarter, the Grizzlies tied it in the third and finally took control with an 8-0 run late in the fourth that gave them a 97-90 lead. Utah 116, at Phoenix 108: Deron Williams scores 27 points, and Jazz rallies in the fourth quarter. at Miami 114, Lakers 111 (OT) . associated press

The Toronto Raptors gave Chris Bosh an early birthday present: a rousing win over the Clippers. Bosh had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Shawn Marion had 14 points and 13 rebounds and the Raptors beat the Clippers, 100-76, Sunday. "When we come out and play the way we did it's fun," said Bosh, who turns 25 on Tuesday. "That's what I think we have to get to now. We just have to have fun playing the game of basketball and the way you have fun is play defense, lock them down and run."

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.

When: 5 PDT. Where: FedEx Forum. On the air: TV: Channel 9; Radio: 710, 1330. Records: Lakers 25-16, Grizzlies 24-16. Record vs. Grizzlies: 1-0. Update: The Grizzlies have made a solid move in the Western Conference, moving into fifth place by winning 10 of their last 12. The surprising part is they have done it without power forward Zach Randolph, who has missed all but four games because of a slightly torn ligament in his right knee.

at Memphis 99, Orlando 94: Zach Randolph had 23 points and 19 rebounds, O.J. Mayo scored 20 points and the Grizzlies won their 11th straight home game. Memphis also matched its 24-victory total from last season. Atlanta 102, at Houston 95: Josh Smith had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who won in Houston for the first since Feb. 25, 1999, breaking a string of 10 consecutive losses there. The Rockets have lost seven of their last 11 games. Chicago 98, at San Antonio 93: Derrick Rose had 27 points as the Bulls won their third straight and added another impressive victory over a Western Conference team on their seven-game swing.

at Memphis 102, Denver 96: Zach Randolph had 32 points and a career-high 24 rebounds, the highest total in the NBA this season, and the Grizzlies beat the Nuggets for the first time in nine meetings. Rudy Gay scored 19 for Memphis, Marc Gasol had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and O.J. Mayo and Mike Conley scored 11 apiece. Carmelo Anthony had 41 points for Denver. at Boston 122, Minnesota 104: Paul Pierce scored 29 points and hit all six of his three-point attempts, and the Celtics finished with a season high in points two nights after their winning streak was ended at 11 games.

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 task the Clippers face in trying to deal with a tough Memphis Grizzlies team has become even more daunting. There is Blake Griffin's sprained right ankle that limited the All-Star forward to about 20 minutes in the Clippers' Game 5 loss Tuesday in the Western Conference playoffs. His X-rays were negative and an MRI showed no structural damage Wednesday. But the Clippers, who trail the Grizzlies, 3-2, have listed Griffin as a game-time decision for their win-or-go-home Game 6 at Memphis on Friday.

After losing Game 5 of their first-round playoff series to the Grizzlies at home on Tuesday, the Clippers are forced to play at Memphis on Friday in an elimination game. When Chris Paul was asked whether he thinks the Clippers can win in hostile territory to force a Game 7 at Staples Center on Sunday, he didn't hesitate. "No question," he said. "I'm in the wrong profession if I think otherwise. We've got to go there, win there, we've shown the ability to do it before.... We knew that Game 6 was going to be a closeout game for somebody -- we were hoping it wasn't going to be an opportunity for them, but it is, so now we just got to make it work.

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.

Overall, the Clippers were just barely losing the rebounding battle to the Grizzlies before Game 5 of the Western Conference first-round playoff series at Staples Center. Memphis was averaging 37.8 rebounds per game in the first four games and the Clippers were getting 37.0. But it was in the last two games in Memphis when the Clippers fell apart. In the two games in Memphis, the Clippers were outrebounded 90-61 and outscored 44-6 in second-chance points.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The stats don't lie. And in the case of the Clippers, the statistics told so much about why they lost, 94-82, to the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3 of the Western Conference first-round playoff series on Thursday night at the FedEx Forum. The one statistic that now matters most to both teams is that the Clippers lead this best-of-seven series, 2-1. Game 4 is Saturday back here. BOX SCORE: Grizzlies 94, Clippers 82 After the game, the Clippers had written down many of the stat lines on the grease board inside their locker room.

Vinny Del Negro playfully bulled his way through a scrum of reporters Monday afternoon to reach a designated interview area, showing more toughness than any of his players had the previous six days. Were you watching, DeAndre Jordan? Did you take mental notes, Caron Butler? The only player who showed heart when the Clippers became the Memphis Belly Flops in a pair of double-digit playoff road losses to the Grizzlies was Matt Barnes, and that was only after his team had already flubbed Game 4. "We got punked," Barnes said in a refreshingly candid admission.

I so wish I could watch Chris Paul continue to play basketball and show everyone what a mighty competitor he is. But I fear the absolute worst. One more Clippers collapse, and that appears to be a certainty come Friday, and the basketball season is over. And you know what that means? We have to start paying attention to the Dodgers and Angels. Or worse. Icing. The NBA playoffs were not about winning a championship, but getting us deep into June without having to watch Joe Blanton pitch or listening to Charley Steiner describe an underachieving team's performance.