ties with Griffin did nothing to help matters this year. "

OKLAHOMA CITY -- It took a fraction of a second for the Memphis Grizzlies to take control of their first-round series with the Oklahoma City Thunder. With 2.9 seconds remaining in overtime, Oklahoma Citys Kevin Durant missed a long 3-point attempt. Teammate Serge Ibaka tipped the ball in on the rebound, sending the crowd into a celebration. The shot was reviewed, however, and it was determined that it was released just after the buzzer, giving Memphis a 100-99 victory Tuesday night and a 3-2 lead in the series. "I had a good look at it and I thought it was good when it left my hand," Durant, the NBAs scoring champion, said. "And then Serges follow shot was just late. It was a tough finish but weve got to come back." It was a record fourth straight overtime game in the series, and Memphis has won three of them. The seventh-seeded Grizzlies can close out the second-seeded Thunder on Thursday night at home. "Nothing comes easy for us," Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph said. "We get it out of the mud, we grind and were underdogs. Its what we do." Before the final overtime sequence, Durant made the first of two free throws with 27.5 seconds left to cut Oklahoma Citys deficit to 100-99. Before his second shot, referee Joey Crawford took the ball from Durant and walked over to the scorers table. Moments later, Crawford was screaming at the scoreboard operator, asking him to make a change. After the delay, Durant, an 87 per cent free throw shooter during the regular season, missed the second attempt. "Im not sure what happened, but Ive got to focus and Ive got to make that foul shot," Durant said. The Grizzlies didnt understand what was going on, either. "We just looked at Joey and we were like, What is Joey doing?" Memphis guard Mike Conley said. Mike Miller scored 21 points, Randolph had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Conley added 17 points for the Grizzlies. Russell Westbrook had 30 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, but he made just 10 of 31 shots from the field. Durant scored 26 points on 10-for-24 shooting. He has struggled throughout the series, but Thunder coach Scott Brooks said hes not worried. "Hes going to get his shots and hes going to make his share," Brooks said. "Hell get himself ready for the next game." Overall, the Thunder shot just 39 per cent. The Thunder, one of the leagues most potent offensive teams in the regular season, have shot below 40 per cent in four of the five games in the series. "We understand this team very well," Memphis guard Tony Allen said. "Weve been playing against this team the last four years with this group. We understand their plays, we understand who theyre trying to run their offence through. We know Kevin Durant is going to take his shots and Russell Westbrook is going to take his shots. We have to contest those shots and stick to our defensive coverages for 48 minutes." Oklahoma City trailed by 20 points in the third quarter but trimmed its deficit to six by the start of the fourth quarter and finally took a 79-78 lead on a 3-pointer by Durant. Memphis maintained its composure. Consecutive baskets by Conley put the Grizzlies up 87-82 with just under 4 minutes to play. Oklahoma Citys Caron Butler was fouled by Randolph as he hit a 3-pointer with 2:40 to play. He made the free throw to cut Memphis lead to 87-86. Oklahoma City, trailing 89-88, had a chance to take the lead in the final minute of regulation, but Durant was stripped, and the ball was stolen by Conley. Allen made the first free throw with 30 seconds left. He missed the second, but Marc Gasol of the Grizzlies got the rebound with 20.3 seconds to play. Conley was stripped by Westbrook, and Westbrook dunked with 4 seconds left to tie the game at 90. Memphis didnt get a shot off in time at the end of regulation and the teams went to overtime again. Miller hit two early 3-pointers in the extra period for the Grizzlies. "Defensively, we made a few mistakes at the end of regulation," Gasol said. "But we came out in overtime, made a couple of 3s, and that gave us a big lift in confidence. We were able to manage it and control from there." NOTES: The Grizzlies wore their warmups inside out and the Thunder wore black socks and shoes in protest of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterlings incendiary racial remarks. ... The Grizzlies shot 60 per cent from the field in the first quarter to lead 30-25. ... Oklahoma City made 6 of 9 3-point attempts in the first half, but just 9 of 34 shots inside the arc. ... Tulsa Shock guard Skylar Diggins attended the game. Cesar Geronimo Jersey .com) - The Winnipeg Jets got over one hurdle by snapping their longest losing streak of the season. Joe Smith Jersey . -- Canadian mens rugby coach Kieran Crowley has made four changes to his starting roster for Saturdays Pacific Nations Cup clash against the United States. https://www.cheapastros.com/2763o-kyle-tucker-jersey-astros.html . -- The Minnesota Vikings have signed Jerome Simpson, the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver recently convicted on a felony drug charge. Billy Wagner Jersey . Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stood tall with 41 saves between the pipes, but it was defenceman Ryan McDonagh who got the first star of the game as he had a goal and an assist and now has two goals and four assists for six points in two games. Joe Pepitone Astros Jersey .ca has you covered for whos in, whos out and what to expect from all 30 teams. ASHBURN, Va. -- Mike Shanahans plan to restore order, professionalism and consistent success to the Washington Redskins disintegrated quickly in 2013, costing him his job Monday a day after the team finished a 3-13 season. Shanahan was fired after a morning meeting with owner Dan Snyder and general manager Bruce Allen at Redskins Park, a formality expected for several weeks as the losses mounted and tension rose among Shanahan, Snyder and franchise player Robert Griffin III. Shanahan went 24-40 in four seasons in Washington and had one year remaining on his five-year, $35 million contract. Snyder will now be seeking his eighth head coach for his 16th season as an NFL owner -- a span that includes just four winning seasons, two playoff victories and seven last-place finishes in the NFC East. "Redskins fans deserve a better result," Snyder said in a statement. "We thank Mike for his efforts on behalf of the Redskins. We will focus on what it takes to build a winning team, and my pledge to this organization and to this community is to continue to commit the resources and talent necessary to put this team back in the playoffs." Shortly after his meeting with Snyder, Shanahan made a five-minute statement thanking fans, players, reporters and Snyder. Shanahan did not take questions, and he defended his efforts in rebuilding the Redskins while repeating his assertion that an NFL-levied salary cap penalty hindered his ability to improve the roster even more. "Were better off today than we were four years ago," Shanahan said. Shanahans career regular-season record is 170-138 over 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Raiders, Denver Broncos and Redskins, but his two worst years have come in Washington -- 5-11 in 2011 and this years 3-13. He captured Super Bowls titles with quarterback John Elway and the Broncos after the 1997 and 1998 seasons, but he won only one playoff game over his final 10 years in Denver and was fired after the 2008 season. The selection of Heisman Trophy winner Griffin with the No. 2 overall draft pick and a season-ending seven-game winning streak propelled the Redskins to 10-6 record in 2012, their first division title in 13 years. But Griffin was injured in the playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks and required major knee surgery days later, setting the stage for a year of conflict as the quarterback vowed to return in record time and felt empowered enough to openly challenge some of his Shanahans deccisions.dddddddddddd Griffin returned for Week 1 of the regular season -- just as he said he would -- but he wasnt the same dynamic player who won the NFLs Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2012. The Redskins also struggled on defence and special teams, with Shanahan repeatedly citing the handicap of the two-year, $36 million salary cap penalty imposed by the league for the way Washington restructured contracts during the uncapped year of 2010. Shanahan eventually benched Griffin for the final three games of the season. Even though Griffin was medically cleared to play, the coach said the move was best for the organization because it was important for the quarterbacks development that he be healthy for the upcoming off-season. Griffin was clearly unhappy with the decision. Snyders search for a new coach presents plenty of intrigue. Hes tried nearly every angle: the hot college coach with no NFL experience (Steve Spurrier), the franchise icon (Joe Gibbs), the promising youngish co-ordinator (Jim Zorn) and the established demand-control-over-everything big names (Marty Schottenheimer and Shanahan). Snyders hands-on reputation and history of developing close relationships with star players have made candidates wary of the job, and his ties with Griffin did nothing to help matters this year. "We are going to take a smart, step-by-step approach to finding the right coach to return the Redskins to where we believe we should be," Allen said. "We will analyze accurately and honestly all of the decisions that were made over the past year." Shanahan demanded -- and received -- contractual control over all football matters when he joined the Redskins, and he repeatedly emphasized the need to run a disciplined organization with a sense of decorum. Snyder met Shanahans requests to upgrade the Redskins Park facility, spending millions on a new practice bubble and other amenities. Shanahan weeded out the disgruntled players -- most notably Albert Haynesworth -- but ultimately was unable to stymie what he called the "circus atmosphere" that has permeated the Redskins under Snyder. Leaks, rumours and power struggles were just as bad as before, as were the losses. The Redskins 2013 record was their worst since 1994, and the season-ending eight-game losing streak is their longest in more than 50 years. Shanahan leaves with the same regular-season winning percentage (.375) in Washington as Spurrier and Zorn. ' ' '