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"Marc's from Memphis man," Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph said. "Marc's tough. Marc played [high school and AAU ball] with all the guys from the ghetto, from south Memphis to north Memphis. And now he's been around me." ESPN.com

Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol 

"We crack jokes sometimes about what he used to [look like] in high school," Randolph said. "But man, he's just been growing as a person and individually. The guy's great, man. He's constantly getting better. I'm proud of him." ESPN.com

Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol 

Some NBA players genuinely dislike each other. At this point, it’s safe to put Blake Griffin and Zach Randolph at that level. The first-round playoff series between Griffin’s Los Angeles Clippers and Randolph’s Memphis Grizzlies has been defined by physical play, as have their games throughout the regular season. And Blake and Z-Bo have always been at the center of that. In Game 6 of the playoffs, the two feisty big men turned a battle for a rebound into a full-blown wrestling match. Randolph got whistled for a technical, even though it looks like most of the contact was initiated by Griffin. If this series goes to a seventh game, they might have to build the court in the shape of an octagon. For The Win

Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Blake Griffin, Zach Randolph 

With three minutes left on the clock, Memphis leading 111-99 and the outcome already decided, Clippers wing Caron Butler committed a loose ball foul that sent Grizzlies forward Tayshaun Prince to the charity stripe. After Prince made his first freebie, Paul and Billups chatted at the 3-point arc about their respective responsibilities on the live ball after the second free throw. Billups told Paul he'd go box out the shooter; Paul's task, then, was to head down the lane to help out on Grizzlies center Marc Gasol. Yahoo! Sports

Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Zach Randolph, Referees 

Asked how Griffin's high right ankle sprain injury might affect the matchup of power forwards when the two teams meet on Friday for Game 6 of their first-round series, Randolph was dismissive, reminding reporters that he was nursing his own injuries. "Banged up?" Randolph said. "I'm banged up. You forgot about my ankle? Banged up. My ankle is as big as a balloon. Talk to the trainers. I'm getting treatment every day. It's the playoffs." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Blake Griffin, Zach Randolph 

"Last year when I played in the playoffs, I wasn't 100 percent, but I was out there, so I had to be 100 percent," Randolph said. "It's the playoffs. It's a big-boy game." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Blake Griffin, Zach Randolph 

Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph expressed no sympathy on Thursday for the condition of Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin. Asked how Griffin's high right ankle sprain injury might affect the matchup of power forwards when the two teams meet on Friday for Game 6 of their first-round series, Randolph was dismissive, reminding reporters that he was nursing his own injuries. "Banged up?" Randolph said. "I'm banged up. You forgot about my ankle? Banged up. My ankle is as big as a balloon. Talk to the trainers. I'm getting treatment every day. It's the playoffs." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Blake Griffin, Zach Randolph, Injuries 

The Grizzlies, who have something not a lot of teams in the NBA have this season, two big men who can carry the team in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, got great performances ... again, from the two and beat the Clippers 104-83, and the series is now tied at 2-2. When the fell down 0-2, the "Grizzles miss Gay" excuse was rampant. Gay was their leading scorer and traded to the Toronto Raptors in a three-player deal in January. But without him, there is better ball movement and Randolph and Gasol have more opportunities to take over like they did in Game 4. USA Today Sports

Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol 

Randolph had 24 points, Gasol had 24 points. They were a combined 20-of-34 shooting. Gasol had 13 rebounds, Randolph had 9. "We've got to come in and be focused and play the same way," Randolph said of Game 5 in Los Angeles, which is coming up Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET at the Staples Center. USA Today Sports

Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph 

Dan Woike: Blake Griffin on what Clippers have to do to slow down Z-Bo Sat.: "The first two games, I thought we did a pretty good job. So, do that." Twitter @DanWoikeSports

Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Blake Griffin, Zach Randolph 

Zach Randolph’s fast start helped the Memphis Grizzlies return to their inside dominance. Randolph had 13 of his 27 points in the first quarter, and he finished with 11 rebounds and the Grizzlies beat the Los Angeles Clippers 94-82 on Thursday night to pull within 2-1 in this first-round series. “Zach was huge,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. “He got started quickly. He had 18 at halftime, and that got us going and everyone else just flowed into that. I thought our defense, for the most part, was solid.” Randolph hadn’t scored more than 13 in each of the first two games and had only 12 rebounds combined in Los Angeles. New York Daily News

Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph, Lionel Hollins 

I asked that previous question because you’re all over the blogs today thanks to an incident Monday in which it looked like Memphis’ Zach Randolph grabbed you in a sensitive area. Griffin: [Laughing] I didn’t even realize it at the time, but I was told his hand got pretty close. I don’t remember him grabbing it. I don’t think he did it on purpose. When I was watching the film last night, I saw it, but there wasn’t grab. SI.com

Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Blake Griffin, Zach Randolph 

Ronald Tillery: Z-Bo: "It's not that big of a deal right now... If we can't win the next one, then it's a big deal." Game 1 coverage: gogrizzlies.com Twitter @CAGrizBlog

Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph 

The double foul is one of the worst things about the basketball-watching experience. It's always pointless, and usually just means the referee wasn't watching the play closely enough but realizes he has to call something. But if you're going to engage in something that warrants a double foul, you might as well make it count. That's what Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph decided. He and Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin were jockeying for position on a rebound Saturday, and Randolph basically tackled Griffin. It was the basketball equivalent of a body slam in wrestling. USA Today Sports

Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Blake Griffin, Zach Randolph 

Jonathan Feigen: Zach Randolph on Greg Smith, who became a starter after previous Memphis game: "He’s got a great body. He kind of reminds me of myself." Twitter @Jonathan_Feigen

Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph, Greg Smith 

Jason Quick: Z-Bo is under contract with Memphis through 2014-2015, with his option to exercise final year. Says he will likely stay; loves city and team Twitter @jwquick

Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph 

Jason Quick: Z-Bo has two kids (ages 3 and 7) and says he plans to marry longtime girlfriend Faune Drake next year. He sold his Portland home last summer Twitter @jwquick

Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph 

Zach Randolph’s eyes grew wide with disbelief. Lionel Hollins cracked a joke. There is a growing belief that the Grizzlies’ veteran power forward and head coach aren’t on the same page as they prepare for a postseason run. However, both men dismissed that notion Thursday, saying there is no friction between them. “Our relationship is fine,” Randolph said. “I respect my coach.” Memphis Commercial Appeal

Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph, Lionel Hollins 

The Grizzlies return to FedExForum on Friday night for a meeting against the Houston Rockets after losing back-to- back games on the road. Memphis fell behind the New York Knicks by 30 points during a loss Wednesday night when the Knicks’ broadcasters suggested that there was a wedge between Hollins and Randolph. “The only beef I had with Zach is he was excessively late for a shootaround that started at 4:30 p.m. (last Saturday),” Hollins said. “I told him I can’t start you and he understood. Everybody’s got their opinion about what goes on in our locker room. But only the people in there know. I haven’t had a beef with Zach and he hasn’t had one with me.” Memphis Commercial Appeal

Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph, Lionel Hollins 

Hollins said any correlation between Randolph’s recent poor performances and their relationship is off base because there are basketball reasons why Randolph has struggled lately. “We’re getting him the ball,” Hollins said. “If you watch the games, we’re getting him the ball. It’s just now teams are taking him away. They’re running three people at him and he’s making passes. Other people are having to step up and try to do things. It’s just the way it is.” Memphis Commercial Appeal

Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph, Lionel Hollins