Gasol, Randolph must step up to avoid unfortunate playoff collapse
The Memphis Grizzlies raced to a 3-0 lead in their first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, but then Mike Conley broke his face, Portland made some key adjustments and surprisingly took Game 4.
The pressure isn't necessarily on Memphis just yet, but in order for it to avoid a historical first-round loss, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph must step to the forefront and dominate from here on out.
Here's Bleacher Report's Alec Nathan with more:
"In Game 4, Memphis cleared out the weak side for Randolph consistently to work one-on-one, but he couldn't solve LaMarcus Aldridge's tight defense. The room was there, and countermoves, up-and-unders, pivots and step-back jumpers were all attempted with regularity. But none landed frequently enough to cut Portland's postseason stay short."
Stars need to shine in the postseason. If not, Memphis could find itself humiliated and out in the first round. Randolph and Gasol must play better.
(h/t: Bleacher Report)
Photo Credit: Nelson Chenault/USA TODAY Sports
