In case you hadn’t heard, the San Antonio Spurs are pretty good. They’ve been good for quite a while actually. This greatness was in jeopardy this past offseason, but Tim Duncan, being the demigod that he is, agreed to halve his salary in order to keep the team intact. He’s now the 4th highest Spur on the team although he has 14 All-Star appearances, four championships, 3 NBA Finals MVP’s, and an obvious place in the HOF upon retirement –but back to the Spurs. All they were told all season long was how age would catch up to them. San Antonio had the best record in the Western Conference this year. And they just went up 1-0 on the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals. The first game wasn’t close.
There’s a reason why we love the Playoffs, the stories that they provide, which are then recounted and burned into our basketball-allotted-memories for the rest of time. Pick a storyline and I guarantee you can find a version of it covered in this series. Can youth trump experience? Can a team who hasn’t been there defeat the Goliath of its conference? Can a city earn its first trip to the NBA Finals in team history? Can a coach whose legacy has been torn apart, spit on, and re-amended by the city he once played for, finally find a signature win? Where the hell did Tracy McGrady go? Everything can be found in this series.
Back to the first game. This was a dominant effort by San Antonio. Before the game I felt that the key factor in this series would be the boards, San Antonio ended up losing that battle by two, and still won by 22 (105-83). Turns out if you shoot 52.6% from the field it doesn’t matter who wins the glass. We all know the Spurs start fast, leading after the first quarter in all but two games this postseason, but Sunday felt different. The only time Memphis had a shred of hope was after they won the opening tip. The Spurs went on to take the first quarter to the tune of 31-14, dismantling the Grizzlies offensive game plan with stifling defense. Tiago Splitter gave some great defensive minutes, and some awful offensive ones, and showed Lionel Hollins that him and Duncan refused to forfeit the paint. Matt Bonner, Danny Green, and Kawhi Leonard played great supplemental offensive minutes to the big three and San Antonio never looked back. Basic pick n roll offense spread Memphis’ defense, allowing for a variety of breakdowns and missed assignments throughout the second half. San Antonio’s shooting couldn’t have been purer. And then shots like this went down.
IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING, TRACY MCGRADY IS STILL AROUND! I used to buy this guy’s shoes! A tired and out-of-shape McGrady hasn’t scored this post season but damn it if he wasn’t going to try Sunday, attempting two three-pointers in the closing minutes. Neither went in. Damnit. He did however, hilariously wave off a screen and try to score in isolation against Richard Jefferson in the Warriors season, which was hilarious.
As my fellow work-associate Davis Mattek commented, if Mike Conley can play his matchup with Tony Parker to a draw, the Grizzlies have a chance. He didn’t. Tony Parker demonstrated vintage form, with 20 points & 9 assists, commanding his team to a victory over the inexperienced Conley. It was evident early on that Popovich and Duncan want that fifth ring. Tim Duncan’s offensive game was hindered by Marc Gasol (reigning Defensive POY) but was still able to grab 10 boards and make Zach Randolph’s trip to San Antonio one to forget. Randolph, the leading scorer for the Grizzlies, ended with 2 points on 1-8 shooting, a far cry from his 28pt, 14reb performance to seal Oklahoma City’s fate.
Randolph must find his form if the Grizz want too compete.
For the first time in a series or two, Mike Conley was human. He made mistakes in the half court, missed open shots, turned the ball over, and lost command of his team. However, the Grizzlies are nothing without the 25-year-old and will look to him for guidance and to have him deliver OKC-series-numbers in the games to come. If Memphis has a chance to win this series, it’s on the glass. It’s going to come down to Randolph, Gasol, Darrell Arthur and possibly Ed Davispushing San Antonio around offensively and defensively, and Hollins most assuredly won’t allow for the defensive breakdowns in Game 1. Yes, Memphis technically won the rebounding battle and still lost the game handedly, but when you consider that neither Randolph nor Gasol made their presence known in the paint during Game 1, this can be a lopsided statistic that the Grizzlies need. Rebounding is an opportunity. Rebounding will slow down the game, allow for Gasol and Randolph to find an offensive rhythm, and supply lanes for Conley, Bayless, Prince, and Allen to run through. In total, Memphis must rise to the occasion, for although they have never been here before, to approach this series with a tourist mentality will mean imminent doom for a team that so badly wants to experience what San Antonio has relished in over the past 15 seasons. As of now, Memphis doesn’t have a jersey number retired yet (only been around since 1995), but whoever can bring them back in this series will most assuredly be on their way to those rafters.
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