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 When Lee passed up an open 3-pointer in the first half on Wednesday
night at the FedExForum in front of the Grizzlies' bench, he heard
about it.
"We were shouting at him, 'That's what you're here for, baby,'"
Memphis coach Dave Joerger said.
Lee said, "The whole team was yelling at me, 'You gotta take that
shot. Even if I miss it, I gotta take it. But I didn't pass up
another one."
Lee and point guard Mike Conley each scored 18 points as the
Grizzlies defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 97-82 to take a 2-0
lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Lee finished 8 of 11 from the floor and 2 of 3 from long range.
Conley had six assists and also went 2 of 3 from behind the arc.
From Game 1 to Game 2, the Trail Blazers cut Marc Gasol's and Zach
Randolph's production in half. But the end result was the same.
The Trail Blazers, who lost Game 1 by 14 points, were never closer
than nine points in the fourth quarter. Memphis swept the
regular-season series 4-0.
There also has been a common thread, given that the Grizzlies hit 8
of 16 3-pointer in Game 2. So when a reporter mentioned to Blazers
coach Terry Stotts that the Grizzlies' reputation isn't as a 3-point
shooting team, he said, "Tell me about it. They shot over 50 percent
against us from 3 during the regular season. They average about five
makes a game and they made eight tonight."
Portland point guard Damian Lillard (18 points) said the Grizzlies'
made 3-pointers came in all stripes: uncontested, contested, and
contested late.
"We know they're not a high-volume 3-point shooting team," Lillard
said. "We kind of lived with that and it came back to bite us."
Besides Lee's and Conley's 3-pointers, guard Vince Carter hit 3 of 5
off the bench for nine points and forward Jeff Green (nine points)
chipped in a 3-pointer.
Meanwhile, Gasol finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, five
assists and three blocks. Randolph had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Their presence created opportunities on the perimeter.
"The big fellas draw attention, so you just gotta get to your
spots," Lee said.
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 24 points and
14 rebounds and added four blocks and two steals. Portland finished
with just 11 assists to 14 turnovers, which led to 16 Memphis
points.
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The Blazers' frustration in general, and Aldridge's in particular,
was evident late in the third quarter as he attempted to post up
Randolph, who had just scored over Aldridge at the other end of the
court. Randolph held his position and then teammates helped swarm
Aldridge, resulting in a shot clock violation.
"We had guys flying all over the place and helping each other,"
Joerger said.
The Grizzlies were up 73-60 going into the fourth quarter and the
Blazers never made a serious charge.
Memphis shot 42.7 percent from the field (38 of 89) and Portland
shot 39 percent (30 of 77). The Grizzlies outscored the Blazers
29-12 on second-chance points.
Reserve Memphis point guard Beno Udrih was in the middle of an 11-0
second-quarter run as he scored six straight points and finished
with 10 after scoring 20 in Game 1.
After going 5 of 21 from the floor in Game 1, Lillard was 5 of 16 in
Game 2 with one assist.
"They're doing a great job taking away my options," Lillard said.
Aldridge took some hope from Game 2.
"We had some positive moments," he said. "Now we are going home and
our city is next-level fans. I think everybody will play better at
the house."
NOTES: Portland coach Terry Stotts was hoping to get G Arron Afflalo
back for Game 2 on Wednesday night. Instead, Afflalo (right shoulder
strain) will not play again and reserve C Chris Kaman is out after
turning his left ankle in Tuesday's practice. Afflalo shot 40
percent from 3-point range since coming over from Denver in
February, and if the shoulder bothers his shooting motion, it
compromises Afflalo as an offensive weapon. "It's what he does, part
of what he does," Stotts said. ... The Grizzlies led by as many as
29 points in Game 1 before defeating the Blazers 100-86. Memphis had
limped to the regular-season finish line, watching its seed fall
from 2 to 5. But the Grizzlies had a 10-point lead after the first
quarter and never looked back. "They were fired up to get a reset on
the season," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "It was a fresh
start."
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