So, after the Spurs made me lose sleep with photo finsihes in their last two games, I decided yesterday would be a good day to climb Camelback Mountain for the first time. Oops. My eyes are half closed as I'm writing this due to exhaustion, and I split my knee open on a rock during the climb back down.
What does that have to do with basketball? Absolutely nothing. But seeing Manu will the team to victory in two consecutive games served as a bit of inspiration for getting. it. done. Let's hope the good times keep rolling tonight.
Hack preview, after the jump.
Today's preview music is in a slightly different vein than my last few selections, but I think more people will like this one. Enjoy a classic track by a classic group:
Let's do it.
 San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies Where: AT&T Center When: 11/18/2010, 7:30 PM Spurs Time - Timezone Converter Watch: CW 35, SportSouth
By the Numbers
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Lineups
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Lineups
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Matchup Analysis
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Starters
PG: Conley is finally having a good enough year to somewhat live up to the potential he showed in college. That said, Tony is flat-out dominating this year. Edge to Frenchy, but not by much.
SG: I'm a little disappointed by Mayo's move to the bench, but Henry's spot in the starting lineup is really questionable. Dude was drafter as a shooter, and is shooting 11.8% from the arc. Yowsers. Meanwhile, Manu is going to Manu all over the Grizz tonight.
SF: I love RJ 2.0, but he's got one hell of a handful to deal with tonight. His D on Melo the other night was exceptional, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt here. Some corner threes would be lovely tonight, RJ.
PF: DeJuan seems to have recovered nicely from the slump he was in to start the year, and we're going to need every bit of his energy against a consistent 20-10 threat in Randolph.
C: Gasol is a fine young center, but he's contending with Timmeh tonight.
Bench
Other than Mayo, the Grizz bench is pretty bad. On top of that, Mayo's had trouble adjusting to his new role, and hasn't really been himself. Meanwhile, the BAM keeps rolling, as evidenced by the fact that they led the comeback against Denver the other night.
Coaching
Lionel Hollin's bring-Mayo-off-the-bench strategy has a lot of folks scratching their heads, and it hasn't yielded good results so far either. Meanwhile, Pop's got the Spurs off to their best 25 game start EVER.(by a two game margin, even)
Intangibles
As I write this, the Grizz are down 43-17 to Houston. Ouch. Meanwhile, we have a 7-game win streak.
Mojo
Pretty sure the Manu count is at: Spurs 1, Grizzlies 0
Prediction
Spurs get an important division win, and this time they don't try to give the game away.
Key(s) to the Game
Quality Ball Movement - "Quality" because the Grizz are very, very good at forcing turnovers. If our guys make good decisions with the ball, their defense is bad enough to take advantage of.
Other Reading
Spurs
Grizzlies
Straight Outta Vancouver(SB Nation)
Following Along
TV
CW 35, SportSouth
Radio
WOAI 1200AM; Audio League Pass[streaming]
Online
As always, NBA league pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Almost every Spurs game 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. You can also shoot an email to poundingtherockmail@yahoo.com(IMPORTANT: Please include your PtR username in the email for reference) for further assistance.