Game Thread: Spurs vs Grizzlies -- Game 1 - Sun. (4/17) - 7:00PM CST (3:00AM Riga)

Here it is, the Playoffs are finally here! The Spurs host a depleted 42-40 Grizzlies team that enters the playoffs having lost 10 of their last 11 games. This is the matchup we wanted, and there's no reason this series should not end in a sweep. Everyone is available for the Spurs and we're coming off 5 days rest, so everyone should be fresh. Not much more needs to be said. Let's get it.

:flag:

GO SPURS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!

:flag:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CgNKchHVAAMl-0V.jpg:large

Happy Birthday Bobo! Stay healthy and have a great playoffs plz :toast

https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...76&oe=57A929A4

STARTING LINEUP! (Grizzlies)

#4 Jordan Farmar
#9 Tony Allen
#22 Matt Barnes
#7 Chris Anderson
#0 JaMychal Green

first blood

first of the sixteenth!

:bobo


:claw

https://usathoopshype.files.wordpres...si-7880259.jpg

Barnes about to go nuclear in SA :pctoss

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hater

Barnes about to go nuclear in SA :pctoss

---

He's a dirty bum not a dirty bomb.

GO SPURS GO!!

A year earlier we were looking at the toughest first round opponent in franchise history, now, maybe the weakest.

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images...5lD_bigger.jpg NBA Verified account ‏@NBA

#SPURSvGRIZZLIES tips off 8pm/et on TNT: http://on.nba.com/1SOMPdv #NBAPlayoffs Who ya got?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CgQZzjkXEAAnkLq.jpg

Gonna be a filthy game.. Hopefully no injuries.

DPG's Keys to Victory & Prediction:

Keys:

3's not a crowd: Memphis gives up a lot of 3PT attempts. Spurs have not attempted a ton of 3's this year, but if there is any series to get your 3PT stroke going again, this is it. This has been by far the biggest shift in the Spurs offense compared to last year. It was a drastic drop due to having LMA/Kawhi operate in the mid-range.

MEM gives up 26 3's a game which is 5th most in the league. Teams make 9.6 of them which is third most in the league. Spurs, hopefully led by Danny Green, should get more 3's than usual here.

Make A Damn Shot!: Spurs up's & down's on offense, especially to end the season really were about making shots. Most of the time outside of some crazy experimenting by Pop, Spurs were generating enough good looks to win. They simply weren't hitting. Spurs are undefeated this year when they shoot 50% or better (34-0). Sounds simple, but just make some damn shots. This will hold true for the entire playoffs I feel and is one of the biggest questions looming: Can SA make enough shots against good teams - especially if the offense is creating good looks?

Possessions are everything; value them: Memphis gives up a lot of 3PTA & FT, however they aren't the worst defense because of it, but very mediocre because of it. MEM statistically makes their living off of TO's. They give up plenty of assists, but create a top amount of TO's. If you don't TO, they can't beat you. Possessions are everything, value them.

Prediction for Game 1: This really shouldn't be a difficult series vs MEM. The great thing is the "pace" of the series should be very comfortable for SA. MEM & SA play at very similar paces which means SA doesn't have to worry about a funky flow to the games. Spurs win 105-87.

:flag:

Oh yeah, LMA has absolutely destroyed MEM this year - especially per NBA's numbers section of the series:

http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/20074...sort=PTS&dir=1

Look at the team that is number one on the list...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BillMc

https://usathoopshype.files.wordpres...si-7880259.jpg

---

Scrolling quickly through the game thread, I stop on this lovely pic. Funny, I don't even need to look at who posted them anymore. :)

:bobo

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Old School 44

Scrolling quickly through the game thread, I stop on this lovely pic. Funny, I don't even need to look at who posted them anymore. :)

:bobo

---

Cheers! :toast

1.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BatManu20

---

:lol
Second unit producing beauties per par. Hopefully they make more magic this post season.

Game day, balla, game day!

BatManu and BillMc holding it down!

Let's declaw the Griz!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hater

Barnes about to go nuclear in SA :pctoss

---

Fml :depressed

Hard to believe..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jyra

Hard to believe..

---

:wow:

Stay healthy and get the win. :flag:

Do we know who is not suiting up today?

Trap game.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jyra

Hard to believe..

---

Interesting.

Ever since Barnes punked Fisher...he's moved a little lower on my shit list.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jyra

Hard to believe..

---

Barnes with the sense of humor. Has a good trolling game on.:lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BatManu20

STARTING LINEUP! (Grizzlies)

#4 Jordan Farmar
#9 Tony Allen
#22 Matt Barnes
#7 Chris Anderson
#0 JaMychal Green

---

They're not starting Eddie Winslow?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dex

Game day, balla, game day!

BatManu and BillMc holding it down!

Let's declaw the Griz!

---

:bobo

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mugen

They're not starting Eddie Winslow?

---

:lol

But honestly I think they like his scoring presence off the bench. Gotta get some bench production somehow.

Go espuelas

I hate to be a negative nancy, but honestly this series is about to be anti-climactic as shit :lol Everyone is all hyped up for the playoffs and excited for high-intensity basketball, but this series is going to be (or at least should be) a massacre. This Memphis team as currently constructed would probably struggle to win 20 games over an 82-game season :lol It's like us playing a playoff series against the current Nets or Suns. Don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining. I'll gladly take a 1st-round bye, especially after last season where we had to face a 55+ win team in the 1st round. Just don't think this series is going to be very playoffs-esque.

Regardless, let's take care of business :tu This is the perfect series to build up confidence and make sure everything starts clicking as we head deeper into the playoffs. Really hoping to see a good series from Danny.

Broom.

I'm in NYC for the weekend. Anyone watching the game know of a good place? I'm near east village now.

http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/K...eABIvaXMYl.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boogie Munster

I'm in NYC for the weekend. Anyone watching the game know of a good place? I'm near east village now.

---

Standings on 7th and 2nd Ave. Gets pretty busy but you should be good by the time of the Spurs game.

:flag:

we should appreciate the position were in. this is pretty much the same roster that won the title in 2014... but now we have la.

hopefully green and patty can get back to knocking down shots.

we should especially appreciate it after what happened last year.

it all starts today :flag:

https://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram...60211180_n.jpg

:flag:

Spurs by 17. (Followed by a ridiculous meltdown because we didn't win by as much as OKC or the Dubs).

I'll be mostly paying attention to how Aldridge, Danny, and Patty shoot. Those guys absolutely need to find their rhythm heading into the 2nd round tbh.

Pop should also find some rotation mins for Boban this series as he could play a role in a potential OKC matchup...

Grizzlies face tallest of tasks against Spurs

Bradford Doolittle
ESPN Staff Writer

SAN ANTONIO -- There are upsets, and there are stunners, and there are shockers -- but rarely are there shocking, stunning upsets. If the Memphis Grizzlies were to somehow knock off the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the NBA playoffs, it would qualify as some combination of all the above.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nba/post/_/i...-against-spurs

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BillMc

:flag:

Spurs by 17. (Followed by a ridiculous meltdown because we didn't win by as much as OKC or the Dubs).

---

lol - in before Spurs get 2001'd

I was surprised to learn that kawhi and M. Barnes work out together in the off season

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by itzsoweezee

I was surprised to learn that kawhi and M. Barnes work out together in the off season

---

+1

Probably why Pop pushed him to workout with the corpse of Kobe.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jyra

Hard to believe..

---

They are both from SoCal & live there in the summer.:wakeup

Are the Spurs playing the Grizzlies?

my favorite playoff promo ever:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKv5582aHSA

:toast

http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc58c0a63.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gambit1990

my favorite playoff promo ever:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKv5582aHSA

:toast

---

Yeah, that was great. :toast

Always liked this one too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWxHDX-dF5E

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by loveforthegame

---

more respect for Barnes, especially after handling that bitch Fisher.

Seems like there's a lot of mutual respect here..Z-Bo calling the Spurs the best team in the NBA:lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HarlemHeat37

Seems like there's a lot of mutual respect here..Z-Bo calling the Spurs the best team in the NBA:lol

---

Good, hopefully that means no attempted murders of our players by them. Just take the loss like champs :lol

:flag:

Everyone respects the Spurs. The only team I can see any animosity between is Spurs and OKC. They say nice things about each other but you get the feeling that they hate the OKC players.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freetiago

Everyone respects the Spurs. The only team I can see any animosity between is Spurs and OKC. They say nice things about each other but you get the feeling that they hate the OKC players.

---

For me it comes back to Durant dissing Kawhi and then having to publicly retract it but not really.... ya know?
I like Durant though.... the story of him to SA is ridiculous though. What we need is a nice guard coming up next season.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SAGirl

For me it comes back to Durant dissing Kawhi and then having to publicly retract it but not really.... ya know?
I like Durant though.... the story of him to SA is ridiculous though. What we need is a nice guard coming up next season.

---

Durant's going to like Kawhi even less when he and his "system" bump KD from the All-NBA First Team. Every voting I've seen has Leonard and LeBron as the 1st team forwards.

Ready for the game to get started.

watching these other teams makes you appreciate pops system and the team in general. most of the games I've seen thus far haven't been pleasing on the eye

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Leetonidas

watching these other teams makes you appreciate pops system and the team in general. most of the games I've seen thus far haven't been pleasing on the eye

---

That depends on your rooting interest because of those teams look pretty damn good.

David West's Keys to Victory

http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/teams....17.mp4-453137

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BillMc

Yeah, that was great. :toast

Always liked this one too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWxHDX-dF5E

---

I always liked that one because it had the word FLASH in it, even if it comes after NO

:lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FlashZo

I always liked that one because it had the word FLASH in it, even if it comes after NO

:lol

---

:lol:flag:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mugen

Standings on 7th and 2nd Ave. Gets pretty busy but you should be good by the time of the Spurs game.

---

Thanks, sugar tits :bobo

Michael C. WrightESPN Staff Writer

http://a.espncdn.com/i/columnists/wright_michael_m.jpg
Tony Parker said he's ready if Pop calls his number. He was banged up during the playoffs last year, but now he's feeling good and ready to roll. There will be times the Spurs need him to take over and become more of a penetrator to create shots for teammates.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BatManu20

STARTING LINEUP! (Grizzlies)

#4 Jordan Farmar
#9 Tony Allen
#22 Matt Barnes
#7 Chris Anderson
#0 JaMychal Green

---

Wow-- this line up is kind of like the '07 Cavaliers, without LeBron... feel bad for how decimated with injuries the team is.