Roy Hibbert beats his own Gatorade challenge in 4 seconds.

I don't know if you guys are in the loop on this whole Roy Hibbert challenge thing, but in light of the Indiana Pacer's Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, a six second video of Roy Hibbert chugging an entire 20 oz. bottle of Gatorade on national television made its way on to the internet. And like all things on the internet, when given time, it naturally develops into a global 6 seconds or less Gatorade chugging challenge (duh). The results were hilarious, but in a midst of all the submissions, no official victor was ever declared, that is until Roy Hibbert came on to ESPN's Sports Nation to beat his record by a wholly 2 seconds.

While I am very impressed by Roy's new found "talent", as I nearly choked to death in my attempt, (For the record, I totally thought I could do this with ease — big mistake, I ended up having to clean up about 14 oz. of blue Gatorade off the carpet. I can still smell it right now, along with the chlorine in the cleaning agent.) it's kind of lame to win your own challenge, but also kind of smart, I guess.

Bonus clip: Roy Hibbert gets his revenge on Mike Tyson for ripping paper Hibbert's ear off in the former boxer's appearance on the show back in February.

Roy is such a giant dork. Emphasis on the giant.

Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs Game 2 Recap and Analysis.

USA Today

In spite of Memphis's valiant comeback effort in the second half to force overtime, the hole they dug themselves early into the game was just too big to overcome, as the San Antonio Spurs win 93-89 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

The Grizzlies were off to a better start in game 2, holding the Spurs to only 18 points in the first quarter, after allowing 31 in their first meeting. Their defense was without a doubt an improvement over whatever it was in game 1. On pick and roll coverage, they switched appropriately, and hedged in small doses (Memphis should never hedge hard in any scenario due to their bigs' lack of athleticism, and inability to move laterally for more than a step). They reduced over-helping on penetration, rotated well for the most part, and thankfully, the Spurs didn't hit a million threes.

Defensive adjustments aside, I am disappointed in Lionel Hollins for making absolutely zero changes to the starting line up and offense until the second half. Don't get me wrong, Tayshaun Prince and Tony Allen are great defenders, but for what they give you on that end of the floor, it is not worth keeping if it means decimating your offense. Especially, Tayshaun, who has completely disappeared in this series, making no impact on either end of the floor. Same could be said for Tony Allen, but with everything he did at the end of this game, I will give him a pass. Still, he should never do anything on offense that requires dribbling.

Playing these together, falls right into San Antonio's game plan and worse, it gives away any space for Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to work in. The Spurs are more than happy to help off, of the two most offensively plagued Memphis players to double down on the bigger threats. And it is not even just Prince and Allen, the Spurs don't care who is in at the 2 and 3 spot, they are willing to sacrifice open looks, as long as they have Zach and Marc contained in the low post. Hollins has to make San Antonio pay, by playing his more offensively equipped players (Bayless and Poindexter), which he did later, contributing to the second half comeback.

In the second quarter, the Spurs, led by Tony Parker, who finished with 15 points (6-20), 5 rebounds and a career high 18 assists, went on a tremendous run to end the first half with a 15 point lead over their opponents. The Grizzlies, without Mike Conley (18 points (6-14), and 4 assists) due to foul trouble, were out of sync. They reverted back to their old bad defensive habits, and couldn't even buy a single bucket in the quarter, shooting 24 percent from the field. They scored only 1 point (Jerry Bayless's made free throw) in the last 4:44 of the second quarter, getting outscored 31 to 18. The Spurs did most of their damage on the open floor, scoring with ease in transition to take advantage of the slow-footed Memphis team.

But things would take a quick turn in the third quarter, as both teams took turns trading blows, hitting everything in sight. Despite of this, the game still never felt close, even when the Grizzlies cut the lead to 10 to end the third. That is, until the Spurs' 4th quarter collapse.

With the success of the Conley, Bayless, Poindexter, Randolph, and Gasol line-up, the Grizzlies slowly trimmed the lead, while holding their own on defense. Bayless, who was supposedly the defensive burden of the group, stepped up big in the most critical stretch, and scored 18 points on 18 shots off the bench to give the Grizzlies a boost in the shooting department. On the other end, the Spurs went stone cold, shooting 21 percent from the field for only 9 points in all 12 minutes of the quarter. Memphis had 21 points. I don't know if San Antonio was rattled or tired, but when Boris Diaw entered the game for Tim Duncan, who left the game with 5 fouls, they just didn't look like themselves. They made defensive errors and stopped doubling down on Z-BO for short periods and he took advantage, completing a huge and-1 play to cut the lead to 4 with 52 seconds to play. Soon after that, Manu Ginobili turns the ball over, pulls Tony Allen down in mid-air for a flagrant 1 foul, costing his team total of 4 points (Allen's free throws, followed by Mike Conley's game tying floater) and the game was headed to overtime.

There wasn't much to say in overtime, both teams were gassed at this point, and the only well rested player left was Tim Duncan. He went off for 6 of the Spurs' total 8 points in OT, grabbed 2 boards and got a potential game saving block on Gasol to give his team a 2-0 series lead before heading to Memphis for game 3 on Saturday.

A Few Observations:

The Grizzlies have 2 distinct advantages: rebounding and defense. They out-rebounded the Spurs 60 to 46 in this game, the main difference was on the offensive glass, where they won 19 to 4, but Memphis only scored on 4 of those rebounds, that's 8 points on 19 offensive rebounds. They have to make the best out of these opportunities if they want to move on to the next round. On defense, as long as they can be their 'second-best in the league at defending threes in the regular season' selves, they will be okay.

It maybe too late, but Memphis should try a defensive scheme similar to Indiana, where they force every drive into their best defensive player. With the Spurs constantly exploiting Zach Randolph on the pick and roll, it might be wise to do that with Marc Gasol, since he is rarely targeted on those plays.

Kenyon Dooling should not see a minute in this series, at his age, he gives the Grizzlies nothing, and if I am Lionel Hollins, I am not sure if I would be okay with a Dooling and Bayless perimeter line of defense.

Last thing, I would love Ed Davis to play Darrell Arthur's minutes. Between the two, Ed is arguably the better offensive player (Darrell hasn't been the same since his injury), and is definitely more physically gifted to defend against the smaller Spurs line up. Ed's length and speed would be a huge improvement over Darrell in any pick and roll situations.

Memphis Grizzlies "We Don't Bluff" Anthem.

Great, as if "WHOAAAAA, I JUST WANT TO FEEL THIS MOMENT," and "Cause all we got is right now," wasn't enough. I am disappointed in you, NBA.

NBA Playoffs Day 3 Round Up - April 23rd, 2013.

Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images

Los Angeles Clippers 93 - Memphis Grizzles 91

They left 14 seconds on clock. The game was tied at 91 a piece. Memphis just executed the perfect pick and roll for the Marc Gasol bucket. One mistake. They left way too much time on the clock. As the buzzer sounds and players take the court for the final possession, there was a familiar feeling in the air. Chris Paul weaves past the defense to shed his initial defender. No use. He stuck to him like bee protecting his hive. One hesitation. Two hesitation. Nothing. Tony Allen had him where he wanted. Except he did not account for his immobilized help. Left with the smallest amount of space imaginable, Chris took the final drive. The ball hits glass and gently falls into the basket. The backboard lights up. The crowd explode in to cheers. The game was over. The point god stood on the side without a single sweat on his face. The Los Angeles Clippers have won. The heads of the Grizzlies lowers in disappointment. They will head home down 2 games, with the opportunity to return favor.

Game notes: Blake Griffin set the tone early, scoring 13 of his total 21 points (9-18) in the first quarter. Using pure athleticism to run circles around Zach Randolph. Blake also finished with 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

Even though it felt like the Clippers had control for the most part of this game, Memphis was always in winning distance. They were down 12 with 9 minutes in the 4th quarter, and still fought back to make things interesting down the stretch.

Chris Paul was the only Clipper to score in the last 7 minutes, scoring 8 of the team's final 10.

Mike Conley Jr. was absolutely brilliant in this game. He had a playoff career high 28 points on 9 of 18 shooting, and 9 assists. He's great for the Memphis team, but I can't help to imagine how much better he could be, on a team that is capable of running. He is devastating in transition.

The Memphis defense in the final play was all sorts of wrong. Tony Allen should have forced Chris to the left. And there is no reason to not help off of Matt Barnes in the case that Tony does need help. Also Lionel Hollins benched Z-Bo in the final 5 minutes after getting his fifth foul. Darell Arthur was great for those 2 minutes, but it wasn't particularly a wise move.

Chicago Bulls 90 - Brooklyn Nets 82

After an embarrassing blow out loss on Saturday night, the Chicago Bulls regrouped in typical Tom Thibodeau Chicago Bulls fashion in the second game to even up the series. The game itself wasn't pretty but the stifling Chicago defense that held the Brooklyn Nets to 35 percent shooting, was something to behold. The Brooklyn backcourt comprised of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson were completely rendered useless, combining for 25 points on 27 shots, which is kind of amazing when consider the fact that Kirk Hinrich and Nate Robinson were responsible for the two for the majority of the game. Brook Lopez did the most of the damage for the Nets, going for 21 points (7 of 14) and 5 rebounds. It should also be noted that Nazr Mohammed from Cretaceous Period, played actual minutes and was productive in all 18 with 8 points on 4 of 5 shooting, so there's that. The return of Joakim Noah was huge in this one, registering a double-double of 11 points and 10 boards. I am very aware that he was present in the first game, but the 13 minutes of limping in that loss wasn't exactly his best game. Noah's defensive presence was especially felt in the second half, including the 11 point third quarter allowed to the Nets and a number of incredible hustle plays down the stretch that sealed the win.

Nets' Third Quarter Shot Chart Via: CBS Eye On Basketball

Notes: Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs [12/01/12]

San Antonio Spurs 99 - Memphis Grizzlies 95

The Good

Spurs: Tony Parker is a genius. What he does on the basketball court defies everything the NBA once was. This is your run of a mill 6 foot 2 point guard, not particularly athletic or has outstanding play making ability, yet he still dominates this game. He is a genius because he fully understands the game of basketball, has the experience that earned him Championships and knows how to win.

Tony is well aware with his abilities, he is quick off the dribble, a proficient finisher at the rim and a consistent mid range shooter. More importantly, you will never see him go beyond his skills set. And the Spurs already have that in Manu Ginobili, another one would make Coach Pop go bald. Part of what makes him great is that his teammates also recognizes those qualities and amplify them.

San Antonio made Mike Conley Jr. and the rest of the Memphis Grizzlies chase after Tony Parker the entire game. There is nobody in the NBA better at utilizing screens like the 4 time All Star, once he rids of Conley (or other Memphis guards), the slow footed big that follows will only see back of his jersey as he gently lays the ball into the hoop.

Tim Duncan remains incredibly efficient and is posting the best numbers out of his past 3 seasons. He scored 21 of his 27 points in just the first half, cleverly taking advantage of the Spurs spacing. DeJuan Blair gets a shout out for being probably the best Zach Randolph stopper, his pure strength, weight, width and footwork are a perfect match.

Credit to Coach Pop for going to small late, Patty Mills, and Matt Bonner gave San Antonio much needed three point scoring. Everyone needs stop what they are doing right now and give Matt Bonner some love. Who would have thought the Red Rocket had the defensive ability to guard Zach Randolph down the stretch. Gary Neal was a big part of the comeback, scored 10 points in the fourth to bring this game into overtime.


Grizzlies: If you looked at the box score for this game and ignore the final score. There was no way you would have thought Memphis actually led by more than 10 points and kept it close throughout the contest. Simply put, this was an ugly game, neither team shot over 42 percent from the field (San Antonio - 42 percent, Memphis - 36 percent) and the Grizzlies made the best out of it. The only notable highlight of the offense was Mike Conley Jr. and Marc Gasol's two man game. They ran a simple pick and pop that made the paint packing Spurs pay.

On the defensive end, they played fantastic individual defense with the exception of Conley, who we all know by now, got killed by Tony Parker.  After letting Duncan get 21 in the first half, they came back to hold him to 6 points by adjusting their rotations and help defense.


The Bad

Spurs: Manu Ginobili has not been himself to start this season. Yes, he did hit the three pointer to bring the game into overtime, but he is averaging a career low in field goal percentage (40 percent) and the lowest points per game since his rookie season. He had 6 of San Antonio's 18 turnovers. Luckily, Memphis didn't take care of the ball too well either, losing it 20 times. I wasn't kidding when I said this game was ugly.

Grizzlies: The groin injury of Tony Allen. He would have been the solution to Tony Parker. According to NBA advanced stats, the point guard doesn't do too well against this Tony. To add to the personnel woes, the Memphis bench was terribly inefficient, they shot 8 for 28 from the field and did not hold up on the other end. Memphis's transition defense in the first half was a joke. It is not an understatement when I say that Tony Parker repeatedly out ran the entire team from end to end. He looked like he was LeBron James on a fast break. Speaking which, the Grizzlies allowed 22 fast break points.I am not sure how many second chance points the Spurs actually have, but I am certain they scored off every offensive rebound.

Memphis desperately needs a consistent outside threat because they can not find any space for Zach Randolph to operate. Tough night for Z-Bo, if he wasn't forced to throw up a contested shot, he was missing open layups.

Notes: Los Angeles Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies [11/23/12]

I decided to do away with the feed, and start a new series. Where I will break down the good and the bad for both teams in a specific game.

Memphis Grizzlies 106 - Los Angeles Lakers 98

The Good:

Grizzlies: Mike Conley and Marc Gasol tore the Lakers apart, the two man game they played was beautiful and executed to perfection. Marc Gasol is the ideal complimentary big man, on pick and rolls, he can pop out for an easy 15 to 18 footer or roll hard for the lay in. His passing ability benefits Conley, they ran simple give and go plays, where Marc stood at the top of the key and always found the cutting point guard. 

The defense was active in most stretches, they gambled a lot by over helping on Dwight Howard, which did make the indecisive center to rush his shots. In the fourth quarter, he finally capitalized on the help and found the open shooters (the Lakers got 3 three pointers in a row, which counted for the 3 assists he had in total).

Lakers: Not too much. The team did hit 12 three pointers to keep themselves in the game. Antawn Jamison (16 points) came back to life, giving the bench some needed scoring. Kobe Bryant did Kobe Bryant things in late game, knocked down tough jumpers, got to the free throw line and finished with 30 points.

Besides Dwight Howard's presence that made the Memphis bigs hesitate before making their move, there was absolutely nothing good about the Lakers defense.

The Bad:

Both teams gave up a lot of points on turnovers. Memphis' 17 paved way for 24 points and LA's 18 for 29.

Grizzlies: This game went away from the post too early. Obviously Dwight Howard played in to that equation, but when Zach Randolph had Antawn Jamison in position there is no reason to not get the ball to him. I thought Marc Gasol was too willing to pass early, he should have went to work more.

The gambling on defense might not have been necessary, Grizzlies are a pretty solid individual defensive team, they were fortunate that the Lakers didn't use it to their advantage until the fourth.

Lakers: The Los Angeles Lakers features one of the best front courts in the NBA, yet the team only scored 24 points in the paint, compared to the 40 by their opponents. It amazes me, how this is a problem. They have refused over and over again to go to the post, Dwight (7 points) had only 7 shot attempts in the 39 minutes he played. What is even more amazing was that in one possession, Darius Morris decided against re-posting their star center and instead take Conley on the baseline to put up a miserable attempt. Howard is at fault too, I know he may not be 100 percent recovered from the back injury, but if he settles for one more lay up or short hook, Laker fans better be ready for disappointment. He has to dunk the ball, he can't shoot free throws, so why not get the damn basket. At this point, I am starting to agree with Shaq, which either means I am spiraling towards insanity or you are not playing like you are suppose to.

About Pau Gasol, well this sums it quite nicely:

Like I said earlier, Kobe Bryant did Kobe Bryant things, and it was not exactly a good thing. He shot 7 for 23 from the field, and he basically decided to play hero ball in the fourth. I just don't think he trusts his teammates, he kept jacking the first shot available against Tony Allen's tough defense and complained for fouls on the shots he missed.

So far, the Mike D'Antoni pace offense is not there, not the speed nor the pick and roll game. I am certain I did not see a single successful pick and roll, where the screener finished with the basket, hopefully Steve Nash will fix it (His return have not even been determined, as a matter of fact, he can't even jog yet).

Their defense is incredibly terrible. I don't think the guys standing in the perimeter, in front of their assignment can actually move. It is a good thing they have Dwight Howard though.