Project Spurs

Parker looking to avoid repeating last year's WCF exit

2013-05-22T14:30:00+00:00

This feels eerily similar. Deja vu, maybe.

At about this time last year, the San Antonio Spurs had put the finishing touches on a nine-point home victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder then quickly dispatched of the Spurs' 10-game winning streak in four consecutive games.

Oklahoma City bottled up Tony Parker in the pick-and-roll, giving him little real estate in which to operate while staying home on the bevy of Spurs shooters. Parker averaged 19.3 points while shooting 41.2 percent from the field in the four losses. The problems were residual -- with Parker limited by Thabo Sefolosha, Danny Green, Matt Bonner and Gary Neal were innocent bystanders on the perimeter. No penetration means no space, and no space means no points.

This time around, the Spurs hold a 2-0 lead over the Memphis Grizzlies. Things are different. Green hasn't disappeared. Memphis adjusted and squelched Bonner in Game 2, but his 12 points on four 3-pointers on Sunday incited a lengthy piece from Grantland's Zach Lowe. Kawhi Leonard is playing more this postseason -- it's probably premature but his efficacy on both ends of the floor is only rivaled by Tim Duncan.

These performances are key. Without them, the paint is clogged and Parker has to subsist on mid-range shots instead. That isn't a good formula. When the formula is working, Parker is manufacturing offense for his teammates like he did last night, when he dished 18 assists. He missed 14 of 20 shots but his teammates capitalized on his aggressiveness. This time around, they are not merely highly compensated spectators.

"I think we've learned a lot, especially our young guys," Parker said. "We can see the benefit this year. Guys like Danny (Green) and Kawhi (Leonard). They're playing a lot better and with a lot more confidence. I think everybody understands that we haven't done anything yet. We just protected our home court. It's still going to be a long way. We're playing a very good team. They're playing very good at home, so it's going to be tough to get one over there."

Because a team can only be as good as their weakest link. Miami has no discernible weak link. San Antonio doesn't either -- though it felt like the entire roster turned in consistently weak performances last season, especially when they needed excellence most. You can overcome one weak link, maybe a few, but when there are several players underperforming ... It's difficult, to say the least.

The younger players fell short last year. They have two games in Memphis, with a three-day layoff and a raucous crowd in their path, to alter public opinion.

Otherwise, Parker and Duncan will have to shoulder their load against an intelligent defense, the Spurs will lose games and maybe the series. Then it really will be deja vu all over again.

San Antonio Spurs 93, Memphis Grizzlies 89: Survival of the Fittest

2013-05-22T06:23:46+00:00

AT&T CENTER -- Whether looking at a series as a whole, or individual games, the objective in the playoffs remains the same. Make a run, build a lead, and then protect that lead with everything you have.

Through three quarters the San Antonio Spurs appeared to pick up where they left off in Game 1, combining a dominant defensive performance with a precision offense directed by the brilliant play of point guard Tony Parker. For a brief moment in the third quarter, Parker was at the height of his powers, getting into the middle of the Grizzlies defense and reading their schemes and rotations at an elite level.

When Parker wasn’t finding Tiago Splitter at the rim for a layup or dunk, he was kicking out passes to Danny Green or Kawhi Leonard for open three-pointers. Parker scored four points and eight of his career-high 18 assists in a third quarter that saw the Spurs build an 18-point lead.

“He was unbelievable. He started very well,” Manu Ginobili said. “It was a game where he wasn’t particularly good with his shot. He always found somebody, he was very explosive. He kind of ran out of juice a little bit at the end, but he was the Tony Parker that we need and know.”

It almost wasn’t enough.

“Sometimes your worst nightmare is a big lead, and it’s tough to keep leads often times,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We were fortunate in Game 1 to be able to do it., and tonight we weren’t. They’re a heck of a basketball team and they’re not going to give in.”

The Memphis Grizzlies had every reason to give in after the first half. Both teams came out dragging the other’s offense through the mud in a first quarter that ended in a 15-13 Spurs lead. Both teams are elite defensively, but only the Spurs have enough shooting to generate offense consistently.

Midway through the second quarter Manu Ginobili, drifting towards the baseline, dropped a pinpoint behind the back pass to Tim Duncan, who found Danny Green open in the corner for a three-pointer. After a defensive stop on the other end, Ginobili found Kawhi Leonard in the same corner for a transition three and the Spurs opened up a 41-30 lead.

The Grizzlies would be held scoreless over the next 4:44 until Jerryd Bayless connected on a single free throw with 0.5 seconds remaining in the half. The Spurs defensive intensity was punctuated by a last minute stand in which the Grizzlies missed five point-blank shots at the rim, with the Spurs blocking three of those attempts (two from Duncan, one from Leonard).

“The whole series is kind of about that, what’s going to happen in the paint,” Duncan said. “Their physicality on the boards, their ability to get to that offensive glass and score points in that situation.”

For most of his 31 minutes on the floor Duncan was able to neutralize the Grizzlies interior game. But two quick fouls in the third quarter (his third and fourth) and another one early in the fourth quarter (fifth foul) limited Duncan to just under nine minutes in the third and fourth quarters while the Grizzlies shot 10-14 from the free throw line.

Without Duncan’s defense, and with the Grizzlies scoring at the line, the Spurs transition and early offense opportunities dried up and the Grizzlies defense sunk in. An exhausted Tony Parker shot 2-8 from the field with no assists in the fourth quarter, and the Spurs compounded offensive woes with poor decisions and fouls.

Theatrical as Tony Allen was in drawing a flagrant foul on Manu Ginobili, it was a decision that Ginobili never should have put the referees in a decision to make. The Spurs made poor passes, and ill-timed fouls. It wasn’t enough for Memphis to lock in on defense, the Spurs would have to help them out, and they did.

Down four, the flagrant foul gave the Grizzlies two free throws. Then Mike Conley tied the game. As the game went into overtime it appeared the Spurs were on the brink of a collapse.

Enter Tim Duncan. Duncan was brilliant in overtime, scoring six points and coming up with a crucial block and steal. It wasn’t an ideal win, but ultimately the Spurs are sticking to the plan--make a run, build a lead, and hold onto it for dear life.

Matchup of the Game: Spurs vs. Grizzlies Game 2

2013-05-21T22:45:00+00:00

The matchup of the game for Game 2 in the Western Conference Finals will be between Tim Duncan and Zach Randolph.

Duncan had a 6 point, 10 rebound game in Game 1, which wasn't the prettiest offensive numbers for the Spurs' cornerstone. He did make up for it on the defensive end, holding Randolph to 2 points (1-8 shooting). Duncan's commitment to stopping Randolph paid off for the Spurs because of the Grizzlies couldn't get into an offensive rhythm. Memphis had to rely on different offensive pieces for the top options, something they weren't used to with Z-Bo on the floor for them. With Duncan towards the end of his career, his offensive numbers weren't that important as he's willing and able to be the fifth option if necessary without the Spurs losing any rhythm.

What Duncan must do on offense:

He has to make his jumpers to keep the Grizzlies on their unbalanced on the defensive end. Duncan shot 3-9 FG in Game 1 and would've made Memphis' job more difficult if those jumpers would have gone in. If Duncan can expand his game to mid-range, that would force a Memphis big to come out to guard him and open up pick and rolls (or pops for Matt Bonner) in the paint. It wouldn't be wise for Duncan to try to post up since Randolph is a physical player and Marc Gasol is ready to help him out. Duncan must keep active and in motion to force whoever is guarding him to be chasing him or the ball, leaving one of those two open.

What Duncan must do on defense:

He has to keep fresh feet to guard Randolph. Duncan's foot speed and wingspan gave Randolph trouble in Game 1 and that's not likely to change in Game 2 if Duncan commits to the defensive end. Marc Gasol isn't known as a post up threat, especially against Tiago Splitter. Randolph will still be depended upon to create his offense for Memphis and to set the tone for the team. If Duncan can continually shut down Randolph and frustrate him, this will put more pressure on Memphis' perimeter game and that's not something they are known for. The Spurs are unlikely to see a 1-8 FG shooting night from Randolph again, but they'll need to have him take the majority of attempts and shoot a low percentage to see a win tonight.

Talking with the enemy: Joshua Red Coleman, 3 Shades of Blue

2013-05-21T21:36:00+00:00

Between Games 1 and 2 I had a chance to catch up with Joshua Red Coleman from the fantastic Memphis Grizzlies Blog, 3 Shades of Blue for a little back and forth talk reflecting on Game 1 and expectations moving forward.

Project Spurs: So, Game 1 seemed to be full of outliers both in terms of the San Antonio Spurs accuracy from deep and the Grizzlies allowing so many open looks from the corners. Both teams seemed quick to write the blowout off as an outlier, but was there anything you saw from Game 1 that might apply for the rest of the series?

3SOB: I think the biggest thing you can take away from Game 1 as a potential foreshadowing is that, when the Spurs are allowed to run their sets, they are a dominant offensive team. Also, over helping on defense in the paint is a very bad idea against them, as they have the shooters to make an opponent pay for that.

Project Spurs: Watching the game it crossed my mind that the Grizzlies could be suffering a shock to the system of sorts. In the previous series they turned almost the entirety of their defensive focus on one player (Durant); and to go from that to the Spurs, a team that wants you to do that, might take a bit to adjust defensive principles set over the previous six games. My thought was that this wasn't dissimilar to the struggles the Spurs had going from the Lakers to the Warriors in Games 1 and 2. Might this explain some of the hyperactivity and over-helping from Memphis in Game 1?

3SOB: I definitely think that was part of it. In reality, it was two straight series of that type of attention being paid to a singular player since they had the same approach to CP3 in Round 1. One of the better comments I saw about Game Ones in general is that it is a great barometer for advance scouting -- to see which team is able to apply their game plan first. Memphis has a reputation for being a counter-puncher so far in the postseason. They play a game (or two), make adjustments, and then wait for the opponent to adjust to that before changing again. It has been rare for Lionel Hollins and his staff to be proactive in that regard, although he has shown the ability to make solid halftime adjustments as well.

The Spurs have also had a reputation for being somewhat reactionary in their changes. They appeared to stick to their game plan -- and with great results. Obviously, things went almost perfectly for them in Game One, so should there be any changes expected in Game Two?

Project Spurs: The Spurs perfectly executed their game plan on both sides of the floor. I'm sure they will adjust their expectations to account for better games from Randolph and Gasol and worse shooting percentages from their end, but unless Memphis makes a particularly devastating adjustment, I think this is what they want to do (obviously) throughout.

Part of their game plan was fronting Randolph on entry passes from the wings while preventing Gasol from making simple high-low passes. Neither Ginobili nor Leonard respected the weak side corner shooter, ignoring that spot to pounce on any lobs thrown over the top of their front. Is the adjustment simply stationing Pondexter in that corner, or is there something else they employ against this strategy?

3SOB: As you and I have discussed on Twitter in previous games, the Spurs are better at denying entry passes than any other team in the league. The adjustment should be to have Pondexter -- or Bayless or even Daye, if he's in the game again for some unforeseen reason -- in the corner waiting for a spot-up three. However, an alternative is to have Conley employ more drive-and-kick plays to find those same players in the corner or back out to Gasol at the elbow, where his set shot has been particularly effective. Either of those options should provide for some shots to go in, which will force the defense to make adjustments that could open things up for Randolph in the post. Earlier in the season, the Grizzlies used a three-man game with Conley, Gasol, and Randolph that saw all three get open shots, as well as allowing each of them to hit cutters for easy baskets. It would not surprise me to see a return of that.

Kawhi Leonard did not have to play a ton of minutes yesterday, but what were your thoughts on how he looked while on the floor, given the concerns about his knee?

Project Spurs: The knee has been a year long thing, so I'm not sure it's a concern. It's managed. He looked like himself other than a lack of rebounds. One thing I continue to wonder is why teams every try to throw entry passes with the man Leonard is guarding. He's great at using his length to pressure the pass, and digging into the post and recovering to the shooter from that point is mere child's play for him. Really, any action that brings the ball in his vicinity when he's not occupied by a dangerous threat is asking for a deflection at any moment. He's good as a stopper, but dangerous when allowed to roam.

Which brings me to another thought--why is Tony Allen on the floor if not to guard Tony Parker? His on-ball excellence seems wasted on Danny Green.

3SOB: Hollins' use of Tony Allen has annoyed and befuddled Grizzlies' fans for the last two years. However, one thing I have learned is that Hollins makes the right call and adjustment more often than not, so questioning him is usually an exercise in futility. My thinking is that he was going to allow Conley and Bayless to cover Parker for the bulk of the game, and then let TA loose on him in the same manner that he approached defending Durant in the last round. Allen's suffocating defense is very effective, but also lends itself to him getting into foul trouble. The game was too out of hand early on for it to really matter though. One of the bigger issues is that TA's off the ball defense can be suspect, as he tries to help too much or gets caught ball-watching. He needs to be engaged on a high-level scorer to get the full effect of his abilities. That is one of the reasons that I would like to see him come off of the bench in this series to match up with Manu Ginobili, allowing Quincy Pondexter's offense to join the starting lineup and likely provide better spacing.

Project Spurs: That might be beneficial for two reasons: 1.) Tony Parker is perhaps the best off the ball cutting point guard in the NBA, and 2.) the Spurs bench scoring relies heavily on Manu Ginobili's abilities to create plays and distort defenses.

While I do think the Grizzlies Game 1 defense was somewhat of a fluke, I did see an exploitable weakness in Zach Randolph. The Spurs kind of picked on Randolph, running Parker through screens set by Randolph's assignments while positioning Gasol's assignment in a place the Spurs could immediately exploit (Duncan on the elbows, Splitter lurking/diving near the rim, and Bonner at the three-point line) if the DPOY tried to bring too much help. Given the versatility of skill sets available to the Spurs front court, how does Memphis adjust?

3SOB: It is interesting that Randolph was the focus of so much attention on both sides of the court. However, other than Bonner's unexpected scoring output, none of the Spurs' big men really did anything of note -- including Tim Duncan, surprisingly. While there was a lot of talk about ZBo's scoring issues, not much was said about Duncan's relatively poor offensive game -- partially because he contributed in other areas, but mostly because when a team is up by 20 points, few are willing to quibble about such minor things.

The adjustment that could be made would be to hedge harder and/or go over the screens when Bonner is on the court, providing the screen, since he only does one thing on offense for the most part. With the other big men, I think you have to allow Splitter and Duncan to take that elbow jumper with a defender closing out on them, and hope that they don't hit enough of them to make a difference. It's not ideal, but is still better than giving up layups.

Project Spurs: I think the focus wasn't so much with what the Spurs big men did offensively (other than Bonner), and I do think Randolph is fine in individual matchups. But putting him on space with Parker is kind of what people were singling out.

Anyhow, key matchups/predictions for Game 2?

3SOB: Agreed. That's why I said that he should hedge harder on those screens -- force Parker out wider, away from his preferred path.

One of the key adjustments to be made is making those entry passes. Use Conley on the wing, since he is a good enough shooter to make his defender pay for sagging off of him. If the Spurs continuing fronting Gasol and Randolph, then the Grizzlies should respond with some off-the-ball screens to free up Allen, Prince, Pondexter, and Bayless for layups and dunks, since the bigs can seal off the rim from that position.

The biggest problem the Grizzlies had (other than over helping on defense) was allowing Parker to do whatever he wanted to, despite the refs obvious willingness to let contact go. The Grizzlies have to make a more concerted effort to force the Spurs players into deviating from their preferred path on their cuts and curls. They made that adjustment temporarily in trimming the lead down to 6 points, but then promptly allowed two open threes, which ended any chance they had in winning Game One. They will have to remain committed to providing obstacles off the ball, while staying close to their man on the ball.

Outside of making a franchise record number of threes, is there anything else from Game One that the Spurs did which you see as being unsustainable?

Project Spurs: It's not just the accuracy I find unsustainable, but the volume of three-point looks. In 2011 the Grizzlies took away the corner three-pointer, and while the Spurs have found ways to adjust around that, those shouldn't be anywhere nearly as effective against the Grizzlies as they were in Game 1.

I think the Grizzlies will try to hedge Parker, but I'm not sure Randolph is up to that task. At the very least Memphis will turn some of those layups and three-pointers into midrange jumpers.

Zach Randolph won't be as bad, which should bring some order to the Grizzlies offense. Accounting for those two things, this series should come back down to what we all expected, a slugfest between two elite defenses.

Video: Spurs preparing for 'war' vs. Grizzlies in Game 2

2013-05-21T20:30:00+00:00

The San Antonio Spurs landed the first punch in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals versus the Memphis Grizzlies winning 105-83 in San Antonio. They way the Spurs won was a bit of a surprised considering Memphis s one of the better defensive teams and looked very formidable heading into Game 1 versus the Spurs. Also, no one expected Zach Randolph to have a dismal performance in Game 1.

The Spurs and Grizzlies tipoff later today and the Spurs are expecting a different Memphis team than the one they played Sunday afternoon.

Check out what Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, coach Gregg Popovich and Danny Green had to say about Game 1 including their thoughts on Game 2 and how Parker is expecting a "war" tonight.

Parker on the Spurs' offense and is ready for "war" tonight against the Grizzlies:

Duncan expects a more aggressive Randolph:

Ginobili on motivation after a huge Game 1 win:

Pop being Pop on why the Spurs won easily in Game 1:

Green says Memphis will come out agrressive and more:

In the era of super teams, Spurs still winning using old methods

2013-05-21T19:00:00+00:00

Being an NBA player in the era of super teams has to be tough. From player movement through draft day trades, offseason free agency and the midseason trade deadline, it would not be to my surprise if most players rented homes until they complete a full year with a new team.

One minute you are an exciting new player sure to dazzle crowds and the next you can be shipped off to the next NBA city as an underperforming throw-in as part of a trade or salary dump. While player movement has long been part of the NBA, I can’t remember so many key players moving from team-to-team in their careers and collecting a new jersey as their “thanks for playing” prize.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the San Antonio Spurs. While they have a few moves from one year to the next, the core often seems to be mostly the same. Ask any Spurs fan and they can recount Tim, Tony and Manu stories going back to 2003, and Tim and Dave stories before that.

Sound familiar?

Lakers, Celtics, Bulls and Pistons fans can remember cheering on what mostly seemed like the same team for several years. Nowadays however, when you look at some of the bigger contenders, their rosters don’t even run past a few years and several of the key players have spent the majority of their careers elsewhere.

One NBA player, who has collected his fair share of team jerseys, says the old way -- the Spurs way -- is the right way.

“Where there is so much change in the nba, the Spurs did it right. Kept their core guys 2gether for years. That's how the 80's nba use to be,” Clippers guard Jamal Crawford tweeted from his @JCrossover account on Sunday afternoon.

While the Spurs haven’t always been able to attract the biggest free agent names, likely due to smaller market size, and possibly because of the allure to play in a bigger NBA city for some can outweigh playing for a better NBA team, the Spurs have kept their core together and add just the right complimentary pieces through free agent signings, smaller trades and the NBA Draft.

Take for example Gary Neal, who went undrafted several years prior to being signed by the Spurs out of summer league. Danny Green went back and forth between the NBA and the D-League before he found a home, and a starting role, in San Antonio. Kawhi Leonard came through the draft as did Tiago Splitter, Cory Joseph, Nando De Colo and DaJuan Blair.

Surrounding key role players around the main core of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili may not bring the same glitz and storylines as a blockbuster trade or big free agent score, but the Spurs have been doing this since the Robinson era, and it’s been good enough for four titles...and counting.

Q&A: Grizzlies' Austin Daye on Game 1 loss, Tony Parker & more

2013-05-21T17:30:00+00:00

AT&T Center - The San Antonio Spurs throttled the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, 105-83. From precise offensive execution, a franchise playoff record 14 threes made to holding Zach Randolph nearly scoreless for the game, the Spurs put on a clinic to go up 1-0 in the series.

However, Memphis has been in this spot before in the postseason. They were down 0-1 against the Clippers and Thunder only to rally and win both series.

After the game, I caught up with Memphis' Austin Daye, who finished Game 1 with 4 points, and 1 rebound, spoke about the loss to the Spurs, adjustments heading into Game 2 tonight, confidence, and more including his thought's on Tony Parker's MVP-caliber regular season.

Jeff: What are your thoughts on Game 1?

Austin: They (Spurs) came out very aggressive. They hit a lot of big shots. We really couldn't contain the fire. They knocked down shots throughout the whole game. They really did a good job at executing their offense. We got to do a better job in Game 2.

What can you take from Game 1 going into Game 2?

We can do a lot better job at the pick-and-roll.

This is a Memphis team that has been in this situation before in the postseason (being down 0-1). I take it that just give this team confidence?

Of course. We lost to the Clippers in the same fashion. San Antonio just hit a couple of more threes. Our pick-and-roll defense wasn't up to par in Game 1 against the Clippers and we went out to make a change in Game 2 and we contained them a lot better and almost won the game. Then we went home and did our business. But you have to come out aggressive and execute early and execute the whole game.

Talk about the play of Tony Parker (20 points, 9 assists) in Game 1.

Tony is an All-Star point guard. I feel he is in the MVP race all the time and this year was one of his best years just like that guy LeBron James is. But I think Tony is probably one of the best point guards in the league. I feel Mike (Conley) will do a better job in Game 2 and try to be very aggressive.

The Spurs and Grizzlies will tipoff for Game 2 tonight at the AT&T Center.

How Duncan would look like in a Celtics uniform

2013-05-21T16:00:00+00:00

Hard to imagine it has been 16 years since the San Antonio Spurs won the 1997 NBA Draft Lottery and drafted Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest. Duncan not only changed the future of the Spurs, it also changed the path for the Boston Celtics who had the best odds to get the No. 1 pick in 1997. The Spurs drafted Duncan and the Celtics drafted Chancey Billups and Ron Mercer.

For the Spurs, Duncan has led the franchise to four NBA titles while Boston went on to win one in this decade of the NBA with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

But what if fortunes were flipped? What if Boston won the 1997 NBA Draft and selected Duncan? OrlandoMagic.com showed exactly how TD would look in a Boston uniform had he signed with the guys in green. Needless to say, Duncan in a Boston uniform doesn't look that bad but a black and silver jersey is more his speed.

Check out Celtic Duncan and my advanced apologies to Celtics fans who might still be smarting over not winning the 1997 Draft.

5 things to watch: Spurs vs. Grizzlies Game 2

2013-05-21T14:30:00+00:00

The San Antonio Spurs (9-2) will look to go up 2-0 on the Memphis Grizzlies (8-4) tonight in San Antonio as the Western Conference Finals continues.

The Spurs are coming off a convincing win in Game 1 over the Grizzlies 105-83. The Spurs connected on a franchise playoff-high 14 three pointers while Tony Parker led the San Antonio with 20 points, 9 assists and 2 steals. Kawhi Leonard poured in 18 points, and Danny Green added 16 points. Quincy Pondexter paced Memphis with 17 points off the bench. Zach Randolph was held to just two points on 1‐of‐8 shooting in 28 minutes.

Despite losing Game 1 versus the Spurs, San Antonio should not take their early series-lead. Against the Clippers and Thunder, Memphis fell 0-1 to start both series yet rallied to win both series.

And as the Spurs look to win Game 2, here are five things to watch for during tonight's game:

• The Spurs are 5-1 against the Grizzlies in postseason games played in San Antonio.

• Memphis is the only NBA team with three players ranked in the top 20 in scoring during the playoffs (Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley).

• Memphis is only allowing 93.4 points during the postseason.

• The Spurs are 4-0 in the postseason at home when leading after the first quarter.

• The Spurs are 4-0 in the postseason at home when scoring 100 points or more.

Report: Tony Parker receives death threats during Game 1

2013-05-21T00:49:18+00:00

According to KSAT.com, San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker received death threats during Game 1 against the Mempis Grizzlies. Reportedly, the death threats came in with five minutes left in the game an security was ramped up during the game.

The Bexar County Sheriff's office is investigating death threats made against Tony Parker.

Sunday night, someone called 911 with about five minutes left in the game and made a threat against Tony Parker.

The information was passed on to the sheriff's office, who handles security at the AT&T Center.

Security was increased immediately, but it was determined there was no immediate danger.

Parker was escorted to his home by deputies, just to be safe.

According to the report, the threats are still under investigation. If you have any information that can help, please contact the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.

Video: The Spurs, Grizzlies' road to the West Finals

2013-05-20T22:00:00+00:00

The stage is set and the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies meet once again in the postseason but this time for a shot at playing in the NBA Finals.

Each team fought two tough teams but emerged from the pack, ready to bring home an NBA title. For the Spurs, it is a chance to bring a fifth title to the Alamo City and for the Grizzlies, a chance to capture their first title in franchise history.

Check out the road to the West Finals for San Antonio and Memphis. For Spurs fans, it'll be a nice way to get pumped up for Game 2 after San Antonio easily dispatched Memphis in Game 1.

Tony Allen 'surprised' by the play of Spurs' Green in Game 1

2013-05-20T20:30:00+00:00

AT&T Center -- Heading into Game 1 of the 2013 Western Conference Finals, the San Antonio Spurs knew Memphis Grizzlies' Tony Allen was going to be a problem defensively. He came into the series ranked second in the league during the playoffs in steals (2.27) and is the player on the Memphis roster who will routinely defend the opposing team's best player and does a good job of it too.

But unlike playing against an injury-depleted Clippers and Thunder team in the first two rounds, heading into the series against San Antonio, Allen hadn't faced a team with multiple players who can score from the perimeter and get to the rim. In other words, he hadn't faced a team with many offensive options.

Outside of the Spurs' "Big 3," the Spurs can get production from players such as Matt Bonner, Kawhi Leonard, Cory Joseph, Boris Diaw, and Gary Neal to name a few.

In Game 1, Danny Green was the role player to step up big in the Spurs' win. Green finished with 16 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, and went 3-6 from the three-point line in 25 minutes.

Green's performance in Game 1 certainly caught the attention of Allen who admitted after the game he was surprised by the play of Green considering he was used to guarding the top-player on the court in Memphis' previous two playoff series.

"I think last series kind of put me in discombobulation because I am normally guarding the guy that is 'the guy' and I didn't key in on him (Green) as much as I should have because I was too much worried about Tim Duncan and Tony Parker," said Allen. "It was a situation that I didn't even need to help. My teammates were letting me know that I'm over-helping. I am well aware on why he got going."

Allen should be well aware Green had a strong performnce. Tony's defense was dubious throughout the game as he lost the Spurs' shooters while on the court. His defensive play (or lack there of) was unbecoming of one of the better defensive players this season.

However, it goes beyond Green's play in Game 1 that Memphis should be worried about as this series goes on. The Spurs displayed great execution on both ends of the court, moved the ball well, scored in the paint, knocked down their open shots (including 14 three point shots) and made plays -- from all who got time on the court.

As Allen said, he was over-helping on other players, keying on Duncan and Parker and wasn't ready for a team that can trust players to produce beyond their main players. Green made Allen and the Grizzlies play for it in Game 1 and now they realize they have to contend with a loaded Spurs team.

Danny may have thrown off Allen defensively but the Spurs put Memphis in full discombobulation in Game 1. They are playing a battle-tested team, a healthy squad (unlike the Clippers and Thunder) and a team that won't fold under pressure. Not only that, San Antonio kept Zach Randolph contained, and shredded the vaunted Memphis defense (scoring 105 points) which was holding teams to 92.4 points per game in the postseason prior to Game 1.

It may have been just one game but Memphis has been in this position before in the postseason. San Antonio should not take this early 1-0 lead for granted but simply build on what it took to get the win. Memphis will come out swinging in Game 2, and Allen and the Memphis defense will be keeping a closer eye defensively on Green.

Allen is aware he lent to Green's success in Game 1 but even that nor the way Memphis lost didn't stop him from exuding confidence heading into Tuesday's game.

"Our confidence is still sky high. We still believe we can still come here and get a win. We're going to have to grind this next one out," Allen said. "We never thought it was going to be easy coming up into this Game 1 but now we are aware of what they're trying to do and we can make the adjustments."

After scoring 16 points, keying on Green might be an adjustment the Grizzlies and Allen will make in Game 2. However, if Allen doesn't, then Green might once again give Allen a bigger reason to feel discombobulated -- his team down 0-2 in the series.

Spurs take out Randolph, Grizzlies offense sputters

2013-05-20T19:00:00+00:00

Over the last three seasons, the Memphis Grizzlies offense has never really hummed, but it doesn't sputter much either because of the work Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph do inside. This was never more evident than in the 2011 playoffs, when Randolph shredded the San Antonio Spurs as Memphis eliminated the silver and black in six games.

The 2013 Western Conference Finals is already off to a better start than the 2011 first round series, thanks in part to the work the Spurs' defense did on Randolph.

Z-Bo scored just two points Sunday and didn't go to the free throw line once as the Spurs played masterful defense on him. Whether it was Tim Duncan, Tiago Splitter, Boris Diaw and yes, even Matt Bonner, San Antonio seldom let Randolph get the positioning he likes and there was always help the few times he did get the ball in his sweet spots.

After the game, Randolph said he just didn't get the shots he wanted.

"They were disrupting my rhythm. It was just one of those nights," Randolph said. "I played like I did against the Clippers in L.A. We still have one more game to try and win here."

So now the adjustments come.

No doubt the Grizzlies will try to get the high-low game between Gasol and Randolph going. That could prove folly as long as the Spurs don't have a reason to respect the Grizzlies shooters. Memphis made a respectable 5-12 three-point attempts, but all five of those makes came from Quincy Pondexter, who led the Grizzlies with 17 points off the bench.

In fact, no Memphis starter even attempted a three. The Spurs also seemed fine with Gasol taking jump shots, as just two of his field goals came closer than 10 feet from the rim.

It's possible that Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins could shake up his roster by inserting Pondexter, but that seems unlikely as Tony Allen started all 79 of the games he played in this season and Tayshaun started all but one of his games after being traded to Memphis. What's more likely is we see Mike Conley, Jr. and Tayshaun Prince attempt more three-pointers. If one of them gets hot that means Tony Parker or Kawhi Leonard can't just pack the paint. Maybe we'll see more Jerryd Bayless with Conley, but that would mean sacrificing some defense, which also feels likely after a 22 point loss.

The fixes to get Randolph going aren't easy, but we can expect that Spurs to play a little worse Tuesday night and the Grizzlies to play a little better. That's my bet anyway.

Until then let's just all enjoy the fact that Matt Bonner outscored Randolph by 10 points in Game 1.

Grizzlies' Conley: Spurs have many weapons

2013-05-20T17:30:00+00:00

Defending the Los Angeles Clippers and the Russell Westbrook-less Oklahoma City Thunder required strong defensive execution, to be sure, but Memphis only needed to prod and neutralize a few potent threats rather than many. They did so effectively, limiting both top shelf offenses to 99.9 points per 100 possessions.

But they weren't quite ready for their next test. San Antonio whipped the ball around the perimeter in Game 1, tallying 28 assists, a playoff-high 14 3-pointers and 105 points. Five Spurs finished in double-figures. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili only combined for 14 points and San Antonio still won by 22.

Neutralizing the San Antonio Spurs' offense will require a concerted defensive effort from every person on the floor. Each Spur is a weapon and each weapon cannot be left alone, even for a second. That differs vastly from their previous opponents, who relied extensively on the gifts of their best players. Memphis, as point guard Mike Conley noted postgame, simply needs to adjust.

"It is a huge adjustment," Conley said. "We are not going to play too many teams like the Spurs who don't just have one guy but more like 12 guys that can hurt you.They all make plays. They all can dribble-drive and make the three."

The Grizzlies were burned in the pick-and-roll. They were burned by misdirection. They were burned by Tony Parker (20 points and nine assists), Matt Bonner (12 points, four 3-pointers) and everyone in between. They didn't communicate, even Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol made several fatal defensive mistakes.

The adjustments don't stop on the defensive end. Zach Randolph finished with two points on 1-of-8 shooting. A lot of his struggles were his fault, but blame also has to be placed on his teammates for not moving the ball into advantageous parts of the floor to take advantage of San Antonio's aggressive defense. Quincy Pondexter (15 points, five 3-pointers) represented the only perimeter shooting threat. Tony Allen gambled often and unsuccessfully. Jerryd Bayless provided an uninspired offensive spark. If you look further down the line, there isn't any positives to show for their effort.

It all boils down to this: San Antonio is precise and creative while Oklahoma City and Los Angeles were aimless and unimaginative. The Grizzlies can't approach this series the same way and expect to win. It's a matter of apples and oranges.

X-Factor: Spurs bigs key to Memphis redemption

2013-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

Ask any San Antonio Spurs fan and they’ll tell you that the bad taste is still firmly planted in their mouths. It’s the recurring nightmare that simply won’t go away.

After the Spurs finished the season with the #1 seed in the Western Conference and went 61-21 on the season, they faced an underrated Grizzlies team that immediately stole home court in Game 1 with Manu Ginobili still out and finished off the Spurs in six games.

When previewing this series, many writers and broadcasters are making the mistake of using the 2011 series as a gauge of what to expect this time around, but both teams are very different, and this Spurs squad is undeniably better than the team the Spurs trotted out in 2011. The Spurs were set at point guard with George Hill, but had an injured Ginobili backed up by Neal at shooting guard, an underperforming Richard Jefferson and Steve Novak at the three. Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess, DeJuan Blair and Matt Bonner were left to contend with the likes of Marc Gasol, Zack Randolph and Darrel Arthur.

Back then, Danny Green was on and off the injured list and Tiago Splitter was counted on mostly to be a third string big. This team by comparison has a solid starting group and a better backup corps supporting them.

Since his 2010-11 season, Splitter has doubled almost every one of his stats. During the regular season, Splitter averaged 10.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and just under one block and steal per game.

While no one expects Splitter to be a Randolph or Gasol stopper, Splitter has enough height to try and bother Randolph’s high-arching shots as long as he doesn’t let Randolph have his way and get stuck on one side of the basket. He’ll likely be asked to switch off on Gasol as well when Tim Duncan heads to the bench and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich rolls the dice on Boris Diaw, Blair and possibly Bonner on Randolph.

While Duncan had some help from Antonio McDyess in 2011, he has a lot more help now. Having Splitter there, and with Diaw able to pull one of the bigs outside of the paint, Duncan will have a fair shot at rebounds, and trust me, against Memphis, there will be an opportunity for rebounds.

Blair should definitely also get more minutes this series as Pop throws different players at Randolph. Blair’s ability to fight for rebounds could also earn him the added time.

But aside from Duncan having Splitter, Diaw, Blair and Bonner, the Spurs can also rely on a swarming Kawhi Leonard to try to pick away steals, double quickly and even make a few block attempts while leaving a player that isn’t even in the same league as the shooters he defended last round.

The biggest key of all though, isn’t the players Pop can put next to Duncan. It’s Duncan himself. While several Spurs players have made huge strides. The 2011 NBA Playoffs version of Duncan is a far cry from the 2013 version.

Duncan has had an impressive year and back in 2011 against the Grizzlies, he just broke double digit scoring averages by a few points, racking up 12.7 points per game. By comparison, Duncan is now averaging 18.7 points per game through his first two series.

If Duncan is rested enough and gets back to trusting his midrange game, he can be the difference maker in this series, and that could be exactly what it takes to give him a chance to fight for his fifth ring.

Not the same, but Spurs see Lakers similarities in Grizzlies

2013-05-20T14:30:00+00:00

AT&T Center – Coming into Game 1 of the San Antonio Spurs’ Western Conference playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis big men Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol were averaging a combined 38 points, 17.2 rebounds, 13 Free throw attempts, shooting 49% from the field, and drawing 12.8 fouls per game.

After 48 minutes of Game 1 and the Grizzlies falling by 22 points, Gasol and Randolph finished with a combined 17 points, 14 rebounds, 2 free throw attempts, and shot 29% from the field.

“We tried to play aggressive especially on Marc and Zach,” said Spurs forward Tiago Splitter after the game. “Just try to deny them. Whenever they got the ball, everybody was closing a little bit too. The smalls help us a lot too.”

“I thought we worked hard. Zach and Marc are a heck of a combination,” said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich after the game, “probably the best high-low combination in the league, and guarding them on the block without the high-low is tough enough, but everything they do is really difficult to stick with, and you’ve got to have a mindset to do it on every down.

“Well, first of all, they played better than us in every area,” said Grizzlies head coach Lionell Hollins after the game, “and that included fronting the post and keeping us from going inside as much as we wanted to.”

Fronting the post is something this Spurs teams has had experience with dating back to the first round, when they played the post-oriented injury-riddled Los Angeles Lakers whose only two stars were big men Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol.

“Of course, it’s a little bit different than the Warriors,” said Splitter of playing the Grizzlies. “Of course playing against those bigs help us enough,” finished Splitter on playing the Lakers.

“They’re different bigs but they’re both post teams with great bigs,” continued Spurs guard Cory Joseph on the Memphis-Lakers comparisons. “It helped us prepare for this series because it’s kind of like the same thing.”

“It helped a lot,” said Spurs guard Danny Green of facing the Lakers in round one. “It’s a very similar type series. A similar type team with inside presence that they have, (but) we’ve got to continue to do the same type of things that we did in the Lakers series but even better, since they’re obviously in this series for a reason.”

"Memphis is a post-team like the Lakers first round," added Kawhi Leonard.

Individually, the Spurs held Randolph to 2 points on 1-of-8 shooting. Randolph never even got to attempt a free throw.

“We tried to make it hard on him,” said Spurs guard Tony Parker after the game, “double-team. Obviously he’s their best scorer. He’s a beast inside.”

“With their big guys, we want to try to run them a little bit,” said Joseph, “get them tired.”

“They front us, they pressured the ball,” said Gasol after the game, “they pushed us out of the box. They did a lot of things.”

The Spurs’ defense did almost exactly what they did to the Lakers’ big men. The big men were working to make sure Howard and Gasol never got in their favored positions and the perimeter players helped with double-teams and forced it out of the big men’s hands and made the Lakers’ guards try to beat them, just like the Spurs did to Memphis on Sunday.

Quincy Pondexter led the Grizzlies with 17 points and made 5-of-9 three pointers, but the Spurs will live with that as long as the ball stayed out of Randolph’s hands since they ended up winning by more than 20 points.

"It's a team effort” said Spurs forward Matt Bonner of limiting the Grizzlies big men. “Their big guys are very big, strong and talented. It’s almost impossible to stop them with just one guy. It starts with the person matched up on them, moving our feet and making them work for everything.”

"The bigs did a wonderful job,” continued Manu Ginobili on the Spurs’ defense of Randolph. “We didn’t give him easy catches.”

"Our bigs were real active on him,” said Tim Duncan of the Spurs’ defense on Randolph. “We knew what he wanted to do.”

"We just give him a lot of respect,” said Boris Diaw, “Nothing special. (We) just don't let him get easy catches."

“They were disrupting my rhythm,” said Randolph after the game. “It was just one of those nights.”

When asked if the Spurs’ defense didn’t allow him to get the touches, Randolph responded, “I wouldn’t say that. I took seven shots tonight so I wouldn’t say that. A lot of my shots were just off. I didn’t get the good looks I wanted to.”

“I just have to do better,” said Randolph after the game. “Like I told my teammates, I have to do better for them.”

“He tried to apologize but we would not accept that,” Mike Conley said of Randolph after the game. “It is not just him, it is all of us.”

“He is not going to get down,” continued Conley on Randolph. “He is going to be angry and more ready to go. I have no doubt in my mind he is going to be ready to go.”

“We know he’s not going to play like that every game,” said Parker of Randolph. “It’s just sometimes it happens. He had an off night, but I’ve known Zach for a long time. We’re from the same draft, and I know he’s going to come out strong in Game 2. Our bigs did a good job and are going to have to do a good job in Game 2.”

“He’s going to be much better in games to come," finished Duncan on Randolph.

Randolph most likely will do better as the series continues, but like Pau Gasol and Howard, the Spurs’ defense is prepared and equipped to deal with a dominant post-duo like the Grizzlies have.

True, the Grizzlies aren’t the Lakers, but after one game, this series is headed in the same direction of Los Angeles-San Antonio.

San Antonio Spurs 105, Memphis Grizzlies 83: Death by Execution

2013-05-19T21:48:56+00:00

AT&T CENTER--Two years ago, when these two teams last met in the playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs were in the midst of an identity crises, transitioning from a style of play Tim Duncan's body could no longer sustain and finding themselves again through Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and a bevy of shooters.

In 2011 the defensive foundations that have held the franchise up for over a decade were sacrificed in the name of offensive brilliance. The offense took quickly, earning the Spurs the top seed, but implementing a new system on the run also meant that execution was far from second nature. Hit the Spurs hard enough and those offensive principles--not quite yet a part of players' muscle memories--were quickly abandoned.

These Spurs are different. If 2011 marked the beginning of the rebuild, these Spurs are at last complete and comfortable in their own skin. The system has been installed and hardwired into the DNA of the team, while the hardware has been upgraded to provide the same defensive excellence once expected of a team coached by Gregg Popovich. This rematch, set in the Western Conference Finals, would be the perfect opportunity to see how far the team has come.

In dismantling the Memphis Grizzlies with a 105-83 victory, the San Antonio Spurs landed the first blow, and it was Tony Parker--so disappointing in 2011--directing an offensive clinic that resulted in a Spurs playoff record 14 three-pointers, and 28 assists on 40 made field goals.

"I knew before the game that they are great at moving the ball. Today, they really got into our defense and in the paint, which is the sweet spot on the court," Grizzlies guard Tony Allen said. "It caused a lot of kick-outs because we over-helped and that's what caused them to fill it up from the three-point line. They just played hard and played together, they threw the first punch early."

Driving an offense designed around him for the first time in 2011, Parker wasn't yet familiar with all the nuances of his system. He could be goaded into over-penetration and traps, inviting him in before cutting off his preferred angles. In Game 1 Parker (20 points, 9 assists) showed how much he's grown since then.

Still quick but no long hurrying, Parker consistently got to his spots on the court, reading the defense along the way. When the defense didn't react to his liking, he patiently took a step back and let the screen come at a new angle, forcing the Grizzlies to adhere to their own principles as the Spurs varied their looks.

"I think Tony [Parker] is playing really good basketball right now," Green said. "It's what started it, it's what ended it. In the Golden State series he did a good job of facilitating, finding open guys, and trusting us to knock down shots. It's continued on to now."

The game opened on Parker finding Kawhi Leonard (18 points, four three-pointers) for a corner three, the first of four they would hit in a 31-point first quarter. It was a night of brutal efficiency as the Spurs rained haymakers from the wings with Leonard and Danny Green repeatedly got loose in the corners.

They isolated Zach Randolph from Marc Gasol, positioning Tim Duncan, Boris Diaw, and Matt Bonner in ways that prevented the Grizzlies big men from working in tandem and nullifying the impact of Gasol, the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year.

Particularly effective was stationing Matt Bonner at the top of the key for pick and pop and spot up opportunities. As Parker or Manu Ginobili navigated across each screen they peeled Bonner's defender away, freeing him up to hit 4-7 three-pointers and netting 12 points.

"Well, it starts with [the defense] breaking down, and first somebody makes a mistake so somebody has to help," Gasol said of the Grizzlies' defense. "That creates another help, and you see, we're scrambling. When you're scrambling against a good team like that they're going to find an open guy because they have a lot of patience and they know where the shots are coming from."

Two years ago that statement simply wasn't true. The Spurs knew where they wanted to get shots from, but patiently working the system to produce those looks were an entirely different matter. In Game 1 it was the Grizzlies searching for their offense as the Spurs pushed them out of their comfort zone, testing the resolve of an offense the Grizzlies have constructed since trading Rudy Gay at the deadline.

With Duncan and Tiago Splitter starting, defending the low post is no longer a point of weakness for the Spurs. As they did in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Spurs pushed the Grizzlies big men off their spots. They fronted the post with the weak-side defense completely ignoring non-shooters in the corner, waiting to pounce on any lobs thrown into the post.

Direct entries were not going to be allowed into Randolph or Gasol, and any quality looks were going to have to come from a patient offense that ran through multiple reads before the Spurs defense allowed an opening.

"They did a great job of 'storming'," Allen said. "They forced [Randolph] into a front position and the bigs were coming from the baseline hard. It just caught him by surprise, but I'm pretty sure he is going to bounce back in the second game and we will make the adjustments."

Some of those adjustments were made in the second half, such as placing a better shooter--Quincy Pondexter--on the weak side corner, keeping defenders honest. This remains a heavyweight fight capable of turning at any point.

The Memphis Grizzlies are no longer a surprise team on the rise. They too are comfortable in their ways and confident in their processes. The Spurs will be "punched," or tested, and the series will be dictated by their response. Now fully-formed, the Spurs won't be shaken as easily.

"Our mindset was pretty simple, respect the game plan," Parker said. "We talked about it yesterday, what we wanted to do on offense and defense. The game plan worked pretty good."

5 things to watch: Spurs vs. Grizzlies Game 1

2013-05-19T15:00:00+00:00

The San Antonio Spurs (8-2) and Memphis Grizzlies (8-3) will kick off the Western Conference Finals today in San Antonio in a clash of West powerhouses. The last time these two teams faced off in the postseason, the Grizzlies upset the No. 1 seeded Spurs in the 2011 NBA Playoffs first-round.

The Spurs are coming off a 94-82 win over the Warriors in Game 6 in Oakland to win the semifinals series. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 19 points while Kawhi Leonard finished with 10 rebounds.

The Grizzlies are coming off an 88-84 win over the Thunder to close out their semifinals series in five games. Zach Randolph led Memphis with 28 points and 14 rebounds in the win.

And as the Spurs and Grizzlies get set to clash this afternoon, here are five things to watch for during today's game:

• Grizzlies' Mike Conley is averaging a career-best 17.6 points and 7.6 assists a game in the postseason.

• The Spurs are 4-0 at home in the postseason when leading at halftime.

• Spurs' Kawhi Leonard has scored in double figures in a playoff career-high eight consecutive postseason games.

• Memphis has won eight of its last nine playoff games.

• Grizzlies' Tony Allen ranks second in the league during the playoffs in steals at 2.27.

Spurs–Grizzlies: A Quantitative and Qualitative Preview

2013-05-19T00:00:00+00:00

With 21 combined games in the 2013 playoff data bag between the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies, it’s now time to look at what the data is saying as the Western Conference Finals approach Sunday.

Remember, this is all quantitative data and like the last series between the Spurs and Golden State Warriors, the numbers were predicting a sweep or five game series. However, when you look at qualitative evidence, you might or the Spurs might not have known Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were going to explode in games one and two. Quantitative data didn’t predict Harrison Barnes would be in the company of Tim Duncan and Magic Johnson in Game 5.

So here are the numbers on the eve of the Western Conference Finals. Look, analyze, and dissect them, but do not rely on them because as the Warriors proved, numbers will change once the ball is tipped.

Offense and Defense

Points Per Game – Spurs 102.8, Grizzlies 97.2

Points allowed – Spurs 93, Grizzlies 92.4

Offensive rating – Spurs 107, Grizzlies 104.4

Defensive rating – Spurs 96.2, Grizzlies 99.9

What stands out? Of the above numbers, the fact that the Grizzlies are allowing 92 points per game shows that the Spurs are about to play their toughest defensive foe of this postseason. Offensively, the Spurs seem to be Memphis’ biggest test of stopping a scoring team.

Field Goal Percentage – Spurs 46%, Grizzlies 43.3%

Opponent field goal percentage – Spurs 43.6%, Grizzlies 43.5%

3-Point shooting – Spurs 35.6%, Grizzlies 31%

Opponent 3-point percentage – Spurs 33.2%, Grizzlies 31.8%

3-point attempts – Spurs 20.2, Grizzlies 14.5

3-Pointers allowed – Spurs 19.6, Grizzlies 19.7

An interesting number here is that the Grizzlies allow 19.7 three pointers per game. Since the Spurs shoot around 20 per game then their 3-point shots should be there so long as they are moving the ball on the floor. Seeing that the Grizzlies hold teams to 32% shooting from 3-point range means that they contest looks out on the arc.

Free throw shooting – Spurs 75.8%, Grizzlies 76.7%

Rebounds – Spurs 43.8, Grizzlies 40.1

Offensive rebounding – Spurs 10.2, Grizzlies 10.2

Unlike 2011 where Memphis dominated the rebounding game, the Spurs are better equipped in their frontline and wing players to help crash the boards. Later on though, we’ll see why Zach Randolph will be a whole other area of concern when it comes to rebounding.

2^nd Chance points – Spurs 11.8, Grizzlies 14.7 points

Huge stat right here for Memphis. They’re scoring nearly 15 points off second chance attempts which means they hustle for offensive boards and plays that are almost going out of bounds. The Spurs will have to match the intensity the Grizzlies bring each and every night.

Assists – Spurs 23, Grizzlies 19.5

Opponent assists – Spurs 19.1, Grizzlies 16.9

This stat could be one of the most decisive aspects of this series. Quantitatively the Grizzlies look like a team that doesn’t allow solid ball movement by opponents as they’re holding teams to 16.9 assists per game. However, qualitatively, it looked the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t have too much trouble penetrating and kicking out to open shooters or slashers.

Turnovers per game Spurs 11.1, Grizzlies 10.4

Opponent turnovers – Spurs 15.2, Grizzlies 14

Though both teams seem to take care of the ball pretty effectively, both defensives also force a few turnovers as well. The Spurs’ offensive firepower allows them to have the luxury of turning the ball over and then being able to score to make up those possessions, the Grizzlies however can’t afford turnovers as their offense doesn’t score at such a high rate.

Points off turnovers – Spurs 17.8, Grizzlies 16.2

Basically, any team that turns the ball over will most likely get scored on the other end as both teams will turn a turnover into fast break opportunity.

Steals – Spurs 9, Grizzlies 7.2

Blocks – Spurs 4.5, Grizzlies 4.1

Fouls – Spurs 19.6, Grizzlies 22.5

Though the Spurs are only fouling an average of 20 times per game, their composure and resiliency in picking up fouls will be tested as they’re about to face an opponent that draws plenty of fouls in a game.

Clutch

The data below is taken on a per game average in the last five minutes of a game so long as either team is ahead or behind by 5 points.

Spurs - 11.3 points, 1.3 turnovers, shooting 46.2%, 3-point shooting 54.5%, Free Throw Shooting 42.9%, Rebounds 4.5, Blocks 1.3, Fouls 2.3

The good: The Spurs have the highest scoring output in crunch time; shoot the 3-ball at an even higher percentage as evidenced by Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard in Game 6 against the Warriors. The bad: the Spurs have been struggling from the free throw line in the last five minutes of a game, the most crucial time to knock down their free throws.

Grizzlies - 9 points, 1.1 turnovers, shooting 40.5%, 3-point shooting 33.3%, Free Throw shooting 73%, Rebounds 4.3, Blocks 0.4, Fouls 2.3

The Grizzlies on the other hand shoot free throws at a high percentage in crunch time but struggle to make the big shots whether inside or outside the arc.

Lineups

Here are the top lineups coach Popovich and Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins have preferred to use in the playoffs thus far on a most minutes and per game basis.

Spurs

1. Tiago Splitter, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Tony Parker

Grizzlies

1. Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Tayshaun Prince, Tony Allen, Mike Conley

Where each team likes to shoot from

Spurs

Most of the Spurs’ shots come from the “Tim Duncan pick-and-pop” areas, Tony Parker “jumper off screens” areas, in the paint, and also at the top of the 3-point line in both the right and left areas.

Grizzlies

The Grizzlies like to attack inside the paint but two areas out on the floor where the Spurs must be aware of is the top of the key where Marc Gasol prefers to shoot his jumper, and outside of 14 feet where Randolph shoots his iso jumper.

Top Players

Spurs

Tony Parker – 22.4 points (18.6 FGA, 45%), 6.4 free throw attempts, 6.3 assists, 2.2 turnovers, 4.7 personal fouls drawn, Spurs were a +5 with Parker on the floor.

As you can see from Parker’s play 10 games into the playoffs, the assortment of minor injuries he’s playing with has affected his play. He’s shooting the ball at 45% and also with his teams struggling to hit shots in several games, his assist rate has declined. He’ll most likely be defended by Mike Conley who has the speed to match him and at times, Tony Allen. Parker though, keeps the pressure on a defense with an average of drawing almost five fouls per game.

Tim Duncan – 18.7 points (16.2 FGA, 46%), 9.2 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 1.2 blocks, 1.7 turnovers, 4.7 personal fouls drawn, Spurs were a +2.2 when Duncan was on the floor.

Duncan will have to deal with Gasol who is the current defensive player of the year. After looking at Serge Ibaka’s shot chart, it seems like the Grizzlies defense didn’t allow him to shoot his pick-and-pop jumpers, which means Duncan will have to attack more if Gasol and Randolph follow him off of screens to limit his jumper.

Kawhi Leonard – 13.7 points (9.9 FGA, 56%), 8.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.1 turnovers, Spurs were a +7.5 when Leonard was on the floor.

Leonard will have the lanky Tayshaun Prince defending him. However, the area where Leonard will have his biggest impact will be in helping the rebounding department. Leonard is the hottest shooting Spur at 56% even after he’s logging the most minutes of any player in silver and black.

Manu Ginobili – 12.1 points (10.6 FGA, 38%), 5.4 three pointers (33%), 5.7 assists, 2.3 turnovers, 1.7 steals, 3 personal fouls drawn, Spurs were a +10.3 when Ginobili was on the floor.

Ginobili’s series from facing the Lakers to the Warriors were almost complete opposites. Ginobili’s shooting touch has dropped tremendously and he’s taking even more 3-pointers per game. It doesn’t help that he’ll most likely have All-NBA first team defender in Allen defending him in crunch time. Ginobili however can still make plays with his passing ability and unlike two years ago, he’ll have two fully functioning arms.

Danny Green – 10 points (8.6 FGA, 44%), 4.8 three pointers (42%), 4.1 rebounds, Spurs were a -1.8 when Green was on the floor.

Green made a drastic improvement in the Warriors series with his ability in making Stephen Curry take tough shots, and then limiting Harrison Barnes in Game 6. If Parker and Ginobili are penetrating, Green will have to be ready to catch-and-shoot with confidence, as there may not be many 3-pointers to take in games.

Gary Neal – 5.9 points (6 FGA, 35%), 2.8 three pointers (25%), Spurs were a +5.6 when Neal was on the floor.

Aside from Game 6 where he had productive stint against the Warriors, Neal is struggling shooting the ball overall in the playoffs.

Tiago Splitter – 5.9 points (4.1 FGA, 52%), 4 rebounds, 1.4 turnovers, Spurs were a +0.6 when Splitter was on the floor.

Splitter’s presence began to return on the defensive end of the floor in Game 5 and 6 against the Warriors. Splitter’s ability to get open in pick-and-roll situations and score effectively will also be an important part of the series. His defense will be the key as he has to do his best of not drawing fouls on the Grizzlies big men in order to stay in the game.

Matt Bonner – 4.3 points (2.9 FGA, 52%), Spurs were a +5.8 when Bonner was on the floor.

Hey everyone, Bonner’s actually making shots in the playoffs. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bonner get more minutes in this series as the Grizzlies big men are hesitant to step out to the 3-point line.

Boris Diaw – 4 points (3.2 FGA, 47%), Spurs were a +5.5 when Diaw was on the floor.

Diaw can give the Grizzlies bigs fits since they don’t like to go out to the 3-point line as well, where he can catch them off their toes and drive, or kick out to another teammate.

Cory Joseph – 3.9 points (3.4 FGA, 53%), Spurs were a +3.2 when Joseph was on the floor.

A solid guard, he’ll have to be ready to possibly defend Conley in stretches and Jerryd Bayless.

Grizzlies

Zach Randolph – 19.7 points (14.7 FGA, 51% FG), 9.3 rebounds, 3.3 offensive rebounds, 2.1 turnovers, 3.7 personal fouls, 6.4 Free throw attempts (73%), 6.6 personal fouls drawn, Grizzlies are +8.4 when he’s on the floor.

Zbo is a dangerous player. He’s physical, will draw fouls (6.6), and he’s shooting 51% overall which is a high percentage considering he takes outside shots and makes bullish type plays in the paint. One other aspect, when you put him on the line, he shoots a decent free throw percentage. Keeping Zbo off the offensive glass will also be another concern for this Spurs team as he averages 3.3 offensive rebounds per game.

Marc Gasol – 18.3 points (13.4 FGA, 48%), 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 1 turnover, 7 Free throw attempts (79%), 3.3 personal fouls, 6.2 personal fouls drawn, Grizzlies are +6.6 when he’s on the floor.

Another player who draws plenty of fouls (6.2) and shoots a high percentage from the line (79%). The Spurs’ defense will have to be ready to step out on his 18-foot jumper from the top of the key, as he’s shooting 48% overall.

Mike Conley – 17.6 points (14.2 FGA, 39%), 4.5 three pointers (29%), 4.8 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.9 turnovers, 1.6 steals, 5.2 personal fouls drawn, Grizzlies are +6.7 when he’s on the floor.

The Grizzlies don’t take many 3-pointers as a team, but Conley does. The Spurs must be aware of his ability to hoist a few three’s and draw fouls (5.2). Conley is also dangerous at finishing on break and attacking a defense that isn’t set in pick-and-roll situations. Defensively, it’ll be Parker’s job to limit Conley as much as possible as he too has the speed to match Conley.

Tony Allen – 11.1 points (8.5 FGA, 45%), 4.4 free throw attempts (75%), 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 turnovers, 2.3 steals, 3.1 personal fouls drawn personal fouls, Grizzlies are +5.2 when he’s on the floor.

Our own Quixem Ramirez broke down Tony Allen in the section of his column titled “Trick or Treat.” I suggest you read it to understand why that nickname suits Allen so well. In the playoffs, the one thing the Spurs have to watch out for is Allen attacking the rim and drawing fouls on occasion (3.1). His 2.3 steals per game are also what make him one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.

Jerryd Bayless – 8.9 points (8.3 FGA, 36%), 3.9 three pointers (33%), 1.2 turnovers, Grizzlies are a -1 when he’s on the floor.

Ramirez also wrote about Jerryd Bayless in his column. So far in the playoffs, Bayless clearly isn’t shining or consistent. He’s taking almost as many shots to score points and he too takes plenty of 3-pointers, but isn’t converting them at a high rate.

Tayshaun Prince – 7.5 points (8.7 FGA, 35%), 4.5 rebounds, Grizzlies are a +3.5 when he’s on the floor.

As you can see above, Prince is struggling to score the basketball taking more shot attempts than points. The Grizzlies really need him to defend Leonard and possibly at times, Ginobili or Parker.

Quincy Pondexter – 6.5 points (4.8 FGA, 45%), 2.5 three pointers (43%), Grizzlies are a +1.5 when he’s on the floor.

For this Grizzlies team, 43% from three is one of the highest percentages on their team. The Spurs must be aware of Pondexter beyond the arc as half of his shot attempts are 3-pointers.

Darrell Arthur – 3.8 points (3.2 FGA, 49%), 2.4 personal fouls, Grizzlies are a -3.1 when he’s on the floor.

Arthur was a Spurs killer in the playoffs of 2011 with his athletic ability on defense and his dunking and pick-and-pop game. This year he hasn’t gotten much playing time in the playoffs, but Coach Hollins could still throw him out there to take Duncan or Splitter away from the basket if Arthur’s knocking down his pick-and-pop jumpers.

Overall, both of these teams look relatively even. Both can be forces on defense, but it’s the variety of weapons on offense that I think pushes San Antonio as the favorite. Memphis’ bench also doesn’t seem as strong and they will be relying heavily on Bayless to provide support.

As Ginobili and Parker reiterated on Saturday, if they just move the ball, the offense will come. My prediction: San Antonio in 6 games.

All stats used from NBA.com/stats

Two Categories the Spurs need to succeed in to defeat Grizzlies

2013-05-18T22:30:00+00:00

The San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference Finals to earn the opportunity to play the Memphis Grizzlies this Sunday for Game 1.

The Spurs and Grizzlies are no strangers to each other as the teams faced off in the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs in the first round. The Grizzlies triumphed over the Spurs in 6 games and San Antonio hasn't been shy in saying they haven't forgotten that experience.

This season the teams meet each other with the winner heading to the NBA Finals against whoever comes out of the Eastern Conference. The Grizzlies have looked dominant lately and the Spurs will need to top these two categories to have the edge in this series.

1) Rebounds

The Spurs are have not been a good rebounding team during the regular season and for a good reason. San Antonio has been a solid defensive rebounding team but has suffered on the offensive end. While some see that as a weakness, the Spurs were such a good shooting and scoring team in the regular season and didn't need to offensive rebound as much as other teams.

In their last 5 games against the Golden State Warriors, they've averaged 44.8rpg while the Grizzlies have averaged 42.8rpg in the same number of games. The Spurs were outrebounded in the series against the Golden State Warriors (47.8rpg) due to their speed and versatility while the Grizzlies were outrebounded by a less athletic frontcourt with not much depth in the Oklahoma City Thunder (43.4rpg). The Spurs have the depth to match the Grizzlies with Tim Duncan, Tiago Splitter, Boris Diaw, and (if they choose to go small) Kawhi Leonard, who is averaging 8.4rpg this postseason.

2) Toughness

The Grizzlies traded Rudy Gay for Tayshaun Prince this season, but the bigs are still the focal point of their offense. Marc Gasol is averaging 18.3ppg this posteason and Zach Randolph's averaging 19.7ppg alongside him. The majority of the scoring is coming from the paint and that was one of the reasons why the Spurs fell to this team two years ago. Tiago Splitter showed some toughness against the Grizzlies this season as a starter and that's something they'll need in this series.

San Antonio has to match toughness against Memphis for them to win this series. They have the advantage on overall versatility with Matt Bonner and Boris Diaw in the lineup, but wearing out the Memphis bigs when they're on defense and defending them with toughness will be key for the Spurs.

The Spurs have a shot against the lower seeded Grizzlies, but they'll need to dominate these two categories to get out of this series and head to the NBA Finals. There's other categories the Spurs need to thrive in including shooting, but these two will determine if they'll have some breathing room during the series and will also dictate how the team plays on the other side of the floor.

Spurs Roundtable: Previewing the Spurs-Grizzlies Western Conference Finals (Video)

2013-05-18T21:00:00+00:00

The San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies will meet in the 2013 Western Conference Finals for a shot at going to the NBA Finals which kicks off tomorrow in San Antonio.

On this episode of the Project Spurs-News 4 San Antonio, Spurs Roundtable, Jeff Garcia, Project Spurs' Quixem Ramirez and special guest Jason Minnix of 1250 ESPN The Blitz, break down the Spurs-Grizzlies WCF series.

From whether the Spurs should be concerned about facing the Grizzlies, the play of Mike Conley in the postseason to predictions, the panel looks at every angle of this Western Conference clash.

Coach Popovich, Parker, Ginobili discuss Grizzlies before Conference Finals

2013-05-18T17:41:04+00:00

It’s 2013. The San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies are about to face off in another playoff series after the Grizzlies defeated the Spurs two years ago in the first round.

Unlike 2011, Manu Ginobili is healthy, Tiago Splitter is a key player, Kawhi Leonard is a Spur, Boris Diaw is a Spur, and Richard Jefferson is already on vacation. The Grizzlies too have new faces with Tayshaun Prince, Jerryd Bayless, and Quincy Pondexter. For them, Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, and Greivis Vasquez are now gone.

“(We) make no comparisons to anybody we’ve played in the past,” said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich Saturday, the eve before the Conference Finals begin at the teams practice facility.

“Everything sticks,” said Spurs guard Manu Ginobili of remembering how the team was two wins away from making the NBA Finals a year ago. Ginobili too much mentioned the series from 2011, but he also remembers every series since his rookie campaign.

“Everything builds up to who you are now,” finished Ginobili of all his experiences in the playoffs.

On the Grizzlies, the Spurs know they’re about to face their toughest defensive foe of any they’ve played so far in the playoffs. “A very good basketball team,” said Popovich. “One of the top defensive teams in the league,” continued Popovich, “finding ways to score is going to be difficult.”

“They’re very physical,” said Parker. “They create a lot of turnovers.”

“It’s more like the Lakers,” said Ginobili of the Grizzlies being a post-oriented team. “They have the best defense in the league.”

A player who allows the Grizzlies to have a premier defense is the defensive player of the year, Marc Gasol. A player Ginobili and Parker know all too well from their experience of playing him overseas.

Parker said Gasol has great “position defense” but added “he knows I’m coming.”

“He’s one of the best for sure,” said Ginobili of Gasol. “He’s longer and gets in good position.” Ginobili said Gasol’s style of defense reminds him of Tim Duncan, who too doesn’t go for highlight blocks but instead puts his body in the right position.

On Memphis’ point guard Mike Conley, Parker had plenty of praise.

“He’s very underrated,” said Parker of Conley. “For me, he’s definitely Top 10 point guards in the league.” Parker also said he expects Grizzlies two-time all-first team defender Tony Allen to spend some time defending him. “Definitely,” said Parker of thinking Allen might defend him. “I’ll be ready.”

Lastly, with all the talk of defense from the Grizzlies, the Spurs know the only way they’ll be able to score in the series is by moving the ball around the floor and looking for the best shots possible.

“We’ve got to move the ball,” said Parker of scoring on the Grizzlies, “play ‘Spurs’ basketball.” Ginobili added the Spurs would have to be “strong on the boards” to help in the rebounding department.

But Ginobili also reemphasized what Parker said, “It’s all about moving the ball.”

Game 1 tips off at 2:30 PM CST Sunday at the AT&T Center.

Which Memphis team do we have here?

2013-05-18T16:28:58+00:00

With eight wins in their last nine games, some NBA pundits believe the Memphis Grizzlies are the favorites in the Western Conference to advance to the NBA Finals. The teams split the season-series this year, indicating the margin between the two is rather slim. The difference -- as in most series -- will come down to small adjustments and key performances from the supporting cast. Here's some story lines that may be important to monitor.

Trick or Treat.

With Tony Allen, you really don't know whether you are getting the trick or the treat. Allen's performance varies, oftentimes shifting many times during each game -- he's either a staunch perimeter defender, with a penchant for gambling successfully in the passing lanes, or he's an overaggressive offensive non-factor that cramps the floor for his teammates. There isn't much in between. Case in point: Oklahoma City lackadaisically completely forgot (or simply didn't care) to defend Allen in transition during Game 5. Mike Conley easily found Allen, and he converted on a three-point play that stretched the lead to eight points with 1:26 remaining in the final period. Earlier in the same game, Allen threw a shirt in the direction of Derek Fisher, drawing an unnecessary technical foul when Memphis held a double-digit lead.

But for the most part -- occasional missteps aren't surprising anymore -- Allen has been an incredibly valuable cog for Memphis. His defensive acumen is obvious; Memphis is allowing 98.7 points per 100 possessions, around their season-mark, and 109.3 when Allen sits during the playoffs, per NBA.com. Additionally, just about any two-man combination including him -- Conley, Quincy Pondexter, Tayshaun Prince, etc -- is crushing the opposition defensively. It isn't even fair.

San Antonio isn't immune to Allen either. During the regular season, they were 19.4 points per 100 possessions worse with Allen on the court. The San Antonio Spurs also shot worse from every location on the floor and they corralled less of their own and Memphis' misses overall, per NBA.com. Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins is trusting Allen more thus far, which is mostly a positive, but it does give Tony Parker, or whomever needs it at the time, a chance to breathe on defense, since Allen can't contribute much aside from weak-side cuts. Allen has been a treat and needs to eliminate his mental errors to give Memphis a real chance in this series.

Mike Conley's emergence.

With Rudy Gay out of the picture -- and his possession stalling isolations eliminated -- Conley has more offensive responsibility in the Grizzlies offensive hierarchy. He hasn't been a true star, and Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph precipitate much of the offense still, but his play has been a revelation and a huge reason Memphis is in position to make the NBA Finals. Conley's shooting efficiency numbers are down across the board, a trade-off the Grizzlies will live with because he's facilitating the offense better (7.6 assists per game during the playoffs), and limiting turnovers. His pick-and-roll game has developed to the point where he can consistently attack a defense on either side of the screen with either hand, too. If the offense stagnates a bit, and Gasol and Randolph have little room to breathe in the post, Conley is a reliable isolation option if need be, which only frees the rest of the offense to do what they best.

Gay was still very much part of the picture when Memphis played the Spurs in the regular season and Conley wasn't as confident as he is now; it's worth noting, however, that Memphis scored an abysmal 74.7 points per 100 possessions without Conley against the Spurs. If Conley falters offensively, the Grizzlies don't have much ancillary weapons to give ample support.

Jerryd Bayless is an enigma.

Bayless is everything Allen is not. He can score, handle a light offensive load and handle the ball as a secondary option but his defense isn't too reliable. His minutes have dropped to a shade under 20 minutes per game during the playoffs and he's only made 36.3 percent of his shots -- Allen, meanwhile, is shooting 45.2 percent. Memphis' starting lineup has been excellent on both sides of the ball in the playoffs but once you replace Allen, it gets more dicey and the unit somehow allows 23.4 points per 100 possessions more with Bayless in his place.

Yet, despite his shortcomings, Bayless could be an X-Factor this series. In minutes Conley shares with Bayless, he makes a higher percentage of his shots (44.8 percent compared to 34.7 percent with Allen at 2-guard), due in part because he's able to get to the restricted area more often. Defenders can't crowd Conley on forays to the rim like they can when Allen is stationed on the perimeter. The defensive difference does make this a difficult decision but perhaps Bayless can give the Grizzlies an extra offensive punch alongside Conley.

Which Memphis team do we have here?

Truth is, the Spurs have no idea who they will be playing Sunday afternoon. They split the season series with Memphis at two -- with each win coming before the Gay deal. Memphis beat the Spurs soundly in the series finale without Gay but that isn't a big deal because the Spurs missed Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard due to injury. Game 1 will be totally different.

So how different is Memphis now? On the margins, not entirely so -- Memphis' offense improved by 2.9 points per 100 possessions, up to 18th, and the defense remained tough. But stylistically -- Gasol and Conley generate more offense now -- they've changed, likely for the better. The Grizzlies rarely shoot 3-pointers so they rely heavily on Conley to break the defense down and Gasol to provide freelance creativity from the elbow. It's worked wonderfully so far but it does give them less margin for error.

But guess what? Though Gay's absence may seem like it hurts their crunch-time productivity, since Gay could create his shot whenever, that hasn't materialized. Memphis was a middling "clutch" team prior to the trade, per NBA.com, but they've jumped to fourth in net rating since, outscoring the opposition by 16.4 points per 100 possessions in the last five minutes of five-point margin (or fewer). San Antonio can't expect to have an easy time closing out the Grizzlies at the end of games.

On the road again.

Only the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder won more road games than Memphis this season. They nearly etched out a victory in San Antonio in early December, only to lose by four points in overtime. Memphis is comfortable on the road. They took Game 1 in San Antonio two years ago and that set the tenor for the rest of the series. Nothing will come easy, even at the AT&T Center.

Video: Spurs fans give team a warm welcome at 5 AM

2013-05-18T16:00:00+00:00

San Antonio Spurs fans are perhaps the best fans in the league. At the AT&T Center they are loud, vocal, and are dressed from head to toe in anything black and silver. And after the Spurs sent the Warriors packing for the summer after winning Game 6 in Oakland, the Spurs fans showed just how much they love their team.

After landing in San Antonio, the Spurs were greeted by their adoring fans at 5 am. That's right, Spurs fans were out in full-force in the wee hours of the morning to cheer their favorite team after advancing to the Western Conference Finals to face the Grizzlies. It even got the attention of DeJuan Blair.

We have the best fans its 5:00 in the Am and they are at the airport screaming their lungs out! I love y'all fans thanks! #gospursgo
— DeJuan Blair (@DeJuan45) May 17, 2013

Check out the crowd at the airport applauding their team as they disembarked from the plane.

The Greatest Worst-Assembled Team in NBA History

2013-05-17T21:07:48+00:00

Ask Gregg Popovich the secrets to the San Antonio Spurs sustained success on any given day and you’re likely to get one of two answers. On most days Popovich will simply flash that condescending gaze, staring daggers into your soul until you find yourself apologizing for wasting his time with such a stupid question.

Find Popovich in a good mood, however, and he will likely admit that everything he and general manager RC Buford have built comes down to two important things—luck, and not screwing things up.

It was luck to have landed the top pick in the right draft and selecting Tim Duncan. There was luck in finding some pieces around them, and beyond that, it’s been a matter of simply not screwing things up (harder than it sounds).

On Sunday, Popovich and the Spurs will square off against their polar opposites. If the San Antonio Spurs are the NBA’s model franchise, the Memphis Grizzlies are the greatest worst assembled team in NBA history.

The Memphis Grizzlies are, perhaps, the luckiest team in the NBA right now, which fits perfectly into the first part of Popovich’s formula to success. It’s the “don’t screw up” part that the Grizzlies astonishingly seem to ignore with almost no negative repercussions. The Memphis Grizzlies have screwed up, regularly, repeatedly, and royally.

And yet no one can deny how fun and legitimately imposing these Grizzlies are as we get ready for the Western Conference Finals.

To start with, the Grizzlies core of Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol was created from a series of inexplicably horrible-to-laughable moves that, somehow, ALL MANAGED TO WORK OUT FOR THE BEST DESPITE LOGIC AND EVERYONE’S BELIEFS TO THE CONTRARY!!!

Even one of their earliest terrible trades, sending a pick to Detroit that would become the no. 2 overall pick in what would eventually be known as the Miami Heat draft, worked out in that it saved the Grizzlies the pain of drafting Darko Milicic.

(The Grizzlies would eventually trade Darko to the Knicks for Quentin Richardson, who they then flipped for Zach Randolph, meaning….EVEN SOMETHING AS HORRIBLE AS ACQUIRING DARKO MILIC WORKED OUT FOR THE GRIZZLIES!)

From 2008 through today the Grizzlies have made some of the more puzzling moves in the NBA, and yet every single one of them has led them here, to the Western Conference Finals.

The Gasol(s) Trade

Frame your arguments however you’d like in the comments sections or on Twitter (and I hope you do), but no amount of hindsight can hide that, at the time, trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers in exchange for scraps was amongst the most lopsided trades in NBA history.

Yes, the Grizzlies were in a position where trading Pau Gasol was a must, but he was a franchise-quality big man who immediately transformed the Lakers into NBA champions (after failing in the NBA Finals his first half season there, of course). In exchange the Grizzlies eventually received cap space in Kwame Brown’s expiring contract, Javaris Crittenton, and two late first round draft picks, as well as the rights to Marc Gasol.

Pau and the Lakers have since faded, and Marc is the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year and in contention for mantle of game’s best big man. But absolutely no one knew Marc Gasol would develop into THIS, and anyone who would tell you otherwise is a liar.

In an interview with Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley referred to the Grizzlies assets as cap space. Though he didn’t regret the trade, he did wonder if his team got the best value possible:

“I don’t know if I got the most value,” Heisley confessed. “Maybe our people should’ve shopped (Gasol) more and maybe we would’ve gotten more, done a better deal. Maybe Chris did call every team in the league. I don’t think he did, but maybe he should’ve…”

Heisley didn’t mention Marc Gasol in the interview, no one did. The last time most people saw the younger Gasol was as a pudgy high school center with limited prospects.

It’s okay to admit that, even with the way things turned out, this was a bad trade turned positive purely by fortune in the same way that Popovich and Buford admit that finding Manu Ginobili had little to do with their scouting staff and everything to do with luck. As Popovich has said repeatedly, if they knew how things would turn out, they wouldn’t have waited so long to take him.

The Zach Randolph Trade

With the cap space vacated by the Pau Gasol trade, the Grizzlies swung a deal to acquire Zach Randolph, solidifying what would eventually be the Grizzlies devastating frontline. But at the time Randolph was a cautionary tale, though admittedly a talented one. Nothing in his stops in Portland, New York, or Los Angeles revealed any signs of hope, and certainly no rational basketball mind would have traded Pau Gasol for Randolph straight-up, which is what appeared to be the case at the time.

But few, even amongst Memphis fans, could have predicted the connection the city would have with Randolph and how that would change him. Though I have no proof, I feel confident in saying that Randolph in a Grizzlies uniform doesn’t work in Vancouver—which as a side note, was another Grizzlies move widely panned (moving from Vancouver to NBA’s smallest market) that worked out wonderfully for the NBA (see how these moves are all connected?). Randolph, along with Tony Allen, embraced Memphis’ blue collar work ethic, which became the culture by which this team operates.

It is, perhaps, the only location in the NBA where this roster could thrive, and that stands as a testament to the city and its wonderful fans.

The Mike Conley extension

Mike Conley was the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, so there were some expectations in place for him to succeed. But headed to the end of his rookie contract Conley was seriously underperforming relative to those expectations.

When the Memphis Grizzlies announced Conley’s contract extension it prompted CBS blogger and huge Grizzlies enthusiast Matt Moore to write a column with the headline: GRIZZLIES COMMIT FRANCHISE SUICIDE, EXTEND CONLEY. The post has since been removed, but the sentiment was the same everywhere and I’ll refer you to Kelly Dwyer’s post over at Yahoo!’s Ball Don’t Lie, who touches on Moore’s column:

“Bidding against absolutely nobody, they signed Conley to a deal that will have him making eight figures over the last couple years of its existence. That alone should make your hair stand on end. And as Moore pointed out, there is absolutely nothing in Conley's game nor at-best potential that should allow for anyone to think that he should even approach an average salary, something that would pay him about half of what he's due to make in a few years.”

That albatross of a contract appears to be a bargain now, and that Conley against Tony Parker no longer seems like an overwhelming mismatch speaks of how much Conley has grown since receiving his contract. And if the Grizzlies had faith in anything, perhaps it was his work ethic and the team’s culture, but those aren’t tangible qualities that would have had them competing with suitors for Conley at that price.

And the rest of the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad decisions…

Every front office makes a mistake or two, or three. Often times just one of these can cripple a franchise for years to come. And yet, the Grizzlies have made some of the most questionable moves this side of David Kahn. And they’ve thrived.

Trading Kevin Love for O.J. Mayo (which admittedly looks a lot worse now than it did then), picking Hasheem Thabeet with the no. 2 overall pick in a draft with James Harden, Ricky Rubio, and Stephen Curry still available (if it’s any consolation, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded James Harden to the Houston Rockets at the beginning of the season, making it two teams that have kept Thabeet over Harden).

Imagine if, when the Jazz signed Gail Goodrich to team with Pete Maravich, losing the draft pick that would become Magic Johnson as compensation, they still managed to conted for an NBA championship over the next fiver years. That's essentially what the Grizzlies are doing now.

Teams that pass up or trade even one franchise player—and from the looks of it Curry and Harden appear to be as much while Rubio looks to be, at the very least, special—aren’t supposed to contend for championships. They’re supposed to turn into the Milwaukee Bucks of the world, trading the draft rights to Dirk Nowitzki for rotation filler and wondering the desert of mediocrity for the next decade as penance.

And yet here are the Grizzlies in spite of all this. Hell, maybe even because of it. Maybe there’s something to an island of misfit toys that no one else wanted finding sanctity in each other and in a city the NBA underestimated.

Rubio and love never made the playoffs while Harden was eliminated in the first round by the team that had Thabeet. Stephen Curry and the Warriors were eliminated by the very Spurs the Grizzlies will be playing, coached by a man who publicly called into question the sanity of the trade that ignited everything the Grizzlies have built today. A trade that helped Memphis upset these Spurs just two years earlier in the first round.

I’m not sure what to make of this other than great things often come from humble beginnings. Going back to 2008, the Memphis rebuilding plan made about as much sense as investing in lottery tickets, right down to the odds for success.

And yet, here are your Memphis Grizzlies, gritting and grinding and generally living life as the greatest team that was ever poorly constructed. Everyone questioned how they got here, but no one denies that they’ve arrived.

(photos: TheScore.com, SB Nation.com, CBSSports.com)

Spurs interview DeShaun Thomas, fail to get his number

2013-05-17T18:30:00+00:00

Ever ask someone for a number and get turned down? (Looks around, looks around) Yeah me either, but it happens all the time. Turns out it can also happen to basketball teams who want to talk to draft prospects. According to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, the San Antonio Spurs interviewed Ohio State swingman Deshaun Thomas at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago and were shot down when they asked him for his phone number.

“I can’t go around giving it out to everyone,” Thomas said Thursday with a laugh. “Now if they want to draft me, I’d be happy to give it to them.”

Hilarious. I understand needing to be cautious with who you give your number to, but I'm pretty sure R.C. Buford and whoever else is in the room isn't going to tweet it out or go in to a bathroom stall and write "For a good time call" and then put Thomas' number. Thomas did give them his email address, so maybe he's more of a GChat guy. Either way, Deshaun, when a team asks you for your number, you should probably give it to them.

Rice, Jr. interviews with Spurs, Bullock scheduled for a workout

In addition to that Thomas silliness, news also came out about other prospects the Spurs are interested in. C.F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers all have interviews set up with Glen Rice, Jr. Rice, a small forward, played last season in the D-League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers after being kicked off the Georgia Tech basketball team last year. He was also the MVP of the D-League Finals and right now is all over the first round on various mock drafts.

Additionally, ProBasketballDraft.com reports the Spurs will work out North Carolina swingman Reggie Bullock. Bullock is a classic 3-and-D guy and would fill in as a back up to either Danny Green or Kawhi Leonard nicely. He's a projected late first round pick.

To sum up, what we're seeing so far is the Spurs are targeting back up shooting guards and small forwards right now, especially ones that can shoot. A lot of fans are probably wondering why they aren't looking at any bigs. They probably are, these are just the names we've heard so far. Teams get 18 interviews during the combine, so there's a pretty good chance your favorite big guy is getting a pretty good look.

Photo: SB Nation

By the numbers: A quick look at the Grizzlies

2013-05-17T16:00:00+00:00

The San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies will get the 2013 Western Conference Finals underway this weekend in San Antonio. Heading into the series, both the Spurs and Grizzlies look poised, sharp, and focused with both team dispatching the Warriors and Thunder respectively in the semifinals.

Let's take a quick look at some of the Grizzlies' stats during their run to the West Finals.

Overall

Through 11 postseason games, Memphis is shooting 43% from the field, 31% from the three-point line, 76% from the free-throw line, 40 rebounds per game, 19.5 assists, 10 turnovers, 7 steals and 4 blocks

3 up, 3 down on the road in the postseason

Memphis is 3-3 on the road in the postseason shooting 42% from the field, 29% from the three-point line, 74% from the free-throw line, grabbing 38 rebounds per game, 10 turnovers, 7.5 steals, 3.3 blocks, and averaging 93.8 points on the road

Splitting it at home

Both the Grizzlies and Spurs split their regular season series (2-2)

Grizzlies winless at the AT&T Center this season

In two losses at San Antonio this season, Memphis averaged 38% shooting, 20% shooting from the three-point line, 42 rebounds, 18 assists, 17.5 turnovers, 7 steals, 3.5 blocks, and 88.5 points

Double-trouble

Marc Gasol is averaged 51% shooting, 90% shooting from the free-throw line, 6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 14.5 points in four games versus San Antonio this regular season

Zach Randolph is averaging 36% shooting, 93% from the free-throw line, 10 rebounds, 1.5 assist, and 14.3 points

A Grizzlies visual shot chart to feast on

Ginobili won't participate 2014 FIBA World Cup qualifiers

2013-05-17T14:30:00+00:00

San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili will not participate in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain qualifiers according to Team Argentina head coach Julio Lamas (via elpatagonico.net).

What we do known in advance, is that neither Emanuel Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs, NBA) and Andres Nocioni (Labor Kutxa, Spain) and Leonardo Gutierrez (Peñarol de Mar del Plata) will not be in Venezuela between August 30 and September 11 for the 2014 World Cup in Spain.

Ginobili playing during the offseason has always brought mixed feelings from Spurs fans. Some feel he shouldn't play during the summer and rest for the next NBA season while others have no issues with him playing with Team Argentina seeing his desire to represent his home country as something to admire.

However, Manu isn't as young as he used to be (35 years old) and with the Spurs having a deep playoff run, Ginobili's suffering a few injuries this past regular season, and he admitting he may only have two more years left in the NBA, the choice was obvious that he just cannot put his body through an entire year of playing ball.

He has been in the NBA for 11 seasons, and has often played for Argentina in past postseasons either for Olympic qualifiers or the Olympics itself. Adding more miles to his often injury-riddled body would not be prudent if Manu does intend to play a couple of more years with San Antonio.

What do you think Spurs fans about Manu sitting out the 2014 World Cup?

Spurs eliminate Warriors, will face Grizzlies in Western Conference Finals

2013-05-17T06:07:22+00:00

19, 21, 19, 23.

Above are four random numbers. When put into the realm of basketball on Thursday, those numbers represent how many points the San Antonio Spurs allowed the Golden State Warriors to score in Game 6 in four consecutive quarters.

Like last season, the Spurs are one their way back to the Western Conference Finals after eliminating the Warriors 94-82. Unlike last year though, the Spurs have shown the ability to be a defensive force as they held the high scoring Warriors, who came into the series averaging 107 points per game in the playoffs, to 98 points in the series.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili struggled to score Thursday, but even though shots weren’t going in for them, they were going in for their teammates as five Spurs players finished scoring in double figures and Ginobili and Parker were responsible for 19 of the teams 27 assists.

"I want to congratulate the Warriors on a great season,” said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich after the game, “obviously a class organization."

The Warriors did just that, competed in the series, but stayed classy and professional. "Guys battled,” said Warriors coach Mark Jackson of his Warriors. “Guys gave me everything they had and we fought.”

The Spurs jumped out early on the Warriors and the game stayed within 10 points for the first half. The Spurs’ lead would rise to 13 in the second half, but the Warriors would get the lead down to less than five points early in the fourth quarter before the Spurs found answers to put the series away.

Tim Duncan led the charge in the first half scoring 13 of his 19 points. Duncan finished the game with three blocks but what was interesting was Popovich’s decision to pull Duncan from the game with four minutes remaining and allowing Tiago Splitter to finish the game.

Whether it was a situational use or Duncan was running out of fuel, Popovich said “I just made that choice," after the game on pulling Duncan. With Splitter playing 31 minutes he increased the Spurs’ defense and also allowed their pick-and-roll game to thrive. Splitter finished the night with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, always being an automatic target for Ginobili and Parker to find in pick-and-roll plays.

Kawhi Leonard chipped in with 16 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a huge dunk. But was most impressive about the second year player was his composure in the fourth quarter as helped deliver a late game 3-pointer that put the game away.

Danny Green’s job was to limit rookie Harrison Barnes as much as possible. He did just that as Barnes went 4-of-10 scoring nine points. Barnes left the game in the second quarter with a head injury but returned in the third quarter. After playing a stretch in the third, he was rested for the remainder of the game due to headaches. As for Green, he supplied the Spurs’ offense with 11 points and was a constant recipient of passes from Parker and Ginobili as he awaited his 3-of-4 three pointers.

"I was just tired,” said Parker after the game. “I think all the minutes caught up with me. Tonight I just didn't have it." Parker and Ginobili were both off Thursday combining to shoot 4-of-22 for 18 points. Ginobili did finish with 11 assists however.

As for Parker, he went into the fourth quarter having only scored three points through the first three quarters. With less than five minutes remaining in the fourth, he went on a scoring tear putting up 10 points to finish the game with 13 points. He said after the game his teammates and Popovich just kept pushing him to continue shooting and his shots eventually went in, as evidenced by two 3-pointers he made in the fourth quarter to put the Warriors away.

The defense was the one constant for the Spurs throughout the night as they held the Warriors to 39% shooting and 4-of-16 from 3-point range. Curry finished with 22 points but needed 25 shots. Jarrett Jack finished with 15 points on 12 shots. Klay Thompson 10 points on 12 attempts, and Carl Landry 11 points on eight heaves at the basket.

With San Antonio wrapping up their series against Golden State in six games, they will now have two days to prepare for the Memphis Grizzlies who will meet them in the Western Conference Finals on Sunday.

It will be a rematch from 2011, as the Grizzlies upset the Spurs in six games, but both teams look much different two years later. Popovich called the Grizzlies one of the best defensive teams left in the playoffs along with the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers. However, the Spurs too have made defense a strong part of their identity through this regular season and playoff run.

"This year we have another opportunity to go to the finals," said Parker of advancing to the Western Conference finals and facing the Grizzlies.

When Popovich was asked what it felt like to go back to the WCF in back-to-back years, he kept it simple. "It means that we're in the conference finals."

Matchup of the Game: Spurs vs. Warriors Game 6

2013-05-16T20:30:00+00:00

The matchup of the game for Game 6 between the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semi-Finals will be between Stephen Curry and the backcourt of the San Antonio Spurs.

While Stephen Curry has been slowed down by a second injury to his left ankle, it may be the defense that's helping keep him tamed on the offensive end. Even after Curry injured his ankle, he seemed to have gotten shots off and making them at an impressive rate with the exception of last game. He shot 1-7 from the 3-point arc last game while only scoring 9 points (4-14 FG). The Spurs have zoned in on him and kept him close after getting screens from his big men, but have also incorporated another aspect in the game that has made Curry a liability. The Spurs' Tony Parker, Danny Green, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard have made Stephen Curry work for the whole game and that will show in Game 6 also.

What the Spurs must do on offense:

This is the new strategy the Spurs are trying on Curry and that's making him move on defense. Mark Jackson's demands a collapse or a help on the main post up players and cutters (Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili). This means Curry has to try to "cheat" into helping in the paint and also try to recover on the shooter. This defensive scheme has Curry pushing off the ankle on either cheat or recover and that no doubt bothered him throughout Game 5. Coach Pop has also had Danny Green take the ball off the dribble, which has to further bother Curry in cheating in the paint, trying to recover to Green, then trying to defend him off the dribble. There were many times we saw the Golden State sharpshooter quit on defense and chasing Green, an obvious sign he's closer to hurting than healthy. We've seen him on Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili a few times and that's a matchup the Spurs need to expose more than the rest. Curry was seen reaching (with no foul call) in Game 5 because of his injury and the pick and roll is a perfect way to expose his defense. With a Parker or Ginobili pick and roll, Curry has to try to get over/under the screen and then try to defend the player horizontally on the ankle. The other advantage is if there's a switch on that end, where Curry would likely switch to Tim Duncan, Tiago Splitter, or Boris Diaw. They would post up Curry easily and he'd have to fight to get position with his lower body. That would again hurt his ankles more than usual, the same post up mentality Kawhi Leonard has had on him when he's had Curry on him.

What the Spurs must do on defense:

San Antonio can't match Golden State's shots from beyond the arc, but they can match them on two point shots. The Spurs' backcourt must go over the screen and make Curry drive. With rotations, they can be aggressive and counter layups and long range shots. With the Spurs' aggressiveness on defense, they'll be able to wear Curry out more on both ends of the floor without rest. Curry has been a great passer and shooter when he's been given room and a clean view of the basket, but he's been the opposite when the Spurs have kept him at arm's length to pressure and contest. The Spurs have also implemented a great defensive switch that rests players throughout the game on the court, which makes this matchup unique. The Spurs seemed to have settled with whatever guard is closest to Curry in transition will be the one guarding him. This relieves the duties of guarding Curry for Danny Green or the others for at least every other play on offense. The fresher feet causes trouble for Curry, who seems to be on fumes going into halftime.