Spurs: 107, Grizzlies: 97.
I was going to lead with an Alamo reference here, but what’s the point? It’s all been done, right?
The only guy that could have helped the Grizzlies last night would have been Davy Crockett himself, and he may have needed to ask Paul Bunyan and his huge blue ox to help double Tim Duncan on Thursday night.
I guess the Alamo-free zone lasted a whole sentence. So be it.
Duncan looked like the two-time MVP last night on his way to 28 points and 12 rebounds. More importantly, the Spurs reminded got back to the type of basketball that they like to play, something that was missing in their previous two games against the Jazz and Lakers.
The Grizzlies were left with a few questions, but ultimately, anytime you shoot 29% from the field in the 4th quarter, you need look no further as to why you lose a game. Let alone against one of the truly elite teams in the league.
Since closing the Spurs out in game 6 of the first round of the 2011 playoffs, the Grizzlies have dropped all four regular season meetings this year, on their way to being outscored by 38 points, including losing three games by double digits.
A contributing factor of the Grizzlies’ poor shooting night was an absurd 4-19 from three point range. The Grizzlies have never been known for their three point prowess, but that’s bad even for them.
The Grizzlies should not doubt whether they’re going to be able to compete with the elite teams in the league, as they’ve done that and went to the cusp of the Western Conference Finals last season and posted more wins over championship contenders in the past week than some teams have all season.
Still, San Antonio’s mastery of the Grizzlies has to be troubling, considering that Memphis will almost definitely see San Antonio at some point during the playoffs, whether it be the first round again (doubtful) or the Western Finals (hopeful!).
Anyone pointing to the Grizzlies’ win in round 1 last year should be careful as no two years are ever created equal. It’s true that Memphis could have won six straight in that series, they also could have lost any of the games, except the game 4 rout in FedEx Forum, when the Grizzlies won 104-86.
That’s just the nature of any division rivalry though, when teams meet so often, they get a feel and get comfortable playing another team. No team in the league can match the Spurs’ veteran savvy or championship experience for an entire roster and staff, but few teams in the league have as deep a bench or as versatile as roster as the Grizzlies. In a long series, there’s a place for all of those intangibles.
In the regular season, however, a game can usually be swung by something very simple: who needs the game more. Last night, it was the Spurs as they were coming off two straight losses and were at home. The Grizzlies played hard, of course, but after their recent hot streak, it would be hard for me to believe that Memphis approached last night’s game with as much intensity as the Spurs did.
I may not have mentioned it on this site before, but the Grizzlies can only go as far as Rudy Gay is able to take them. Against Dallas, the Clippers and Suns earlier in the week, Rudy took the Grizzlies far with three big home wins over playoff hopefuls, but shot just 7-22. The Spurs have always been able to make good players look average, especially on offense, but if the Grizzlies do see the Spurs in April, May or June, then it’s unlikely that Gay will find the road through San Antonio any easier.
In January, the Spurs held Rudy to a single point on 0-7 shooting in what has to be in the running for the worst game of his still-young career. The Spurs also held him to 9-26 shooting in the other game in Memphis.
As you may have heard by now, the Grizzlies didn’t have Rudy Gay for last year’s playoffs and his absence cost the team against Oklahoma City where Memphis really needed some athleticism and length. Nobody in the league can stop Kevin Durant, but Rudy Gay should have been able to at least bother him and was a threat to score anytime he was on the floor.
The other side of that coin is that maybe the Grizzlies never beat the Spurs in round 1 if Rudy had played. It’s exceedingly possible that the Grizzlies were better off with Shane Battier in that Rudy Gay role against San Antonio because of his defensive mentality and leadership. The Spurs like to slow the game down and keep scoring at a premium anyway, so if Battier saved the Grizzlies some points on defense, it would make up for what he didn’t do on offense.
I’m not sure if you ‘re a fan of playing the “what-if” game, but it may be my favorite thing ever. This edition of what-if is simple: if Rudy Gay never gets injured last season, it’s exceedingly possible that the Grizzlies miss the playoffs. Remember, they only made it as an 8 seed to begin with, and Rudy’s injury opened the door for Tony Allen to play a lot of minutes, and the Grizzlies brought Shane Battier back to the place that he started his career as a rookie.
I don’t totally believe all of that, as Rudy is a very talented player, and seems like he legitimately cares about the proceedings on the floor, most of the time. That said, the Grizzlies really came together and discovered an identity as a team last year without him and to his credit, he’s tried his very best to fit in this year.
The moral of the story is this: last year is over and the 2012 edition of the Spurs looks like they will very much decide who represents the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. The amazing thing about the NBA is that any given regular season game can change your opinion of a team.
After winning in Oklahoma City, I was sure that the Grizzlies would make the Western finals, and my thoughts were confirmed after beating the Clippers at home. It’s only natural to be high after wins and down after losses, but it seems that the Grizzlies have a very real hurdle ahead of them in the San Antonio Spurs in what could be the San Antonio dynasty’s last stand.
The Grizzlies have time, but if they truly have their sights set on winning a world championship, they will almost definitely have to figure out how to get past the Spurs.