Game 1 saw a blowout turn into a too-close-for-comfort finish.

Game 2 gave fans a memorable four point play and an intense overtime.

What does game three have in store?

The second seeded Oklahoma City Thunder are tied up with the seventh seeded Memphis Grizzlies in their Western Conference Playoff series, but going into tonight's matchup, momentum is on the side of the home standing Grizzlies. After stealing home court advantage away from a team many believe will challenge for the NBA championship, Memphis is returning home to a rabid fan base with confidence to spare.

"It's going to be tough against a team that's played so well, especially on the road," Memphis guard Mike Conley said of the Thunder. "But we're happy with our position, I can tell you that much." Source: USAToday

But just why should a lower seed exude such self-assurance against a Thunder team that spent most of the season challenging for the league's best record? Easy. Memphis has won 14 straight home games dating back to February. Add to that its stellar playoff record of games played in the FedEXForum (Memphis won five straight games there in the 2013 Playoffs before losing two in a row to San Antonio during the Spurs' sweep in the Western Conference Finals), and the Grizzlies have every reason to be excited about returning to their friendly confines.

Memphis is also giddy about its Kevin Durant-stopper, the backup guard/forward Tony Allen. Despite giving up almost eight inches to the likely winner of league MVP, Allen has been able to flummox Durant into poor shooting and even mistakes during key moments. Allen checked Durant for 33 minutes during Game 2, and while KD tallied 36 points, he was harassed into 16 missed shots.

Tony Allen has made offensive life rough on NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant - Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Going into the series, Memphis knew it would not be able to shut Durant down completely. But for him to shoot only 43% (he averaged 50% shooting over the course of the regular season) is a victory in the Grizzlies' book.

Oklahoma City, on the other hand, has to be reeling after losing an emotional game where it trailed by five points with under 20 seconds left. The Thunder made two miraculous plays at the end of regulation to force overtime, only to look the mentally tough Grizzlies will themselves to victory. In the extra session the Grizzlies' defense caused two OKC turnovers including a traveling call with the Thunder attempting to tie the score.

After failing in its comeback attempt, Oklahoma City must be reliving past experiences with this Memphis team which has been its bugaboo for the better part of four years now. Tonight's game will mark the 30th time these two teams have met; Memphis owns a 15-14 advantage. Further, the Grizzlies have won five of the last six playoff games the two teams have played against one another. And they do it by playing their style, no matter what the score is.

In Game 1, Memphis found themselves down by 25 points in the first half. Instead of panicking, the guys stayed their course and fought back to within two points in the fourth quarter. Game 2 saw the exact same Memphis team, slowly plodding along with its inside attack and ferocious defense.

"We just keep slogging along and we feel always that if we get you in a possession game, we feel like that over the course of 48 minutes that we can grind you down," Memphis head coach David Joerger said. Source: ESPN

As for the Thunder, its players are saying all the right things about this rivalry.

"Everybody's going to be there. They're going to have T-shirts. They're going to be swinging towels," Durant said of their trip to Memphis "It's the playoffs. It's going to be hostile, but we've been there before." Source: ESPN

It is true that Oklahoma City has been there before. But in case Durant does not remember, the results were less than favorable for his Thunder team. A poor showing tonight could very well spell doom for a franchise assembled to win multiple titles. Even a game three victory would do little to dispel a reputation for floundering when it matters most.

No matter what happens, Game 3 between the Thunder and the Grizzlies figures to be another gripping saga in their storied tale.

VAVEL Logo
About the author