Can Memphis comeback against the Clippers?

Rudy Gay is ready to take Memphis back to the second round.

The Memphis Grizzlies pulled off a big upset in the first round of last year's playoffs as they knocked out Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. This year, the fourth seeded Grizzlies are down in the series 3 games to 2 to the Clippers as they were able to stave off elimination in game five at home. Tonight, the Grizzlies have their toughest challenge as they have to play game six on the road in the Staples Center as the Clippers will look  to continue the great turnaround they have had with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and company. However, the Grizzlies will come back in this series and knock out the Clippers despite the long odds. So, how will they do it?

Injuries to Chris Paul and Blake Griffin
Both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are a little banged up for the Clippers and will probably not be at 100% for LA in game six which will nulify the home court advantage the Clippers have. Griffin is very athletic and the fact that he got injured when he took a tumble while being aggresive could cause him to be a little careful tonight of not reaggravating that injury. Mike Conley is a good enough point guard to contain a slightly banged up Chris Paul. Caron Butler, DeAndre Jordan, and the rest ofthe Clippers are going to have to step up if they want to end the series tonight and not take a difficult way through Memphis as they probably would lose in FedEx Forum.



Memphis's star trio is eager for a rematch with the Spurs.

Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol know how to get the job done in the paint.
Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol are true post players unlike their Clippers counterparts in Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Randolph and Gasol are both aggressive on the boards and know how to pull down tons of offensive and defensive rebounds. Gasol and Randolph have outrebounded Griffin and Jordan but Reggie Evans has picked up some of the slack coming off the bench with his rebounding prescence. Rudy Gay has also been getting rebounds and Marreese Speights has been grabing rebounds from coming off the bench. Randolph and Gasol are also more physical players than Griffin and especially Jordan. As long as Memphis wins the battle on the boards, the Grizzlies can win these next two games.

Memphis fans have plenty of reasons to believe in their team.

Memphis has shut down LA's complementary players.
Memphis has been able to slow down the players around Chris Paul and Blake Griffin as the Clippers fell apart offensively when both Paul and Griffin got injured in Game 5. Caron Butler, Nick Young, and Randy Foye have all averaged below 10 points per game as Mo Williams is the only one other than Paul and Griffin that has scored more than 10 points per game. With the lack of offense from outside the Clippers' dangerous duo of Paul and Griffin, the Clippers could be in real danger since they are both a little banged up heading into game six.

Rudy Gay is a closer.
Game three seemed like it was going to be a double digit win but Rudy Gay stepped up and brought the Griz within one with a couple of threes before he almost made a buzzer beater. Gay has been the lead scorer for Memphis in these playoffs and the go to man throughout the season and including the playoffs. Rudy Gay has done everything he has needed to lead the Grizzlies as he has hustled to getting over 6 rebounds and he is forcing some turnovers. Gay is the person that will take the big shots/free throw and more than half of the time, he will come through for your team. Rudy Gay is Memphis's star and it is because of his closing ability.

This Memphis team is in a hole but their are plenty of reasons why Memphis will come back and win this series as they will get to face the Spurs once again, this time in the Western Conference semifinals.

NBA Playoff Preview

Be Ready for a Durant-LeBron showdown in the Finals

The NBA playoffs are under and already we have a big storyline with the Bulls losing Derrick Rose in game one against the 76ers. These playoffs should be exciting so what will happen.

Round One Predictions

Iguodala is ready to knock out the top seeded Bulls

Eastern Conference
8 Philadelphia 76ers over 1 Chicago Bulls in 6
2 Miami Heat over 7 New York Knicks in 5
3 Indiana Pacers over 6 Orlando Magic in 6
4 Boston Celtics over 5 Atlanta Hawks in 6
The Bulls are taking on a deep 76er team that will be difficult now that the Bulls are without star point guard Derrick Rose. Andre Iguodala will help get the 76ers to the next round while the Heat should be able to walk by the Knicks. The Magic are a ressilliant bunch but the Pacers are built to get past the first round of the playoffs and with a healthy center in Roy Hibbert and abunch a good, young players; stamina will allow the Pacers to move on. The Celtics and Hawks have had some great playoff series and there is no reason to expect less but the Celtics are playing well and a Al Horford-less Hawks just are not good enough to get by Boston.

Jefferson will win this matchup against Duncan

Western Conference
8 Utah Jazz over 1 San Antonio Spurs in 6
2 Oklahoma City Thunder over 7 Dallas Mavericks in 5
3 Los Angeles Lakers over 6 Denver Nuggets in 7
5 Los Angeles Clippers over 4 Memphis Grizzlies in 6
How about both number one seeds going in the first round. Some would say that the Spurs won't make another early exit but the Jazz have the one thing that allowed Memphis to pull the upset last year, size and tons of it. The Jazz have tons of dominate big man with Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, and Enes Kanter. The Jazz will dominate the boards and whenever you do that, you will win games and win the series. The Mavs just are not as good as last year and the Thunder will be able to cruise to the next round. The Nuggets will be a real challenge for the Lakers due to Denver's depth and Ty Lawson but the Lakers are too experienced to not get by the first round. The Clippers are a perfect matchup for Memphis and Chris Paul will help lead the Clippers to the Western Conference semis.

Conference Semifinals

KG will help eliminate Philly

Eastern Conference
4 Boston Celtics over 8 Philadelphia 76ers in 6
2 Miami Heat over 3 Indiana Pacers in 5
The Celtics are a good team and a legitimate contender but they will be challenged by the youth and depth of the 76ers. Veterans like Paul Pierce and Ray Allen know how to make big shots and in this northeast showdown, that will be the difference as the Celtics will be headed for the Eastern Conference Final. The Pacers are a good team but the Heat are a truely elite team with of course the big three but also they have a better gropu of players surrounding James,Wade, and Bosh than last year. The Heat have the ability to get that NBA Championship and they will take another step to get closer to the NBA Finals.

Durant will get past Kobe in the semis.

Western Conference
5 Los Angeles Clippers over 8 Utah Jazz in 5
2 Oklahoma City Thunder over 3 Los Angeles Lakers in 5
The Clippers-Jazz series should be great as both these teams have tons of talent but the one difference is at point guard with the Clips having Chris Paul and the Jazz having Devin Harris. Paul is a way better player than Harris and that will make this series not as close as it seems as Chris Paul will take one LA team to the Western Conference finals. The other LA team, the Lakers, will be headed for the exit doors when they play the Thunder as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant will be a ble to dominate while Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins will be good enough to slow down Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum as OKC will head for the Western Conference final.

LeBron and Miami will defeat Pierce and Boston

Conference Finals
2 Miami Heat over 4 Boston Celtics in 6
2 Oklahoma City Thunder over 5 Los Angeles Clippers in 6
The Heat and the Celtics will provide a great matchup in the Eastern Conference finals as it will be the original big three against the South Beach big three. The Celtics have the advantage at the point but the Heat have the better players at every other position as the Heat know they are so close to the Finals. This will be the Heat's year to win the Eastern Conference and return to the NBA Finals with the goal of winning a championship. Thunder vs Clippers will be a great showdown as these two are becoming two of the Western Conference powerhouses. Both teams are loaded with stars like Durant, Russell Westbrook, CP3, and Blake Griffin. The Thunder have a great scorer off the bench in sixth man of the year award favorite James Harden. Harden will be huge in this series and help send the Thunder to a final against Miami.

NBA Finals
2 Miami Heat over 2 Oklahoma City Thunder in 7
This has been my pick for the NBA season all year and I'm not going to change it now as these two teams are definitely the best in the NBA this year. The big matchup in this year's finals will be between the two big stars, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Durant and LeBron are the two best players in basketball and this will be the ultimate matchup on the biggest stage before they pair up in London for the Olympics. Dwayne Wade will be matchuped on Russell Westbrook as the Heat ahave the one lineup that lines up well with OKC. Bosh will be able to have more success down low than anyone else as Ibaka and Perkins will be worn down froma tough playoffs. The Heat have some playmakers off the bench that can make an impact as Udonis Haslem will provide some offensive rebounds while Joel Anthony will play strong defense. James Harden will makes some shots but at the end of the day, LeBron will outplay Durant and bring a NBA Championship to Miami.

LeBron will defeat Durant and win the title for the Heat.