duncan228
01-02-2009, 02:20 AM
Grizzlies’ growth means Spurs don’t take foe lightly (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Grizzlies_growth_means_Spurs_dont_take_foe_lightly .html)
Jeff McDonald
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Like many people, the Spurs spent New Year’s Eve looking back.
They used their final film session of 2008 to review what went wrong in their last game of the year that was, a 100-98 home loss to Milwaukee on Dec. 30.
The Spurs did not waste much film time previewing their first game of 2009, scheduled for tonight at Memphis. They didn’t have to.
Having faced Memphis three times this season already, and with the most recent meeting just 6 days old, the Spurs feel like they know the Grizzlies almost as well as they know themselves.
“It almost feels like a playoff series,” Spurs center Matt Bonner said. “We’ve played them so many times in such a short span.”
This isn’t a playoff series, of course. The 10-22 Grizzlies are in last place in the Southwest Division. The only way they are likely to see the postseason up-close this year is with a subscription to NBA League Pass.
If this were the playoffs, Memphis would be on the verge of getting swept. The Spurs are 3-0 against the Grizzlies this season, heading into the final meeting between the two teams.
Flirting with first place in the division, it would be easy for the Spurs to look past this trip to Memphis and ahead to more important things. The Grizzlies, however, abandoned all hope of being overlooked last week at the AT&T Center.
Led by über-gifted rookie guard O.J. Mayo — one of four Memphis starters boasting three seasons of NBA experience or less — the Grizzlies pushed the Spurs into not one, but two overtimes on their home floor Saturday night.
The Spurs couldn’t lay claim to their third vanquishing of the Grizzlies — by a 106-103 score — until one last defensive stand against Mayo in the final seconds.
After coming about as close as they could to beating the Spurs without actually doing it, the Grizzlies looked to the future. Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni pointed to the loss as a possible turning point for his cadre of 20-somethings.
“(The Spurs) know how to win,” Mayo said. “Mostly, at this point, we’re still learning how to win. Which is OK.”
With the two teams slated to kick off the New Year tonight at the FedEx Forum, the Spurs are hoping the Grizzlies haven’t learned too much since Saturday.
Aside from a couple days of stubble growth, it is unlikely either team has changed noticeably in the interim.
“They have a lot of talent,” Bonner said. “When they get their confidence going, they can hang with anyone.”
Of all the players to don a Memphis uniform, that seems to apply most readily to the 21-year-old Mayo.
Mayo left USC after one college season to become the third overall pick in the June draft. He has already justified the Grizzlies’ faith in him, leading all NBA rookies in scoring at 19.9 per game.
He has averaged better than 29 points in three games against the Spurs, more than against any other team in the league he’s seen more than once. He had 32 in Saturday’s double-OT affair.
Paired with third-year gunner Rudy Gay — whose buzzer-beater two Decembers ago earned Memphis its last victory against the Spurs — it gives the Grizzlies an explosive one-two scoring punch.
“He’s a good mid-range shooter,” said Spurs forward Bruce Bowen, who is likely to see time defending Mayo. “He understands how to get his shot off. He’s not a typical rookie.”
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, aren’t a typical last-place team.
“Memphis is a young, athletic and deep team,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They play everybody tough.”
The Spurs, in the midst of a playoff series that isn’t, don’t need to watch film on the Grizzlies to arrive at that conclusion.
All they have to do is dig into their not-so-distant memory banks. Yes, the Spurs know the Grizzlies well.
“But vice versa, they know us pretty well, too,” Bonner said. “When that happens, you can look forward to a tough game.”
Jeff McDonald
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Like many people, the Spurs spent New Year’s Eve looking back.
They used their final film session of 2008 to review what went wrong in their last game of the year that was, a 100-98 home loss to Milwaukee on Dec. 30.
The Spurs did not waste much film time previewing their first game of 2009, scheduled for tonight at Memphis. They didn’t have to.
Having faced Memphis three times this season already, and with the most recent meeting just 6 days old, the Spurs feel like they know the Grizzlies almost as well as they know themselves.
“It almost feels like a playoff series,” Spurs center Matt Bonner said. “We’ve played them so many times in such a short span.”
This isn’t a playoff series, of course. The 10-22 Grizzlies are in last place in the Southwest Division. The only way they are likely to see the postseason up-close this year is with a subscription to NBA League Pass.
If this were the playoffs, Memphis would be on the verge of getting swept. The Spurs are 3-0 against the Grizzlies this season, heading into the final meeting between the two teams.
Flirting with first place in the division, it would be easy for the Spurs to look past this trip to Memphis and ahead to more important things. The Grizzlies, however, abandoned all hope of being overlooked last week at the AT&T Center.
Led by über-gifted rookie guard O.J. Mayo — one of four Memphis starters boasting three seasons of NBA experience or less — the Grizzlies pushed the Spurs into not one, but two overtimes on their home floor Saturday night.
The Spurs couldn’t lay claim to their third vanquishing of the Grizzlies — by a 106-103 score — until one last defensive stand against Mayo in the final seconds.
After coming about as close as they could to beating the Spurs without actually doing it, the Grizzlies looked to the future. Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni pointed to the loss as a possible turning point for his cadre of 20-somethings.
“(The Spurs) know how to win,” Mayo said. “Mostly, at this point, we’re still learning how to win. Which is OK.”
With the two teams slated to kick off the New Year tonight at the FedEx Forum, the Spurs are hoping the Grizzlies haven’t learned too much since Saturday.
Aside from a couple days of stubble growth, it is unlikely either team has changed noticeably in the interim.
“They have a lot of talent,” Bonner said. “When they get their confidence going, they can hang with anyone.”
Of all the players to don a Memphis uniform, that seems to apply most readily to the 21-year-old Mayo.
Mayo left USC after one college season to become the third overall pick in the June draft. He has already justified the Grizzlies’ faith in him, leading all NBA rookies in scoring at 19.9 per game.
He has averaged better than 29 points in three games against the Spurs, more than against any other team in the league he’s seen more than once. He had 32 in Saturday’s double-OT affair.
Paired with third-year gunner Rudy Gay — whose buzzer-beater two Decembers ago earned Memphis its last victory against the Spurs — it gives the Grizzlies an explosive one-two scoring punch.
“He’s a good mid-range shooter,” said Spurs forward Bruce Bowen, who is likely to see time defending Mayo. “He understands how to get his shot off. He’s not a typical rookie.”
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, aren’t a typical last-place team.
“Memphis is a young, athletic and deep team,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They play everybody tough.”
The Spurs, in the midst of a playoff series that isn’t, don’t need to watch film on the Grizzlies to arrive at that conclusion.
All they have to do is dig into their not-so-distant memory banks. Yes, the Spurs know the Grizzlies well.
“But vice versa, they know us pretty well, too,” Bonner said. “When that happens, you can look forward to a tough game.”