Phenomanul
04-30-2011, 11:25 AM
Sure... there are many reasons why perhaps this team wasn't going to get far this post-season... Bonner's playing time... the team's lack of size (mostly cause Pop had it glued to the bench)... Blair's lack of confidence after being demoted for no apparent reason (and ultimately pairing him with No. 15 for long stretches at a time)... the lack of an 'enforcer-type' player... or an above average perimeter defender....
And yes, the Grizzlies were a physical team, possessing great interior scoring... and had two capable perimeter defenders in Allen and Battier to slow Ginobili and Parker down... And Z-bo was playing like 1998-2003 Duncan (on the offensive end)...
All that said, we shouldn't have lost to this Grizzlies team... much less 4 times...
But we did because Pop took the wrong gamble in deciding to sit Ginobili down for Game 1... That gave Memphis hope, that justified their reasoning for tanking, and ultimately infused their role players with confidence... They took the series in Game 1 and never looked back...
I'm 100% certain that this Grizzlies team would not have the capability of dominating the Spurs the way they did throughout the series had they gone to Memphis down 2 games to none... at least not mentally...
Freaking Darrell Arthur, Sam Young, Grevis Vasquez, Tony Allen and Mike Conley did as much damage as the vaulted pair of Gasol and Randolph... that certainly would not have happened had they not been gifted HOPE and CONFIDENCE following the final buzzer after Game 1...
We should've been able to overcome the other factors....
RJ's dissappearance after Game 2...
Bonner's suckiness after Game 1...
Parker's initial shooting slump and turnover-proneness...
Duncan's old age...
Splitter not getting minutes until Game 4...
IF
Ginobili had suited up for Game 1 and "stepped on the Grizzlies' collective throats" to crush any seed of hope...
:depressed :depressed :depressed :bang :bang :bang
And yes, the Grizzlies were a physical team, possessing great interior scoring... and had two capable perimeter defenders in Allen and Battier to slow Ginobili and Parker down... And Z-bo was playing like 1998-2003 Duncan (on the offensive end)...
All that said, we shouldn't have lost to this Grizzlies team... much less 4 times...
But we did because Pop took the wrong gamble in deciding to sit Ginobili down for Game 1... That gave Memphis hope, that justified their reasoning for tanking, and ultimately infused their role players with confidence... They took the series in Game 1 and never looked back...
I'm 100% certain that this Grizzlies team would not have the capability of dominating the Spurs the way they did throughout the series had they gone to Memphis down 2 games to none... at least not mentally...
Freaking Darrell Arthur, Sam Young, Grevis Vasquez, Tony Allen and Mike Conley did as much damage as the vaulted pair of Gasol and Randolph... that certainly would not have happened had they not been gifted HOPE and CONFIDENCE following the final buzzer after Game 1...
We should've been able to overcome the other factors....
RJ's dissappearance after Game 2...
Bonner's suckiness after Game 1...
Parker's initial shooting slump and turnover-proneness...
Duncan's old age...
Splitter not getting minutes until Game 4...
IF
Ginobili had suited up for Game 1 and "stepped on the Grizzlies' collective throats" to crush any seed of hope...
:depressed :depressed :depressed :bang :bang :bang