Russell Westbrook rejects Mike Conley. Then JaMychal Green returns the favor to Enes Kanter.
There’s a “block party” going on in Oklahoma City.
There are always sparks flying when the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies get together. Judging from their epic regular season and playoff battles, these two teams always bring the pain wherever they meet, whether it’s in OKC or Memphis.
This game isn’t any different.
It all started in the first quarter, with the Thunder holding an early 15-12 lead. Conley, the Grizzlies’ All-Star point guard, decided to take it to the hole against a soft OKC interior defense. What he didn’t count on, however, was the freak-of-nature known as Russell Westbrook, who made a savage block on Conley from behind.
That play would be “Sportscenter Top 10” material on its on, but the Grizzlies were not about to let Westbrook and the Thunder have all of the glory.
As the Thunder were chugging down the court, Westbrook hit Enes Kanter with a sweet pass. Kanter, mind you, was ahead of the pack, racing toward a thundering dunk that would have had the crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena out of their seats and the would had given OKC a five-point lead.
But the Grizzlies’ JaMychal Green decided to repay the favor the Thunder with a savage block from behind on Kanter’s dunk attempt.
This is typical of when the Grizzlies and the Thunder get together.
Westbrook is a player that isn’t meant to be underestimated on defense, as the rest of the league has already learned and Conley painfully learned tonight. Likewise, Memphis has always been one of the NBA’s most physical teams, and they aren’t shy about chasing you down and spoiling your SportsCenter moment.
This may not be the last time that we will be writing about the OKC-Memphis get together, and that’s alright by us.