Game Preview #39: San Antonio Spurs @ Memphis Grizzlies
by Tim C. on Jan 16, 2010 2:09 AM CST
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Just when we thought things were really lining up.
The Spurs pretty much passed out last night - they have occasional blackouts, when nobody remembers anything that happened once they wake up the next day. Wow, what a hangover. And today, they face the dreaded FOGAFINI. Even better news: The team they face tonight is much better than the one they lost to last night. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Hang on, we're going to experience some turbulence.
 San Antonio Spurs @ Memphis Grizzlies Where: FedEx Forum - Memphis, TN When: January 15, 2010; 7:00 PM Spurs time Watch: FSN Southwest
How They Stack Up
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Matchups
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 Tony Parker Plantain Fascination |
Point Guard Conley's a pretty good point guard, and might be a top-5 offensive PG if he was on a team with less scorers. Tony is Tony, injured or not. Advantage: Spurs |
 Mike Conley Not Tony |
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 Manu Ginobili FSM's son |
Shooting Guard This isn't a slight to Mayo, whose game compares reasonably well to that of Manu. We'll count on Keith Bogans to try to quiet him down early on, before unleashing Manu on them. Manu gets the edge for his incredible passing and playmaking. Advantage: Spurs |
 O.J. Mayo Excellent Sophomore |
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 Richard Jefferson Unfairly Maligned |
Small Forward Just like the above matchup wasn't a slight on Mayo, this isn't a slight on RJ - he's been fitting in much better as of late. Rudy Gay is that good, and he does almost everything very well. As far as Western Conference small forwards go, only Carmelo is better. I need to see some defense out there tonight, Rage. Anything you can provide on offense is just icing on the cake. Advantage: Grizz |
 Rudy Gay Leader of the Grizz |
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 Tim Duncan What year is it? |
Power Forward We all know Timmy's been having a career year this season, putting up mind-blowing per minute numbers, and looking as spry as he did 5 years ago. Guess who else is having a career year, and even being unselfish about it? Z-Bo looks like a completely different player these days, and that means the trade that Memphis made for him looks genius, not nearly as terrible as some people initially thought. Advantage: Tied |
 Zach Randolph Z-Bo Lives |
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 DeJuan Blair 37th Pick - LOL |
Center This is a completely unfair matchup. Gasol and Randolph get after rebounds as eagerly as DeJuan does, and they're both tall enough and skilled enough on offense to make things really difficult for him. DeJuan may end up having a short night, because these guys could easily put him in foul trouble. I'm still interested in Thabeetdown part 2, if that can be arranged. Advantage: Grizz |
 Marc Gasol Might be better than Pau |
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 George Hill Freed |
Bench & Role Players Between Young, DeMarre Carroll, Thabeet, Tinsley, and Marcus Williams(the other one), Memphis actually has a pretty strong bench. Other than George, our role players haven't exactly inspired confidence as of late. Statistically, we have the #1 bench in the league, but it sure hasn't seemed that way. Advantage: Tied |
 Sam Young DeJuan's Homeboy (36th pick - LOL) |
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 Gregg Popovich Doesn't Suck |
CoachSmallball ain't gonna work tonight, Pop. PLEASE don't try it. Advantage: Spurs |
 Lionel Hollins eh? |
| images via yahoo.com | ||
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Other Factors
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Intangibles |
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FOGAFINI for us, SEGABABA for them. Advantage: Tied |
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Mojo |
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Grizz won by 25 last night. Spurs had their worst loss of the season. Advantage: Grizz |
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Winner: |
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| Because the last two time I predicted a loss, I was wrong. Good for the mojo to continue doing so. And yesterday, somebody predicted a win, a prediction which lead to a Spurs loss. Also, Memphis is playing incredible basketball as of late. |
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Keys To The Game
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Strength of ScheduleThis is the final game of the dreaded FOGAFINI, and third in a row on the road. The Spurs' day off tomorrow may not be as much of a break as you think either, since they have a very early start time Monday against New Orleans. Luckily for us, this is a SEGABABA for the Grizz, too. Last Time They MetHow is it that we're having our very first game against one of our division opponents almost halfway through the season? It's a realy head scratcher. Even stranger is that these teams haven't faced each other in more than a full year, with the Spurs winning the last contest 91-80 on January 2, 2009. |
Some Other ReadingGrizzliesStraight Outta Vancouver - Here you'll find the SBN site for the Grizz, where djturtleface does everything himself. That guy must have a death wish to do so much. Spurs48 Minutes of Hell: The best TrueHoop team blog is now even better, after adding two new writers. Congrats to Jesse and Andrew, who are already doing good work. |
Where to Tune In
TVThis game will be aired on Fox Sports SW in San Antonio, and apparently not on TV in Memphis at all. If you have cable or satellite, you'll have to look up your individual channel. And of course, there's always League Pass for the haves. For the have nots, read on. OnlineAs always, NBA League Pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Most Spurs games will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area. Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email to dmenendez@gmail.com for more assistance. NBA League Pass audio is still free this year, so check it out. RadioIf you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM). |
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Comments
Lionel looks a little like Doc Rivers in that photo….
Memphis, MUCH better than Charlotte..?
...Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is forty five.
Nice recap, but I kindly beg to differ about Memphis and Charlotte. True, the Grizz have a much better offense along with two more wins…but the Robertcats have an infinitely better Defense . And they are actually ranked one slot higher on Hollingers power ranking( for what thats worth, but hey, that same Hollinger ranking has the Spurs ranked third in the league.So it cant be all bad =P. )
...Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is forty five.
I only found one mistake in this preview. You took out the “Tony needs to dominate Fisher” part.
That’s a great link to the FanShot of the Zach Randolph trade. I’m still not sure why they made the trade, but you are right, Zach is playing well for them. He even has some blocks this year.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Jan 16, 2010 4:04 AM CST reply actions
The Grizzlies are much better than the Bobcats? I haven’t seen Memphis play this year, but I find that hard to believe. When Boris Diaw plays the way that he did last night, the Bobcats are a very dangerous team. It will be interesting to see how we do tonight, as we’ll see the Grizzlies several more times. It’s quite something that each team in the Southwest division has won at least 52% of their games.
i'm baaaaaaaaaaaack
assuming my body clock doesn’t screw with me, i will be in the game thread!
free george hill!
by sleep research facility on Jan 16, 2010 5:32 AM CST reply actions
::tumbleweed::
free george hill!
by sleep research facility on Jan 16, 2010 5:33 AM CST up reply actions
yeah yeah, don’t all applaud at once.
free george hill!
by sleep research facility on Jan 16, 2010 5:33 AM CST up reply actions
wow this is just like riding a bike, once you learn you never forget!
free george hill!
by sleep research facility on Jan 16, 2010 5:33 AM CST up reply actions
Welcome, man. There, if it makes you feel better.
by silverandblack_davis on Jan 16, 2010 7:13 AM CST up reply actions
you made my day. which considering its now 32 hours long since i got up, is saying something. i’m attacking my jet lag head-on.
free george hill!
by sleep research facility on Jan 16, 2010 7:24 AM CST up reply actions
The concept of jet lag is overrated.
I’m missing the game thread because I was forced to join this 3K run in an effort to get my lazy ass into shape. On a Sunday. I’ll try to catch up if I can though.
by silverandblack_davis on Jan 16, 2010 8:54 AM CST up reply actions
I'm back too
Not that you give a shit.
However, I am making the 2 hour drive to Memphis tonight and we (myself, my wife, and my brother) are attending the game. Woo hoo! My first Spurs game since we lost to Orlando at home last winter.
Provided the Spurs don’t play like they did last night and throw me into a violent depression, I’ll come by tomorrow and try to do a live recap of sorts as a fan post. We’ll see if I still have the huevos to submit my thoughts for the consumption and criticism of the masses of people who now roam PtR.
I'm comfortable winning -- Emmanuel Ginobili
Welcome! Did you see the G2G post? Come to the Chicago game, man. :)
Bone breaking? -340
Dunkin' Cheerleaders
He’s like a 10-hour drive away. You know how I know this? Because he’s not in Texas.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Jan 16, 2010 11:00 AM CST up reply actions
Wayne’s mistake is funny, but then someone said this:
I think it makes sense for the Clips. Not so much for the Grizz.
I guess you both make mistakes. Unlike me.
Bone breaking? -340
Dunkin' Cheerleaders
Randolph deserves to be voted in as an all star. He’s been playing unbelievable and winning. He proved a lot of people wrong and is playing team ball, but one of the players not getting enough credit for the Grizzlies being a team this year is OJ Mayo. The guy’s become one of the glue guys, along with Gasol of that team. He’s focusing on play making and defense a lot more, and not worried about finding his shots as much as last year. Gasol and him are IMO the two best players on that team, and even although Gasol has gotten a lot of credit, Mayo has somehow been a little overlooked in that department.
Anyways, great recap Tim. This one looks like it’ll be really tough. Hopefully our depth can help us grind this one out since both teams played last night.
When the tooth fairy's own tooth falls out, it is taken during the night by Princess Peanut.
Wait, if we play the NOOCH on Monday, doesnt’ that mean we have two THIGAFONIS in this stretch? First it was Lakers-Thunder-One day of rest-Bobcats. Now, if you count from last game, it’s Bobcats-Grizzlies-One day of rest- NOOCH.
As Metalocalypse would say, that’s brutal.
"Under the tutelage....of Randy Tutelage"
What happened to NI? (FIGASENI?) Or is the Nooch game an afternoon one?
by silverandblack_davis on Jan 17, 2010 9:24 AM CST up reply actions
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