Zach Randolph had the ball in the low post, with Durant guarding him.
When Randolph had first prepared to check in, everyone had dismissed him, thinking the Grizzlies had only sent on a decrepit "Black Bear" because they had run out of options.
But now, no one could laugh anymore.
Randolph threw his body backward with a hard bump, forcing Durant to stumble back a full step.
Old Zach was stronger than Durant had imagined. Though he was not as massive as Gasol or Jokic, he was just as difficult to withstand.
From nearly the same spot, Randolph suddenly spun toward the basket.
Durant, with his quicker footwork, naturally gave him no opening. He held his position tightly, refusing to let Zach drive comfortably.
But while moving, Randolph used Durant as a pivot and spun again! After getting around him, he smoothly extended for a layup, giving Durant no chance to block it.
Nearly forty-year-old Randolph nimbly strung together two post spins and scored! The gap was now down to 12 points!
"Beautiful! Zach has scored 6 straight points since checking in! I'd bet Kevin never expected to get burned by Zach Randolph!"
Marc Jackson roared. This was already Randolph's third consecutive made basket!
In today's era, with its emphasis on pace and three-pointers, few teams still gave their power forwards and centers opportunities to post up one-on-one.
Yet Randolph's sudden display today had everyone utterly stunned.
His low-post skills were still so refined, still so outstanding, still capable of producing points!
Fortunately, the buzzer ending the third quarter saved the Warriors, temporarily putting an end to the Big Black Bear's rampage in their paint.
As Randolph walked off the court, he did not forget to wink at Link.
Serious, yet a little goofy—this was Zach Randolph, all right.
Still,