For the third time in four years, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies will meet in the NBA Playoffs. With each team taking a series each, call this one the rubber match.
 
In 2011, Oklahoma City knocked off Memphis in a memorable seven-game series, and the Grizzlies returned the favor last season on their way to the Western Conference Finals. Now, in 2014, the matchup promises to be as competitive as any series in recent history. Despite their respective seeds (OKC is #2 while Memphis made a late season run and earned the #7), it will not be a typical first round series with one team more dominant than the other.
 
“It’s not going to be easy,” Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said. “Two (versus) seven, that means zero. It’s us against them. They’re a very good basketball team.” Source: NewsOK.com
 
The two teams played on another four times in the regular season, with Oklahoma City winning three of the games. However, they have not squared off since late February, and Memphis is a much different team today than they were two months ago.
 
In addition to the teams' recent playoff history, this latest rendition features several intriguing subplots.
 
#1) Who will win the war of tempo? Oklahoma City loves to get up and down the floor with playmakers Kevin Durant, the NBA scoring leader and odds on favorite to win league MVP, and point guard Russell Westbrook, who missed last year's tilt with an injured knee suffered in the OKC's series against Houston. The Thunder scores an average of 106.2 points per game, good enough for fifth in the NBA. Memphis, conversely, is fourth from the bottom with an average of just 96.1.
 
So it is the run and chuck Thunder versus the ground and pound Grizzlies. Something has to give.
 
#2) Can the Grizzlies slow down Durant? It is agreeable by most everyone on the planet with a pulse that NBA teams cannot bring Durant to a complete halt. This is evidenced by his 32 points per game average, on 50% shooting no less. His offensive binge has continued for the better part of the new year, since Westbrook went down with a knee injury on Christmas Day. While Durant certainly has the ability to carry his Thunder to a series win, Brooks has to have bigger thoughts in mind.
 
The NBA Playoffs are such a grind, and for Oklahoma City to make a serious attempt at its first championship since moving from Seattle, Durant will have to be as fresh as possible. That being said, can Memphis limit Durant to mere mortal numbers and sneak away with a seven-game series victory?
 
The answer to that question lies in the nimble feet of Tony Allen, the defensive stopper who will be called upon to defend the 6'11" Durant for much of the series. When Allen is on the pine, slowing down Durant will become more of a team effort, led by veterans Mike Miller and Tayshaun Prince, neither of whom is as quick as he used to be.
 
If Durant is left unchecked, it will be a short series for the Thunder.
 
#3) Who will stop Zach Randolph in the paint? "Z-Bo" averages a double-double (17.4 points & 10.1 rebounds) for Memphis, and his contributions in the paint are invaluable to the success of the Grizzlies. If he cannot score, Memphis has no chance of advancing past Oklahoma City.
 
However, stopping Randolph in the paint is invariably as difficult as keeping wraps on Durant. The 32-year-old lefty has post moves galore, a nifty dribble drive repertoire, and a body that can fend off would be help side defenders.
 
The dubious job of putting clamps on Randolph will fall on shot-blocking expert Serge Ibaka. He has the size to keep pace with the Grizzlies most forceful inside player, but can he withstand the array of moves, dips, ducks, and drives that Randolph will throw at him?
 
If Memphis can dictate tempo (read: go at a snail's pace) and consistently send the ball inside to Randolph, Memphis will be able to frustrate the Thunder and grind out a series win.
 
#4) How will first year coach David Joerger hold up in a playoff series? Last summer, the Grizzlies decided not to continue the contract of then head coach Lionel Hollins, who had just led them to a franchise best 56 wins and the Western Conference Finals. However, getting swept by the San Antonio Spurs led the franchise to part ways with its most successful coach.
 
Enter David Joerger, the former Memphis assistant coach under Hollins, who knew the style of play and, more importantly, the team chemistry needed to return to the playoffs. However, Memphis struggled out of the gate leading many to wonder if Hollins' release was unwarranted.
 
Joerger kept the ship afloat and here they are now, with 50 wins and a #7 seed. But in his first playoff series will Joerger be able to pull the right strings against one of the best teams in the league all season?
 
#5) Can Mike Conley keep pace with Westbrook? Point guards are typically not called on to score points as much as they are commanded to dictate pace on offense and defense. Here then, is a tale of contrasting styles that well may determine the outcome of this series.
 
Westbrook is a cassette tape on FWD, a water skipper with a tailwind. Conley, by contrast, is more of a cat, stealthily creeping until just the right moment when he pounces, too late for his prey to do anything about it. The hyperactive Westbrook, who spent much of the second half of the season rehabbing his injured knee, averages almost 22 points per game while the methodical Conley puts up just over 17 a contest.
 
Whichever point guard can get the other to play his style will come out the victor of this battle, if not the war.
 
Starting on Saturday, as the Oklahoma City Thunder squares off against the Memphis Grizzlies, these five subplots will go a long way towards deciding which team advances on to the second round. Coaching jobs are at a stake, as are the reputations of players like Durant and Randolph, who need series victories to secure their places in NBA history.
 
Rest assured, this match-up will provide everything basketball fans want in a playoff series. And it is only Round 1.