Thunder at Grizzlies (-2)
The Oklahoma City/Memphis semifinal playoff series has provided fans with a little bit of everything. For starters, both team’s home crowds are arguably the best in the league. The enthusiastic, small market environment has given the series a collegiate feel.
The series has provided four overtime periods, three of which came in Game 4. The series has also been competitive as originally advertised, as both teams have held series leads.
Game 5 also yielded the first blowout of the series, as the Thunder pummeled the Grizzles by 27 points. The Grizzlies looked tired coming off the triple overtime marathon in Game 4. The team only scored 72 points on 36 percent shooting. Marc Gasol was the only Memphis player to score in double figures.
Game 6 is Friday night in Memphis, where the Grizzlies will hope to even the series and force a Game 7 in Oklahoma City on Sunday afternoon. After their lackluster performance in Game 5, I look for the Grizzlies to bounce back and win Game 6 in front of their fans. This series has had seven games written all over it from the start.
Despite having to give up two points, Take the Grizz.
Pick: Grizzlies (-2)
Joshua Sexton is a lifelong basketball fanatic, who watches as many games as possible. In addition, He has played and coached the game at the high school level. He has recently started writing about the game of basketball.
