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

[sasaint]

Great game everyone got a tune-up

[TheDoctor]

Race for Seis officially issued

[Mugen]

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...

Couldn't have asked for a better game tbh. Maybe get Danny more shots but that 1 shot looked like a confident stroke.

[SpurPadre]

I thought that was Fisher's job?

DP action, tbh.

[BillMc]

My s.

You called it.

[TampaDude]

Easy win...NEXT!

Like Charles Barkley said, this series is gonna be quick and painless.

GO SPURS GO!!!!!

[GSH]

Pop in the post-game, talking about Kawhi. Subtly lobby for DPOY. "Well Kawhi did what he does for us every night, and it's important."

[Ron Swanson]

DP action, tbh.

Chinese fingercuffs

[Kawhitstorm]

Kmart going all TP 2014 Finals game 5

More like 2012 Stephen Jackson

[kuato]

I want to see Boban shooting a 3 !

[apalisoc_9]

This doesnt even feel like a playoff game. Smdh. Hopefully the grizz can atleast give san antonio a fight in one of their games in Memphis so they can practice tense.situations.

[KenziE]

Pop in the post-game, talking about Kawhi. Subtly lobby for DPOY. "Well Kawhi did what he does for us every night, and it's important."

where can i watch ? They showing lac vs blazers already

[Ron Swanson]

I want to see Boban shooting a 3 !

If Boban hits a 3, the AT&T Center would fall apart.

[kuato]

If Boban hits a 3, the AT&T Center would fall apart.

He can shoot from 3, but Pop will never call that play :P

[ace3g]

TPs Peak Playoff shoes

[DPG21920]

I actually like those TP Peak shoes. I don't wear bball shoes, but those are some of the better ones he's worn.

[kuato]

If Boban hits a 3, the AT&T Center would fall apart.

[Ron Swanson]

[SouthernFried]

I fell asleep during game (yeah, I'm getting old)...and went thru this thread to get a feel for how it went. And well...I just couldn't pass this up (sorry Darius )

Looking pathetic against the weakest team in the entire playoffs. This Spurs team won't make it past the second round. If they can even get past Memphis.

[DPG21920]

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.

1. Well, SA took 23 3's which is below the season average for what MEM gives up (likely due to bench playing all of the fourth). They could have had more with better ball movement in the first half. But they shot 43% from 3 which is great.

2. First half saw the Spurs shoot really poorly again. Luckily, they had a blistering 2nd half and finished the game shooting 52% which kept them undefeated when shooting over 50%.

3. Spurs had only 12 TO's which is at their season average and well below what MEM normally forces. On top of that, Spurs forced 16 TO's and scored in bunches on them.

Perfect execution on all 3 things for the most part and if they hit all 3 items, they will blow them out every single game. If they hit 2 of the 3, they will still win big. If they only hit one, there could be a closer game/random loss.

[TXstbobcat]

Manu Ginobili moves into #10 all-time in postseason wins with tonight's Spurs victory. Ginobili passes Byron Scott and has 121 playoff wins.

[TXstbobcat]

@ESPNNBA
Under Gregg Popovich, the Spurs have now won a series opener by a double-digit margin 18 times.

[SouthernFried]

Sounds like a continuation of the regular season...offensive problems still out there at beginnings of games.

[DPG21920]

Sounds like a continuation of the regular season...offensive problems still out there at beginnings of games.

Ironically, other than the end of the season, SA was the best first half team in the league. They absolutely were destroying teams in the first half:

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2016/0...ubs:top:modtop

Allowed just 91.5 points per 100 possessions in the first half of games, 11.8 fewer than the first-half league average and 10.4 fewer than they allowed in the second half of games. They ranked fourth in defensive efficiency in the second half, but had the league’s best second-half offense.

[GSH]

Manu Ginobili moves into #10 all-time in postseason wins with tonight's Spurs victory. Ginobili passes Byron Scott and has 121 playoff wins.

The mentioned during the game that Manu is #1 on the active list for playoff 3-pointers made. I think they showed that he had 300.