This matchup is not as close as many predict...if rudy gay was around I would be scared but pop will game plan to make the grizzles shoot..and the spurs to rebound at full strength and beat the grizz in the half court which they can easily do...parker didn't play I think 2 of the games, duncan one game, and ginobili one game...they did send the spurs to overtime one of the games but spurs were up big and had a huge mental breakdown...if manu comes back I think it will be 5 games the most, if not it will maybe be 6...
Going to 6 games is as close as you can get in terms of matchup (other than going the full 7). The Grizz might not have Gay but that doesn't mean Randolph can't/won't go ballistic on the Spurs. I can honestly see him doing what Amare did to San Antonio in the playoffs those years when he was in Phoenix. As long as Gasol can man the paint and Tony Allen keeps Manu from going bonkers, Grizzlies has a good chance to upset IMO.
I haven't decided yet. Depends on Ginobilli's health and how guys like Gary Neal, George Hill and Matt Bonner light it up. I want to pick the Grizzlies because of the roll they were on, but late season surges can come to nothing in the 1st round of the playoffs. Chemistry-wise, it's also possible the tanking may work against them. I'm going to wait until Saturday to post my prediction on this one.
They sure did but people say they did it to avoid the Lakers but if they won out they would have faced Dallas in the 3-6 matchup and they have had success against Dallas this year. I want to pick Memphis in this series but I'm going to say San Antonio in 6 but I hope I'm wrong.
If you had seen that last game they played, where literally Tony, Manu where injured playing all out to try to beat us, then you might realize that the spurs, while having heroic pride, their time might have passed. I respect the spurs a lot, but they can't battle a motivated, young grizzlies team in a tough series as this is going to be. It is going to be a war, very physical type of series that is going to take a lot out of the spurs and they know it. I'll I'm saying is don't beat the farm on the spurs surviving this series. But I do respect the spurs a lot.
Remember what happened last year. The Spurs used all their energy to take the Mavs down in the 1st round and had nothing left. Your team will get their best shot. If the Spurs advance, I believe their 2nd round opponent could feast on them. Charles Barkley is right this time. I agree they are past tense. If the Grizzlies bring their "A" game, they have a very good chance of winning this series decisively. It's just the playoffs are weird sometimes and regular season stuff doesn't always carry over. Fortunately, the Grizzlies have some veteran players who've been there before.
Yeah, the spurs are going to have it tough, against possibly the most physical team in the west. I've seen the spurs execute like a well-oiled machine in the fourth quarter of games and veteran teams are always a threat to put it together and muster one last run, but the grizzlies have 2 guys that are highly motivated to succeed, Zach and Tony. The key to this series though is Mike Conley. If he keeps it together and plays parker at least even and doesn't make mistakes down the stretch, the grizzlies will come away with a victory. FT % will also play a role, because the grizzlies have been known to dog a lot of free throws down the stretch of games.
100% agree on Conley. He has to put it together and play well unless the Spurs are just ready to roll over. But I don't have much faith he will be consistent over the series. I also think Pop is 10x the coach Lionel Hollins is. Z-Bo and Tony Allen will be the steady veterans for your team. They need to set a "take no prisoners" tone from tipoff to final buzzer. clippy, I think it's safe to say the Grizzlies won't get swept this time.
I think they'll win one but I wouldn't be shocked if it was as sweep. The Spurs have been basically coasting for a month. They were a juggernaut when they were trying. People seriously underestimate them. Of course, if Manu is injured, all bets are off.
