Randolph lifts Grizzlies over Thunder

“He’s an animal,” Durant said. If that wasn’t complimentary enough of Randolph’s un-humanlike performance, Durant made this pitch a moment later:

“He’s the best power forward in the league.”

And what did Randolph think of Durant’s assessment?

“I got to agree with that,” Randolph said. He wasn’t smiling.

A lot fewer people would argue that opinion today than would have two weeks ago. This is Randolph’s 10th season in the NBA, the same number the Grizzlies have spent in Memphis since their relocation from Vancouver, British Columbia. Evidently, both player and franchise have decided to use these playoffs as their coming-out party.

Not many people outside of Memphis noticed the Grizzlies’ rapid improvement over the season’s second half, and there’s good reason for that: Sunday was the Grizzlies’ first national TV network game ever on ABC. The Grizzlies’ coaches like to joke that Thursday was their designated off day in the regular season because TNT also rarely broadcast their games.

“A lot of people haven’t seen the Memphis Grizzlies play,” Randolph said. “… But we’ve been for real.”

“They give him the rock. He finds his position and gets it where he wants to get it,” Durant said. “He’s unbelievable.”

“The game is fundamentals,” Randolph said. “A lot of guys don’t have a lot of fundamentals. A lot of guys have athleticism, but a lot of guys can’t dribble. A lot of guys can’t shoot. A lot of guys can’t finish around the basket.

“A lot of guys can jump high and run fast. That has something to do with it, but that ain’t the game of basketball.”

“He was never short on talent,” Cheeks said. “…But he is just going to another level right now.

“I don’t want to see it now. I’m glad he’s doing what he’s supposed to do, but I told him to slow it down.”