So last night I got this wild urge to dive back into that classic 2014 playoff series – Memphis Grizzlies vs Oklahoma City Thunder. You know, the one where everything felt raw and intense. Grabbed my old notebook, fired up the laptop, and just started reliving it game by game. Here’s how it went down:
Setting the Stage
First thing I did was open my basketball stats tracker app. Needed to remember the key pieces. Thunder had Durant at his MVP peak and Westbrook looking lightning fast, but no Ibaka for the first few games – huge deal. Grizz? Classic grit-and-grind. Gasol’s passing, Z-Bo banging down low, Tony Allen hounding people. You just knew this series would be a street fight.
Game 1: Stealing Home Court
Looked up the Game 1 box score first. April 19th in OKC. Man, the Thunder came out flat without Ibaka protecting the rim. Grizzlies smelled blood. I scribbled down the highlights:
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Mike Conley sliced ’em up for 23 points and 7 dimes.
Zach Randolph went full bulldozer: 25 points and 13 boards!
Memphis just punched OKC in the mouth, 100-86. Stealing home court right away? Set the tone for the whole dang series. Thunder looked shook.
Game 2: Thunder Strikes Back (Sort Of)
Game 2, April 21st. KD obviously wasn’t having that mess. Went into my browser history – found the game logs.
Kevin Durant dropped 33, Westbrook added 29. Even with those numbers, OKC only scraped out a narrow OT win, 111-105.
Craziest thing? Massive power outage during overtime! Halftime lasted forever. Weirdest delay I’ve ever seen in a playoff game. Wonder if it messed with the Thunder’s momentum later on?
Game 3: The Grindhouse Roars
Oh, Game 3 back in Memphis. April 24th. FedEx Forum was shaking. Found my notes:
Grizz defense absolutely smothered everyone.
OKC managed ONLY 79 points. Seventy-nine!
Courtney Lee went off for 21 points, key role player stepping up.
Gasol controlled everything: 16 points, 10 boards, 7 assists. Total clinic.
Final: Grizzlies 98, Thunder 79. Pure grit. You could feel OKC wilting.
Game 4: Westbrook Goes Wild (But Not Enough)
Checked April 26th – Game 4. Russ decided to put the team on his back. Searched my old podcast recordings for clips.
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Westbrook exploded: 30 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists! Triple-double madness.
But the Grizz… just. kept. grinding. Randolph another monster night: 23 & 10.
Conley hit the dagger 3-pointer! Grizz took it 92-89 in OT. Put the Thunder on the absolute brink.
Game 5: Survival Mode Activated
April 29th back in OKC. Thunder facing elimination. Pulled up my saved highlight reel link (mental note: find it again!). Ibaka finally back? Big lift.
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Durant carried the scoring load: 19 points.
Ibaka’s presence changed everything defensively. Grizz couldn’t score easy anymore.
Thunder won ugly but won: 84-73. Not pretty, but alive. You started wondering if Memphis missed its chance.
Game 6: Memphis Slams the Door
This was the masterpiece. May 1st, back in Memphis. Needed confirmation stats – scrolled through official NBA archives.
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Randolph: 16 points and 14 boards. Warrior.
Conley: Controlled everything. 11 points, 7 assists, leadership off the charts.
Marc Gasol: Quietly dominant again. 17 and 8.
Defense. Defense. Defense. Held OKC to a lowly 83 points.
Final: Memphis 104, Oklahoma City 83. Pure demolition. Series over. The Grindhouse exploded. Watching Randolph celebrate still gives me chills. That was the grit-and-grind peak.
Reflecting on the Mess
Staring at my scattered notes now. Whole series swung on Ibaka’s injury early and the Grizzlies just brutalizing them inside without him. Once Z-Bo got rolling? Man, no stopping him. Thunder’s stars had huge numbers sometimes, but the supporting cast vanished.
Biggest thing that hit me rewatching clips? That Grizzlies defense was unbelievable. Tony Allen locking people down, Gasol reading plays, everyone buying in. Reminds you why regular season doesn’t mean squat. Playoffs are about toughness, and Memphis had it in truckloads back then.
What a freaking series. Need to hunt down those full game recordings for a proper rewatch soon.