NBA postseason of hope and uncertainty

article by:stacia_doss.

Darrell Arthur(MEM) guards Russell
Westbrook(OKC) as he drives in for the
shot.

What a great winter and spring the Grizzlies had! They ended their victorious NBA postseason Sunday night, when the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated them 105-90 to close the series. But the high of how far the team came didn't end in Oklahoma City.

As the team arrived in Memphis, the players and coaches were greeted by over 1,000 fans welcoming the Grizzlies home at Wilson Air. The welcome only further stressed the echoing words that followed the team throughout the 2011 Playoffs: Believe Memphis. Fans truly showed that they still believe, and that's something the team has needed for a long time. Things should only go up from here. Congratulations, Grizz!

After the Oklahoma City Thunder's hard fought series win over the Memphis Grizzlies ended on Sunday, the team packed up to face the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas on Tuesday night. To no surprise, Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 48 points. His efforts propelled the team to a 121-112 victory over the Thunder. Kevin Durant respectively had 40 points, with eight rebounds and five assists. Thabo Sefolosha helped with two steals.

On the other side of the scoreboard's top player stats, though, were contributions mainly made by players other than Nowitski. Tyson Chandler had eight rebounds, Jason Kidd had 11 assists and three steals. JJ Barea was also a key player in Dallas' Tuesday night win. The key to an OKC win on the road will have to be somehow stopping Nowitzki's thunder, but with the help of his starters and bench, he seems unstoppable. The two teams will face off again for Game 2 Thursday May 19 at 8p.m. Check this out.

 AP Photo: Derrick Rose (CHI) guards Dwayne Wade (MIA)
challenging a tough shot.

In other NBA news, many anticipated the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls match up. Carlos Boozer and Derrick Rose met the likes of the Heat's "triple treat" which includes Chris Bosh, but more recently named "dynamic duo" of Lebron James and Dwayne Wade. The result was a Bulls 103-82 win in Chicago Sunday night.

In the regular season, Chicago won over Miami in all three games that the teams met. However, the stats overall were extremely close. None of those games were won by much more than a few points. But Sunday night told a different story. The next game will be Wednesday night at 7:30. Will Miami pull through or will Chicago ultimately win the Eastern conference finals?