Official San Antonio Spurs VS Memphis Grizzlies 1st Round Thread: MEM Win 4-2!

[airjordan jb23]

Looking forward to this one

 

[pmatic]

Things to keep an eye out on for tonight;

Questions loom as Spurs try to even series

The top seed in the Western Conference looks to pull even Wednesday. Here’s what I’ll be watching for in Game 2 of the Memphis-San Antonio series:

• Will Manu play?

We’ll start with the obvious question, because it’s the biggest one. As of now, Manu Ginobili is a game-time decision. It’s obvious to anyone who watches the Spurs that he changes the way they play. The Grizzlies successfully mucked up San Antonio’s top-shelf offense in Game 1. They took away some of the passing lanes to San Antonio’s three-point shooters, they fouled ball-handlers instead of allowing kick-out passes and they appeared to have San Antonio a bit off-balance. The Spurs missed some passes they’d normally make, and a team that averaged 21.1 threes per game in the regular season — seventh most in the league — attempted just 15 in Game 1.

Manu is a game-changer in this regard. He is San Antonio’s best option to navigate the lane on pick-and-roll plays (which worked quite well in the third quarter of Game 1), and he’s a pinpoint passer who can squeeze the ball through small spaces. Just as important: There might not be anyone better, outside of Chris Paul, at using hesitation dribbles, awkward steps and other timing gadgets to throw off defenses.

Lots of folks said before the series that the Spurs were better equipped than any other playoff team to exploit the Grizzlies’ tendency to gamble for steals and jump passing lanes. That kind of statement was based in large part on Ginobili’s presence. If he sees you leaning one way, you’re dead, and if you’re not leaning, he’ll get you off balance somehow — and create a passing lane or space for himself in the process. No one is better at thriving in the kind of chaos situations Memphis created in Game 1.

If Ginobili plays, Memphis’ Tony Allen will draw the defensive assignment. Allen will have to be very, very careful to avoid getting himself out of position and/or in foul trouble.

• The foul line

The Grizzlies fouled so often in Game 1, sending the Spurs to the line 47 times, that some experts wondered if perhaps they did so on purpose as a way of halting San Antonio’s dribble penetration before something really bad happened. In other words: Two free throws are better than a wide-open corner three.

The bigger story, to me, was that Memphis turned the Spurs into foul machines on the other end, and that seldom happens. The Spurs are annually one of the two or three least foul-prone teams in the league; only the Lakers allowed fewer three throws per shot attempt, and Los Angeles ended up as one of the least foul-prone teams in NBA history.

But San Antonio allowed 33 free throws and a free-throw rate (defined as free-throw attempts divided by field-goal attempts) of 49.3. How much of an outlier was that? The Spurs allowed a free-throw rate that high just once all season (against Denver) and hit the 35.0 mark just eight times. They allowed more than 30 free-throw attempts just four times in the regular season.

Both of these things figure to change in Game 2. Who benefits, and how? We’ll have to wait and see.

• San Antonio’s second big man

Random question: Will we see Tiago Splitter on Wednesday? We probably won’t, considering he has been on the edge of Gregg Popovich’s rotation all season, but it was clear in Game 1 that the Spurs cannot defend both Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol at once. Gasol outplayed Tim Duncan, and though Duncan said afterward that the attention he paid to Randolph may have helped Gasol, the fact remains that Gasol gave Duncan enough trouble one-on-one that San Antonio actually sent help a few times.

Randolph, though, is the bigger problem. The Spurs tried guarding him straight-up with Antonio McDyess. It didn’t work. They had DeJuan Blair try everything — fronting Randolph, giving him a three-quarter look and then playing behind him, trying to shove Randolph out of post position. None of it worked. Randolph killed them in the post and on a few pick-and-pop plays, finishing with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting.

The Spurs tried to sync up Matt Bonner’s playing time with that of Darrell Arthur, so that Bonner could guard someone who isn’t a post behemoth. But Duncan has to rest sometime, and Bonner ended up trying to guard Gasol early in the fourth quarter. It went how you’d guess — Memphis enjoyed a key mini-run, fueled entirely by Gasol’s dominance of that matchup.

You know Popovich will adjust, either by dividing up minutes in a different way or using some new defensive strategies.

• Shane Battier in the post

The Spurs love to use three-guard lineups, with or without Ginobili. Memphis showed in Game 1 that it is happy going to Battier in the post against those smaller San Antonio units. Battier has developed a useful jump hook he holds in reserve for just these situations. He’ll likely use it Wednesday because the Grizzlies need all the offense they can get from their perimeter guys.

• O.J. Mayo and the perimeter game

The Grizzlies made six three-pointers in Game 1. This is below-average production from deep for most teams, but it counts as a Magic-like explosion for Memphis, which averaged just 3.8 made threes in the regular season. The Grizzlies can’t beat the league’s elite consistently without at least a dollop of perimeter shooting, and that’s the role Mayo (3-of-4 from long range in the opener) has to play for them. Even the attention Mayo draws on the curl patterns he runs is valuable to the Grizzlies’ spacing. The more shots he makes, the more attention the Spurs must pay him.

• The pace

The Spurs and Grizzlies played at nearly the same league-average pace during the season, but they did so in different ways. The Grizzlies force a ton of turnovers and score in transition off them. The Spurs don’t force many turnovers (only three teams forced fewer per possession), but they run whenever Tony Parker sees an opportunity to do so. The Spurs, in an ideal world, would force the Grizzlies to play slowly when Memphis has the ball, while San Antonio would


Link

 

[pmatic]

Things to keep an eye out on for tonight;

Questions loom as Spurs try to even series

The top seed in the Western Conference looks to pull even Wednesday. Here’s what I’ll be watching for in Game 2 of the Memphis-San Antonio series:

• Will Manu play?

We’ll start with the obvious question, because it’s the biggest one. As of now, Manu Ginobili is a game-time decision. It’s obvious to anyone who watches the Spurs that he changes the way they play. The Grizzlies successfully mucked up San Antonio’s top-shelf offense in Game 1. They took away some of the passing lanes to San Antonio’s three-point shooters, they fouled ball-handlers instead of allowing kick-out passes and they appeared to have San Antonio a bit off-balance. The Spurs missed some passes they’d normally make, and a team that averaged 21.1 threes per game in the regular season — seventh most in the league — attempted just 15 in Game 1.

Manu is a game-changer in this regard. He is San Antonio’s best option to navigate the lane on pick-and-roll plays (which worked quite well in the third quarter of Game 1), and he’s a pinpoint passer who can squeeze the ball through small spaces. Just as important: There might not be anyone better, outside of Chris Paul, at using hesitation dribbles, awkward steps and other timing gadgets to throw off defenses.

Lots of folks said before the series that the Spurs were better equipped than any other playoff team to exploit the Grizzlies’ tendency to gamble for steals and jump passing lanes. That kind of statement was based in large part on Ginobili’s presence. If he sees you leaning one way, you’re dead, and if you’re not leaning, he’ll get you off balance somehow — and create a passing lane or space for himself in the process. No one is better at thriving in the kind of chaos situations Memphis created in Game 1.

If Ginobili plays, Memphis’ Tony Allen will draw the defensive assignment. Allen will have to be very, very careful to avoid getting himself out of position and/or in foul trouble.

• The foul line

The Grizzlies fouled so often in Game 1, sending the Spurs to the line 47 times, that some experts wondered if perhaps they did so on purpose as a way of halting San Antonio’s dribble penetration before something really bad happened. In other words: Two free throws are better than a wide-open corner three.

The bigger story, to me, was that Memphis turned the Spurs into foul machines on the other end, and that seldom happens. The Spurs are annually one of the two or three least foul-prone teams in the league; only the Lakers allowed fewer three throws per shot attempt, and Los Angeles ended up as one of the least foul-prone teams in NBA history.

But San Antonio allowed 33 free throws and a free-throw rate (defined as free-throw attempts divided by field-goal attempts) of 49.3. How much of an outlier was that? The Spurs allowed a free-throw rate that high just once all season (against Denver) and hit the 35.0 mark just eight times. They allowed more than 30 free-throw attempts just four times in the regular season.

Both of these things figure to change in Game 2. Who benefits, and how? We’ll have to wait and see.

• San Antonio’s second big man

Random question: Will we see Tiago Splitter on Wednesday? We probably won’t, considering he has been on the edge of Gregg Popovich’s rotation all season, but it was clear in Game 1 that the Spurs cannot defend both Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol at once. Gasol outplayed Tim Duncan, and though Duncan said afterward that the attention he paid to Randolph may have helped Gasol, the fact remains that Gasol gave Duncan enough trouble one-on-one that San Antonio actually sent help a few times.

Randolph, though, is the bigger problem. The Spurs tried guarding him straight-up with Antonio McDyess. It didn’t work. They had DeJuan Blair try everything — fronting Randolph, giving him a three-quarter look and then playing behind him, trying to shove Randolph out of post position. None of it worked. Randolph killed them in the post and on a few pick-and-pop plays, finishing with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting.

The Spurs tried to sync up Matt Bonner’s playing time with that of Darrell Arthur, so that Bonner could guard someone who isn’t a post behemoth. But Duncan has to rest sometime, and Bonner ended up trying to guard Gasol early in the fourth quarter. It went how you’d guess — Memphis enjoyed a key mini-run, fueled entirely by Gasol’s dominance of that matchup.

You know Popovich will adjust, either by dividing up minutes in a different way or using some new defensive strategies.

• Shane Battier in the post

The Spurs love to use three-guard lineups, with or without Ginobili. Memphis showed in Game 1 that it is happy going to Battier in the post against those smaller San Antonio units. Battier has developed a useful jump hook he holds in reserve for just these situations. He’ll likely use it Wednesday because the Grizzlies need all the offense they can get from their perimeter guys.

• O.J. Mayo and the perimeter game

The Grizzlies made six three-pointers in Game 1. This is below-average production from deep for most teams, but it counts as a Magic-like explosion for Memphis, which averaged just 3.8 made threes in the regular season. The Grizzlies can’t beat the league’s elite consistently without at least a dollop of perimeter shooting, and that’s the role Mayo (3-of-4 from long range in the opener) has to play for them. Even the attention Mayo draws on the curl patterns he runs is valuable to the Grizzlies’ spacing. The more shots he makes, the more attention the Spurs must pay him.

• The pace

The Spurs and Grizzlies played at nearly the same league-average pace during the season, but they did so in different ways. The Grizzlies force a ton of turnovers and score in transition off them. The Spurs don’t force many turnovers (only three teams forced fewer per possession), but they run whenever Tony Parker sees an opportunity to do so. The Spurs, in an ideal world, would force the Grizzlies to play slowly when Memphis has the ball, while San Antonio would


Link

 

[po2345]

Is there a thread for Game 2?

PO

 

[po2345]

Is there a thread for Game 2?

PO

 

[shoeking2101]

Let's hope memphis tonight is competent defensively, and that they compete defensively like they have been doing all season. They have controlled parker to an extent, and if that continues tonight, that will be awesome for the grizzlies. Manu probably will play, but Tony allen along with shane battier should be fine guarding ginobli.

If conley can play well, and make aggressive plays below the free throw line along with hitting the outside shot when avaliable, that'll be a major plus. Besides that, grizzlies play through randolph and gasol, make your perimeter open shots when they are there, and don't turn the ball over, they have an excellent shot at going up two in this series.

 

[shoeking2101]

Let's hope memphis tonight is competent defensively, and that they compete defensively like they have been doing all season. They have controlled parker to an extent, and if that continues tonight, that will be awesome for the grizzlies. Manu probably will play, but Tony allen along with shane battier should be fine guarding ginobli.

If conley can play well, and make aggressive plays below the free throw line along with hitting the outside shot when avaliable, that'll be a major plus. Besides that, grizzlies play through randolph and gasol, make your perimeter open shots when they are there, and don't turn the ball over, they have an excellent shot at going up two in this series.

 

[Mound Raised]

BHZ, wats the local station?
All I'm seein is stuff about the preds game

 

[Mound Raised]

BHZ, wats the local station?
All I'm seein is stuff about the preds game

 

[bhzmafia14]

For real?!i might have to catch it online. u checked foxsports and sports south?

 

[bhzmafia14]

For real?!i might have to catch it online. u checked foxsports and sports south?

 

[bhzmafia14]

For real?!i might have to catch it online. u checked foxsports and sports south?

 

[bhzmafia14]

For real?!i might have to catch it online. u checked foxsports and sports south?

 

[Mound Raised]

Yup

 

[Mound Raised]

Yup

 

[bigmike23]

fat boy just about killed manu

 

[bigmike23]

fat boy just about killed manu

 

[pmatic]

+*+@ I can't find a stream for this game. Streams keep getting directed to the Thunder-Nuggets game.

 

[pmatic]

+*+@ I can't find a stream for this game. Streams keep getting directed to the Thunder-Nuggets game.

 

[Mound Raised]

This some +*+%%%@ right here....link???

 

[Mound Raised]

This some +*+%%%@ right here....link???

 

[bhzmafia14]

check your PM. both of u

 

[bhzmafia14]

check your PM. both of u

 

[knightngale]

i need a pm too

im a grizz fan

 

[knightngale]

i need a pm too

im a grizz fan