Memphis Takes Game 3 After Meltdown

Losing games like this make me furious. More furious than locking my keys in my car, driving through water immediately following a car wash, or even glancing at Jeff Foster.

I'm not saying Memphis can't win a game against the Thunder, as doing so would be idiotic. But when OKC blows a 16-point lead in their building in a crucial Game 3, I can't ignore the growing frustration building inside of me. The problems were glaring in Game 1. Then Z-Bo was contained for Game 2. The major issues appeared to have been addressed with only minor tweaks being needed from here on out. 

For the majority of Game 3, OKC played well. Good enough to win a pivotal road playoff game. Then, something happened. A switch flipped. The offense was taken for granted. Laziness reared its ugly head. Turnovers started piling up while shooting percentages went down faster than a skydiving rhinoceros. 

For 3 quarters, the Thunder were in control. They played their brand of basketball and forced the Grizzlies into submission. Then the 4th quarter began. 

Shots stopped falling, passes went to the other team or fans, and OKC began to lose energy. Combine that with Memphis creeping back into the game, and you have an entire arena of fans going absolutely berserk. 

Here's a stat for you. Memphis outscored OKC 23-10 in the 4th quarter. 10 points? But we have Kevin Durant, the back-to-back scoring champion, and Russell Westbrook, the uber-athletic All-Star point guard. Unfortunately, good players in a stagnant offense are as ineffective as bad ones. And it wasn't a few minutes that OKC's offense was downright horrible. It was an entire quarter. Where were the adjustments? Yes, I'm looking at you Scott Brooks. OKC is one of the worst teams at coming up with a high percentage shot out of a timeout. And that falls on the shoulders of Scott Brooks.  When things aren't working, change them up. What about Nate Robinson? The offense for the Thunder was so abysmal that Nate was as good an option as everyone else.

OKC played winning basketball for 3 quarters, and then fell flat on their faces. I give credit to the Memphis Grizzlies for stepping up, hitting shots, and never giving up against OKC. Memphis could have called it quits going into the 4th down by 13 but they kept fighting and salvaged their perfect home court record in the playoffs.

As for OKC, Game 4 is now Game 7. If OKC fails to steal a game on the road, they will be on the wrong side of history being made. 

Here is the box score courtesy of ESPN.

Next up: Game 4 @ Memphis Grizzlies, 8:30 pm CT on TNT.

1. Describe the importance of blogging to modern day journalism. Limit--one paragraph


With the way modern technology has progressed, the public is not looking to read thousands of words to get to the main point. They want something instant. They want the journalistic equivalent of fast food. While it hasn't ruined the traditional style of writing, blogging gives journalists an informal way to express their unbridled thoughts and opinions. It is for this reason that I am able to take joy in portraying my thoughts in a conversational style instead of coloring inside the lines of an outdated ideal.

2. If you are going to continue to blog, why? or why not?1 paragraph


If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. Amen. I will absolutely keep blogging for one all-important reason. I LIKE DOING THIS! Hopefully, I can cultivate this petty production into something people plan on reading every single day. And until then, I will keep blogging until I become important enough to listen to.
3. If you were going to keep blogging, how will you change your blog in the future? 1 paragraph


I would like to purchase a domain name and start a web site. For promotion purposes, the address for this site is hard to remember for someone that may not care in the first place. Also, having a website that you pay for shows a certain self-confidence. Running a free blog with predesigned templates could be seen as lazy or unprofessional. I want to appear as neither.




Thanks for everything, Dr. Clark. You are one of the few professors I have had that I won't completely ignore if I see you in public. Trust me, that's saying something.