Game Previews

Round 1, Game 2 Preview: Grizz 1 - Spurs 0

By Big50 Updated Apr 20, 2011, 5:00am CDT

I think we've had enough of this particularly goofy looking Spaniard. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

So that first game could have gone a lot better. That said the Spurs had their chances. After Bonner hit two straight threes, Hill had a wide open look from the corner that he missed and of course Jefferson missed his game tying attempt at the buzzer. So the big question is will Manu be back for this game? I guess the second big question is if Manu is back will he really be BACK? Time will tell on both counts. Early stories are saying Manu is doubtful for tonight's game.

We shall see if Obi Wan Ginobili will get the green light tonight.

Enough of this "we could have won" stuff. The Blame Game has been in full swing over the last few days. Let's take a look at our contestants:
Matt Bonner.

What he did wrong: Played like Matt Bonner on defense and only made two 3-pointers while shooting 50%. He was a measly 6-6 from the free-throw line. Clearly the guy holding the sign in the picture doesn't realize how liable Bonner is for the Game 1 loss. Blame Points: 3 of 10

via assets.gearlive.com

DeJuan Blair.

What he did wrong: Simply grab 5 offensive rebounds and manage to have a team leading +/- of +8. He didn't score in double digits or even have a highlight dunk. Clearly the Pitt product is off his game. Blame Points: 3 of 10

Tony Parker.

What he did wrong: Frenchie McWonderbutt didn't shoot well, but he lead the team in scoring. He was 2nd on the team with a +/- of +6. He only had five dimes and only kept the Spurs in the game in the 3rd quarter with parade of free-throws. Clearly Parker is the biggest bum of all. Blame Points: 4 of 10

So based on those numbers, here's the chart for who should be blamed:

see more Funny Graphs

I was going to actually post the song, but it's awful. See for yourself.

A real song to get you pumped up:

On to the preview:

Western Conference Playoffs
Round 1 - Game 2
***************
Memphis Grizzlies @ San Antonio Spurs
Where: AT&T Center
When: 04/20/2011, 7:30 PM Spurs Time - Timezone Converter
Watch: FSSW / NBATV

By the Numbers

Data sources:
hoopdata.com | basketball-reference.com

Category	Offense (rank)	Defense (rank)
Efficiency Rating	109.4 (2nd)	102.8 (11th)
Rebound %	24.9 (21st)	74.6 (11th)
Field Goal %	47.5 (4th)	45.6 (12th)
3-Point %	39.7 (1st)	36.7 (22nd)
Free Throw %	76.7 (14th)	76.6 (18th)
Turnover %	12.8 (7th)	12.6 (7th)
Assist %	58.3 (14th)	53.9 (3rd)

Category	Offense (rank)	Defense (rank)
Efficiency Rating	104.4 (16th)	102.5 (8th)
Rebound %	28.9 (6th)	72.5 (21st)
Field Goal %	47.1 (6th)	45.7 (13th)
3-Point %	33.4 (27th)	36.9 (24th)
Free Throw %	75 (23rd)	76.1 (11th)
Turnover %	13 (10th)	15.7 (1st)
Assist %	52.8 (29th)	58.1 (17th)

Lineups

Starters
PG: Tony Parker
SG: Manu Ginobili (?)
SF: Richard Jefferson
PF: Antonio McDyess
C: Tim Duncan

Key Bench Players
Gary Neal
DeJuan Blair
Matt Bonner
George Hill
Danny Green

Lineups

Starters
PG: Mike Conley
SG: Tony Allen
SF: Sam Young
PF: Zach Randolph
C: Marc Gasol

Key Bench Players
O.J. Mayo
Shane Battier
Darrell Arthur
Greivis Vasquez
Hamed Haddadi

Matchup Analysis


	Point Guard
	Shooting Guard
	Small Forward
	Power Forward
	Center
	Bench
	Coach
	Intangibles
	Mojo
	Winner

Starters

PG: Parker needs to dominate ~~Fisher~~ Conley. Conley and the Memphis defense did a number on Frenchie McWonderbutt for a large portion of Game 1. I'm looking for Parker to shake off his Blame Game participation and have a solid Game 2.

SG: If Manu is back then the Spurs will like this match up. Allen is an emotional player and Manu should be able to take advantage of that. Cubits will need to play like he did in the 2nd half of Game 1 especially if Manu is out.

SF: Rage play really well on Sunday. Despite missing the last shot of the game, Jefferson was agressive and shot the ball really well. In fact, if his percentages stay the same, he needs to shoot more. If RJ continues to play well, I like the Spurs chances even more.

PF: Randolph is a beast. He's too strong for McDyess, especially if they're calling the game the way they did on Sunday. McDyess should bounce back and be able to use his range and quickness to his advantage. Blair should also match up with Randolph a lot and he did pretty well despite the weak sauce he was bringing at the rim.

C: Duncan has got this. Gasol had a solid game for the Grizz in Game 1, but mostly due to Timmeh's help defense. If the other bigs can contain Randolph a little better I see Gasol's numbers dropping. Also, I'd like to see Duncan get the ball more later in the game. Memphis cannot stop him. Need proof? Check out how their coach is trying to get out of the hole he dug his team.

Bench

This should be a strength for the Spurs. It wasn't in Game 1. Gary Neal will need to be a little more efficient with his shooting and hopefully Hill will rejoin this group to help bolster the bench. Memphis will run Mayo, Battier and Arthur all of whom gave the Spurs trouble. I hope to see a big improvement from the 2nd unit.

Coaching

The playoffs are where coaches really earn their pay. We know Pop will adjust, what will Hollins do?

Intangibles

Memphis' size and physicality still causes the Spurs problems. The Spurs will need to use IQ to solve the physical disadvantage.

Mojo

The Grizzlies get their first playoff win. They will have the mojo, but for how long?

Prediction

If Manu plays, the Spurs win. If he doesn't, the Spurs win.

Key to the Game

Rebounding - San Antonio did a pretty good job in Game 1 by limiting the Grizz to only 5 offensive boards. They'll need to continue to do that in order to have success.

Ball Movement - The Spurs MUST have better ball movement. The offense got too stagnent too often on Sunday. Look for Parker and the other guards to have better overall movement to help out the ball movement.

Threes - Memphis shot 60% from downtown in Game 1. That has got to stop. The Spurs were a very nice 40%. The Spurs need to get more open looks and knock them down, while also not allowing the Grizzlies 3 shooters open looks from outside.

Following Along

NBA TV and Fox Sports Southwest

Radio

WOAI 1200AM; Audio League Pass[streaming]

Online

League Pass doesn't stream playoff games, so those of us stateside are on our own if we can't catch the TV broadcast.

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