May 5, 2013
The 2013 NBA playoff conference semi-finals kick off this week as the top seeded Oklahoma City Thunder take on the fifth seeded Memphis Grizzlies, and sixth seeded Golden State Warriors take on second seed the San Antonio Spurs. Sports Passion breaks down the three keys to each series.
#1 Oklahoma City Thunder v #5 Memphis Grizzlies
- KD! – With Russell Westbrook side-lined, probably for the rest of the playoffs, the load falls on Kevin Durant to lead the Thunder back to the NBA finals. Durant didn’t perform badly by any stretch against the Houston Rockets averaging 32.5 points per game to go along with 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. However, all too often Durant aimed to facilitate and support rather than take over games in the fourth quarter. KD needs to be the best player on the court if the Thunder are going to beat the Grizzlies.
- Front Court Toughness – Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins combine to form a pretty tough defensive pair near the basket, but in the series against the Grizzlies they will come up against arguably the toughest front court in the NBA. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol play physical basketball, they play great defense and put up pretty good points in Lionel Hollins’ offense.
- Kevin Martin – Oklahoma City’s offense relies heavily upon Martin for its success. They need him to step into the game and shoot well. The Grizzlies have two of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA in Tony Allen and Mike Conley, and they will aim to make life uncomfortable for the streaky scorer.
#2 San Antonio Spurs v #6 Golden State Warriors
- How healthy are the Spurs? – The broken and ragged LA Lakers were no real challenge for San Antonio in round one. However, it’s pretty clear that this young Warriors’ line-up will test the health of the Spurs veterans. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili will need to be at their best if the Spurs are going to win this series.
- Super Steph – There is little doubt as to who has been the story of this season’s playoffs so far. Steph Curry has played at a remarkable level and has the quite remarkable ability to simply take over with fantastic shooting prowess. There were times during the series against the Denver Nuggets when Curry made the position of the three-point line completely irrelevant. While Curry is in the game, the Warriors will have a chance to cause a second consecutive upset.
- Experience Against Youth – Golden State gave away its inexperience and youth in Game 6 against Denver when they very nearly blew a huge late lead. Mark Jackson’s team just about held their nerves on that occasion, but they will need a perfect killer instinct against their veteran second round opponents.
