Thunder Grizzlies Summary

BEST PLAYER IN THE SERIES: MARC GASOL. If it hadn't happened in two consecutive series, the Jerome James Award may have been re-named. Because it's hard to imagine Pau's little brother living up to the hype of these 13 games going forward (don't worry, Marc, I'm calling it the Ben Gordon award before I do that). No one player can claim to benefit more from Memphis' run than Marc. Z-Bo got the headlines, Mike Conley and OJ (I'm not calling him "Juice") got the highlights, but watching the Grizzlies games, this guy made it all happen. From keeping double teams off Randolph by quietly torching single coverage, to providing shooting touch and passing from the mid-post, to gutting out unbelievable minutes for a player his size, the 2011 playoffs should be remembered in part for Marc downgrading the Pau trade from fleecing to fairly lopsided. (What's that, Celtics fans? Don't want to chime in about how Telfair is the only Celtic left on Minnesota's team from the Garnett trade? No interest in mentioning that Minnesota traded Al Jefferson, the centerpiece of the deal, for less than what the Bobcats got for Gerald Wallace? Hmmm, the silence is making me uncomfortable...)


WORST PLAYER IN THE SERIES: KENDRICK PERKINS. Honestly, what is there to say? Only Tony Allen and Sam Young were worse from a raw plus/minus standpoint in the whole series, and they were hindered by being on the team that lost 4 games in the series. He epitomizes everything some people started to dislike about the end of the Pistons and Celtics' recent runs: way more bark than bite, way more perception than production. There's no better way to make your rep as an interior defender when you can't guard either of the starting bigs for the other team.

REVERSE JEROME JAMES AWARD: RUDY GAY. Really feel for this guy. First, he gets what any basketball player would dream of by signing a max NBA contract. Then, he gets to read about how he wasn't worth the money, because he couldn't lead his team. After stepping his game up in ways pretty much all of us couldn't imagine, and helping to lead Memphis to a potential playoff berth, his shoulder injury forces him to the sidelines for the best run his franchise has ever had. Players tried to play lip service to his absence hurting the team, but given how far above their ceiling the Grizz performed, would any of us blame them for doubting that fact? Well, I do.

There's an argument that OJ's bench scoring wouldn't be possible if he was sharing shots and minutes with Gay, Randolph, and Gasol. Here's another argument: in this series, the Grizzlies struggled to space the floor effectively for Randolph and Gasol, due to a lack of proficient outside shooters. In this series, the Grizzlies struggled to generate crunch time offense, especially when Randolph was off. Guess who solves those problems? How about a 6-8 gazelle who can get his own shot, shoot 40% from 3 (this season), play some real on-ball and help defense when called upon, and hit a shot with the clock running down (note: all highlights from this season):

Rudy Gay Game Winner Against the Heat
Rudy Gay Ties Game Against Suns
Rudy Gay Game Winner Against the Raptors