Total team effort from both sides was the story of Game 2 between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Clippers Monday night. It was just a little bit more from the Clippers that put them ahead at the end and ahead in the series 2-0 after their 93-91 victory at home.
Memphis was able to turn this game into a slog through the mud by the second half, playing some of the best Memphis basketball it could, but the Clippers had Chris Paul running things and finding the slightest holes in their defense.
Paul scored a team-high 24 points and dished out nine assists on a night where most all of his teammates needed help finding their way to an open shot or lane to the basket. Oh, and he was able to bank in the game-winner.
The game seemed to be completely dominated by the Clippers in the first half, although the Grizzlies continued to hang around.
Whether it was the raucous Los Angeles crowd or the fact that Los Angeles was scoring in bursts compared to Memphis' slow, steady attack, the Clippers held just a six-point lead at halftime.
They rode a 13-point first quarter from Griffin to a hot start, but the Grizzlies continually got to the free-throw line and took as many shots at the rim as possible. The game was knotted at 26 after 12 minutes.
With Griffin on the bench to start the second, Jamal Crawford stepped up to fill the scoring void for the Clippers. Once again, it seemed as if the Grizzlies were falling behind, but their balanced attack helped counter Crawford's 6-of-6 start, scoring 13 points before finally missing.
The Grizzlies finally started to force their rough and patented style in the third quarter. The game slowed down and turned into a mud pit, as both teams struggled to find open shots. Free throws reigned supreme, the game got rough and the whistles started to take over. We even saw a double foul on Zach Randolph and Blake Griffin for the second consecutive game.
Once again, Memphis was able to hang around, but the Clippers still came out just a step ahead by the end of the third.
Memphis' early fourth-quarter lapse against the Clippers bench put it in a quick 10-point hole, however, leading to a heavy climb the rest of the way.
Chipping away throughout the fourth, Memphis got within five points with four minutes to go once it started limiting Los Angeles to one shot per possession. But the Grizzlies continued to struggle at the free-throw line.
Mike Conley scored on two straight trips down the floor for Memphis, and then Darrell Arthur did the same, locking the game up at 89 apiece. Conley end up leading the way in the game with 28 points.
Paul had to match Memphis possession for possession, and he did just that, eventually forcing the game down to a final possession.
Marc Gasol scored on a pick-and-roll, but Memphis left too much time on the clock and Chris Paul banked in the game-winner with just a tenth of a second remaining.
Blake Griffin completely flipped the script from a disappointing individual showing in Game 1 from the outset, putting up 13 points on 10 shots in the first quarter.
After just three points in the first quarter, Jamal Crawford exploded for 10 in the second, making his first six shots of the game.
The Los Angeles offense finally got in sync enough to get out to a substantial lead with more than just one player running the show at a time. Everybody was getting involved.
The single most impressive feat of the first half, though? Quincy Pondexter bare stat line after over a fourth of the half on the floor.
Memphis asserted itself in the third quarter, and the game started to get even more gritty. Of course that meant the referees decided to take over the game.
Los Angeles was able to get out and run, find some backdoor cuts and eventually put together a run thanks to its bench and the guards.
Of course, Chris Paul did his Chris Paul thing and Memphis was looking at a one-possession game with just seconds left on the clock.
Los Angeles barely held onto home-court advantage after Game 2, but the Clippers were able to pull it off and have put a ton of pressure on the Grizzlies.
Memphis now has to win four of the next five games if they hope to stay alive, and all the Clippers have to do is squeeze two more wins out of the series.
Hopefully this one can go the distance, especially after the excitement in this one, but even five or six games might be too much excitement to bear.
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