Spurs at Grizzlies Game Three Previews

[duncan228]

Game Three is Saturday, 6:30 CST on ESPN nationally.

Preview is also out with another headline.

Grizzlies eager now series with Spurs best of 5 (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-spurs-grizzlies)


San Antonio at Memphis (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2011042329)
Tipoff: 7:30 pm EDT Sat Apr 23, 2011
TV: ESPN, FSTN
By Teresa M. Walker

Grizzlies guard Tony Allen says the sellout crowd Saturday night can expect Memphis’ FedExForum to be turned into the Grindhouse.

The series is tied with top-seeded San Antonio, and Allen says the plan is to make the Spurs work for everything they get in Game 3.

“I like how the referees have been calling the games the last two games,” Allen said after practice Friday. “They’ve been letting us actually go out and you know play backyard basketball. Surprised me, but I love it, so it could be a physical game again. I’m looking forward to joining in.”

Allen defines backyard basketball as pulling, grabbing and scratching. He can point to his left forearm where someone’s nail dug into his flesh.

Fans are hoping to see the Grizzlies add to their first postseason win with their first playoff victory at home. Allen said the Grizzlies must focus on correcting their mistakes and getting the loose balls they missed in Wednesday night’s loss 93-87 in San Antonio. That includes doing a better job keeping Spurs guard Manu Ginobili off the free throw line.

Ginobili scored 17 points Wednesday night in his first game back with a sprained right elbow, and he was 7 of 13 at the line.

“We’ve just got to be more disciplined down the stretch and take care of the ball,” Allen said.

If this already physical series ramps up even more, guard Tony Parker insists the Spurs are ready for what should be a lot of fun.

“It’s going to be a great game with a lot of intensity,” Parker said. “It’s going to be very physical, and they play very well at home. It’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

Parker said the Spurs are feeling confident. Ginobili’s return, plus how San Antonio smothered Memphis center Marc Gasol and power forward Zach Randolph in the paint with double-teams certainly helped. The Spurs practiced Friday in San Antonio before flying to Memphis.

The Grizzlies are very comfortable at home, having won 30 games here this season. Shane Battier, who sealed Game 1 with his timely 3-pointer, knows from personal experience with Memphis’ first playoff team how amped up the fans will be this time around. He expects fans to unleash years of frustration Saturday night.

“It’s a whole different story. Last time Game 3 was make or break. We all know how that ended,” Battier said of a Spurs’ win on their way to a sweep. “We’re in a five-game series now. For all intents and purposes, it’s 0-0, and the first team to win three games wins the series.”

Ginobili said the Spurs know what it takes to get a win on the road in the postseason—they’ve done it before.

“And this is no different. We got to go there and try to get one. It’s going to be tough because they play hard on the road, and not even at home, where their fans aren’t backing them up,” Ginobili said. “So we’re going to have to play better and harder and make a few shots.”

The foul calls could be the determining factor.

San Antonio has gone to the free throw line more than Memphis in each of the first two games with 79 fouls called on the Grizzlies compared to 53 for the Spurs.

Grizzlies guard Mike Conley said he plans to work harder to keep Parker or Ginobili from drawing fouls against him while driving to the basket. Battier had another idea against a couple of gritty guards who don’t shy away from contact.

“We didn’t get our money’s worth on our fouls against those guys,” Battier said. “If they’re going to draw fouls, we’ve got to make them feel a little more. We can’t give them touch fouls, get three-point plays and allow them to escape through the lane. Not saying we’re going to do anything more dirty.”

Parker is hoping to shoot a little better in Memphis, and he said the Spurs are counting on continuing to keep shooting so many free throws.

“We have to,” Parker said. “They play very physical. So we have to penetrate and be aggressive and make sure we don’t settle for jump shots and keep penetrating. Because they’re going to foul. That’s their philosophy. So we’re going to get to the free throw line.”

Memphis coach Lionel Hollins isn’t about to bite on the idea that officials might be calling the playoffs differently than the regular season. He said it’s the same officials who may be emphasizing different things that might have been let go earlier.

“I don’t even want to talk about the officials. I like my money,” Hollins said.

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Team Stat Leaders

Points
Tony Parker SA 17.5
Zach Randolph Mem 20.1

Rebounds
Tim Duncan SA 8.9
Zach Randolph Mem 12.2

Assists
Tony Parker SA 6.6
Mike Conley Mem 6.5

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Series at a Glance

Series tied 1-1

Game 1: at SAS
MEM 101, SAS 98 - Final
Recap (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2011041724) | Box Score (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore?gid=2011041724)

Game 2: at SAS
MEM 87, SAS 93 - Final
Recap (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2011042024) | Box Score (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore?gid=2011042024)

Game 3: at MEM
Sat, Apr 23 - 7:30 pm EDT
TV: ESPN, FSTN

Game 4: at MEM
Mon, Apr 25 - 8:00 pm EDT
TV: TNT, FSTN

Game 5: at SAS
Wed, Apr 27 - TBA

Game 6: at MEM
Fri, Apr 29 - TBA

Game 7: at SAS
Sun, May 01 - TBA

Series Breakdown (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/playoffs/2011/memsas)

Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber in San Antonio contributed to this report.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2011042329

[duncan228]

Hit the links for the whole piece.


Early series split gives Memphis its first case of ‘Grizzlies Mania’ (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/22/early-series-split-gives-memphis-its-first-case-of-grizzlies-mania/)
Tim Griffin

...“The Spurs are great, too, and have stood the test of time, but they’re coming because they’re excited about where we are,” Wallace said. “We’re hoping there aren’t too many jerseys from the opposing team in here.”

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/22/early-series-split-gives-memphis-its-first-case-of-grizzlies-mania/

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How Memphis has snuffed out the Spurs’ corner threes (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/22/how-memphis-has-snuffed-out-the-spurs-corner-threes/)
Tim Griffin

...So far in the first two games, the Grizzlies are doing a good job limiting the Spurs’ shots from their favored corner locations. They have attempted only 10 in the first two games, down more than six shots from what would be expected during the regular season.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/22/how-memphis-has-snuffed-out-the-spurs-corner-threes/

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Spurs’ Hill, Memphis’ Conley rekindle old times (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/21/spurs%e2%80%99-hill-memphis%e2%80%99-conley-rekindled-old-times/)
Jeff McDonald

...In the other huddle in this first-round series, running point guard for Memphis, is a player who knows Indiana George well.

“That guy,” Mike Conley said, “was lethal.”

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/21/spurs%e2%80%99-hill-memphis%e2%80%99-conley-rekindled-old-times/

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Props to Hill. :tu


Hill hopes visit to shooting victim inspires him to recovery (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/22/hill-hopes-visit-to-shooting-victim-inspires-him-to-recovery/)
Tim Griffin

...Alamo Heights guard Eddie Moreno has been hospitalized since he was shot and paralyzed (http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Shooting-paralyzesHeights-athlete-1311887.php#ixzz1KHXjfUBg) after a road-rage incident on March 26.

Moreno’s favorite player is Hill, leading to a visit in his hospital room that the Spurs guard said he was inspired to provide.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/22/hill-hopes-visit-to-shooting-victim-inspires-him-to-recovery/

[duncan228]

Views from the other side. Hit the links for more.


Grizzlies' big men the focus (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/22/grizzlies-big-men-the-focus/)
Gasol, Randolph center of attention for Spurs
By Ron Higgins
Memphis Commercial Appeal

...It's no secret that the Grizzlies are an inside-out offensive team, preferring to look to the 6-9, 260-pound Randolph and the 7-1, 265-pound Gasol for offense and precision passing to each other or to the perimeter. The Spurs would rather take their chances on the Grizzlies -- one of the worst outside shooting teams in the league -- winning games via open three-pointers rather than in the paint.


..."Anytime (Randolph) touched the ball, they came with a double team and made him give it up early," Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley said. "And they fronted Marc. They made us shoot from a lot from the outside, whether it off the pick-and-roll or from the perimeter."

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/22/grizzlies-big-men-the-focus/

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Analysis: Grizzlies split with Spurs, now need to sharpen focus (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/22/nba-playoffs-game-3-spurs-at-grizzlies-630-pm-at/)
By Ronald Tillery
Memphis Commercial Appeal

..."The only trump card we have is to grind," Griz point guard Mike Conley said. "We're a grind-it-out team. We don't have a magic bullet. We don't have anything that's going to surprise them. If we win we're going to get over with our effort; with our determination to get loose balls, play defense, get steals, to grind. That's how we play."


..."They threw in a couple of wrinkles, and we threw in a couple of wrinkles. But it's just to throw the other team off for a few of minutes," Griz coach Lionel Hollins said. "Then, you catch up to it and you go back to what you did before. It's not like you throw out your playbook. (Adjustments) are really subtle."

Here are five things to watch in Game 3:

Stubborn game plans

Foul discrepancy

Dealing with X-factors

Long-range discipline

Limiting turnovers...

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/22/nba-playoffs-game-3-spurs-at-grizzlies-630-pm-at/

[phxspurfan]

SO basically theyre gonna be like the old school Sonics and play us dirty. Ok :makemyday

[shorttotry]

I'm interested in how the officiating will be. They already don't hesitate to rape our guys, and now Shane says straight up that they're going to play even tougher (aka dirtier). Throw in a butt-hurt Allen and this could be an ugly, rough Game 3.

[alchemist]

I love it, this series will be one for the ages.

[Slippy]

“They’re tough,” Duncan said. “They’re well-coached, and I think more than anything, those guys have got a nose for the ball. Even when we do get stops, they find a way to get second and third chances on the board.

Fustrating i tell ya

Couldn't agree more with what Tony Parker said . Memphis are the new Utah jazz. Disciplined, scrappy and physical. They know how to get it done and nothin comes easy.

[Fireball]

I just hope that the Grizzlies feel some pressure performing in front of their home crowd in a playoff environment. Maybe they get too anxious and the refs put an early stop to their "toughness" when they overreact.

[Splits]

This is from the Memphis analyst Ronald Tillery:


Long-range discipline (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/22/nba-playoffs-game-3-spurs-at-grizzlies-630-pm-at/)
Don't let the Grizzlies' 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc in Game 1 fool you. They don't want to get into a shootout with the Spurs, who led the NBA in 3-point shooting during the regular season. So it wasn't a good sign when the Griz launched 14 3-pointers in Game 2. Too many.
Memphis has done a good job of limiting San Antonio's firepower in the first half of each game. The Spurs are 3 of 11 from 3-point range in the first halves of the first two games. They are 10 of 21 in the second halves, giving credence to one of Hollins' points that the Spurs only lead in games when they make 3-pointers.


That is exactly what the Spurs have to do from the beginning, get Memphis into a shooting contest. Push the ball off misses, get some early jumpers. Get Neal going, and let him fire those transition-hesitation 3s that he loves. That's our best chance, turn it into a shootout, because they can't keep up, we have better guards by MILES. Take advantage of them.

[shelshor]

http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html
Referee Assignments
Sat. Apr. 23
San Antonio @ Memphis: Greg Willard; John Goble; Tom Washington
Alternate: Violet Palmer

[Fabbs]

Any reports on how GNobs elbow is after game 2 before game 3?

[FromWayDowntown]

http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html
Referee Assignments
Sat. Apr. 23
San Antonio @ Memphis: Greg Willard; John Goble; Tom Washington
Alternate: Violet Palmer

Since 1997, Spurs with:

GREG WILLARD

9-4 overall; 3-2 on the road; 3-3 in the First Round; 1-0 against Memphis

JOHN GOBLE

No games

TOM WASHINGTON

7-5 overall; 1-5 on the road; 4-1 in the First Round; no games against Memphis

[boutons_deux]

"Tied 1-1, the winner of Game3 wins the series 75% of the time" or something like that.

Spurs lost both games @MEM. Then Grizz steal HCA @SA. They must be feeling very confident about the series.

[CosmicCowboy]

You know the refs and the league read these quotes and game plan their officiating coverage. i wouldn't be surprised to see them slam on the brakes this game with ticky tack fouls to send a message to clean it up. Spurs need to hit their free throws.

[duncan228]

Any reports on how GNobs elbow is after game 2 before game 3?

Sounds like he's as good as can be expected.

Manu's practice interview yesterday:

http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/110422_ginobili.html

For those that can't watch the video:



Long post-practice interview with Manu. Says he's at least as healthy as entering Game 2. Good to go in Game 3.

Manu said he was "satisfied" with how elbow held up in Game 2. "With that big brace, there’s not much risk of getting it damaged," he said.

[duncan228]

The right five (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/five-man-units-spurs-grizzlies-playoffs-2011)
by David H. Menendez Aran
48 Minutes of Hell

As a fan, I approach the game today with a high level of uncertainty I cannot shake off – despite the have-been-theres, the memories of victories past, my purblind faith in my team. Game 3 will be pivotal in such an even series, and a win by the Spurs would put the pressure back on Memphis’s shoulders. Just like all of my fellow bloggers, I have been looking back at the last two matches, trying to find the whys and the hows: why did we lose Game 1? Was Manu the only reason we won Game 2? What changed? What should change?

Keep reading... (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/five-man-units-spurs-grizzlies-playoffs-2011)

http://www.48minutesofhell.com/five-man-units-spurs-grizzlies-playoffs-2011

[Spurologist]

____% of teams go on to win the series when they win game 3

[duncan228]

Views from the other side.


Grizzlies know aggressive style of play can frustrate Spurs (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/23/nba-playoffs-game-3-spurs-at-grizzlies-630-pm-on/)
By Ronald Tillery
Memphis Commercial Appeal

...The comfort of home for the Grizzlies has meant more than just sleeping in their own beds. After splitting the first two games of their first-round playoff series with Spurs, the Griz look forward to Game 3 and reminding their fans of how they finished tied for the third-best home record in the Western Conference (30-11).

"We need to be more active than we were the last game. We had few deflections. We didn't get too many steals," Allen said. "We have to be more aggressive -- like how (the Spurs) came out more aggressive in Game 2. We have to do the same thing in Game 3."

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/23/nba-playoffs-game-3-spurs-at-grizzlies-630-pm-on/

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Grizzlies seek to rev up on defense (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/23/griz-seek-to-rev-up-on-defense/)
But physical play takes adjustments
By Ron Higgins
Memphis Commercial Appeal

How do you play physical basketball without fouling?

"That's a good question," Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph said. "A very good question."

It's a question that the Grizzlies need to answer if they want to win Game 3 of their best-of-seven NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series against the Spurs that continues at 6:30 tonight in FedExForum.

Memphis roughed up the Spurs in Game 1 in San Antonio and won 101-98, despite the Spurs attempting 47 free throws, 14 more than the Griz.

The Grizzlies lost Game 2, 93-87, when Randolph got in early foul trouble. San Antonio had 32 free throws, 12 more than the Grizzlies.

Keep reading... (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/23/griz-seek-to-rev-up-on-defense/)

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/23/griz-seek-to-rev-up-on-defense/

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Geoff Calkins: Grizzlies vs. Spurs is historic showdown in making (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/23/a-historic-showdown-in-making/)
By Geoff Calkins
Memphis Commercial Appeal

..."The Grind House is going to be cracking," said Grizzlies guard Tony Allen.

Translated: FedExForum is going to be loud.

And electric. With a chance of flurries. Yes, flurries. Remember the Hubie Brown playoff game in 2004? The Grizzlies handed out thousands of white towels. When twirled vigorously, they produced lint.

"I coughed for about two weeks," said Grizzlies forward Shane Battier. "I should have brought my snow skis."

Well, Shane, it may be time to strap them on again. At noon Friday, a score of Grizzlies employees were engaged in the task of placing white towels on all 18,119 seats.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/23/a-historic-showdown-in-making/

[duncan228]

Manu and his brace: How to get comfortable with awkward device (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/23/manu-and-his-brace-how-to-get-comfortable-with-awkward-device/)
Tim Griffin

...Despite the injury, Ginobili said sitting out for a week from the end of the regular season to Game 2 might have provided at least one benefit.

“Legs-wise, I’m better than a week ago,” Ginobili said. “The fact I had 10 days not playing, it helped me. It’s It’s just a matter of getting used to playing with the brace. I’ve never played with anything like that. It’s going to take me a little bit. But physically, I thought my energy level was very high.”

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/23/manu-and-his-brace-how-to-get-comfortable-with-awkward-device/

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Hollins not looking past Game 3 (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/23/hollins-not-looking-past-game-3/)
Tim Griffin

..."We’ve got to get one home win tomorrow,” Hollins told reporters at Friday’s practice. “That’s the goal: Go out and win one game and then worry about the next game when it comes. We’ve just got to compete in this game and do what it takes to win a game.”

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/23/hollins-not-looking-past-game-3/

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Spurs want Parker in drive (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/22/spurs-want-parker-in-drive/)
Jeff McDonald

...It’s not as if Tony Parker has been terrible. But, by playing Memphis point guard Mike Conley to no better than a stalemate, Parker hasn’t given the Spurs the clear backcourt edge most thought they had.

“The first two games, I’ve been a little off,” said Parker, a former Finals MVP. “Usually in the playoffs, I’m very aggressive and make my shots. The first two games, it didn’t bounce my way.”

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/22/spurs-want-parker-in-drive/