Sadly, I was unable to write about the previous round due to being in the midst of finals, but it was certainly a thrilling second round of the NBA playoffs. Although the Grizzlies series was only five games long, they were all very close games, going down to the final minute each time. The Thunder were simply unable to overcome the big size advantage the Grizzlies had down low, and the absence of Russell Westbrook really took its toll. Now Memphis will be facing San Antonio, who was able to dispatch the Golden State Warriors in an exciting six game series. Emerging superstar Stephen Curry gave the Spurs just about all they could handle, but after surviving that series, they now have to face an even greater challenge.
Key Match-up: Tony Parker vs. Mike Conley
The Spurs truly go as Tony Parker goes. While the team clearly has plenty of talent, Parker is the most important player on the team as he is not only asked to set up his teammates, but also score quite a bit. The Spurs are 8-2 so far in this year's playoffs and there is a direct correlation between how well Parker plays and whether or not the team wins. In their 8 wins, Parker is averaging 23.4 points on 47% shooting, while also tallying 7.1 assists. In their two losses, he is averaging 18.5 points on 38% shooting to go along with a measly 3 assists. While Mike Conley has struggled shooting during the playoffs, he is still one of the best defenders in the league, and even received the honor of NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He will be guarding Parker the majority of the time and must find a way to slow him down if his team is going to win. Whoever wins this match-up will most likely be moving on to the NBA Finals.
Spurs X-Factor: Manu Ginobili
Grizzlies X-Factor: Tony Allen
Tony Allen is quite possibly the best wing defender in the NBA, leading to him being named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team this year. You always know what you are going to get from him at that end of the floor. The offensive end is a different story. The Grizz are at their best when he is aggressively looking for his shot. The problem with that is he sometimes gets passive offensively and does not attack the opposing defenses. In his team's three losses this postseason, he has taken an average of only six shots per game. In their eight wins, however, he has put up 9.4 shots per game. While this may seem like an insignificant difference, I assure you it is not. When he is being passive the opposing defense can basically ignore him and focus on stopping the other members of his team. They cannot do this when he is looking for his shot, so while three more shots per game seems like nothing, that little difference makes his team much harder to defend. If he is aggressive this series then he gives Memphis a good chance of winning.
Prediction: Memphis in Six
I have been telling people for a while now not to underestimate the Memphis Grizzlies. While they are a very good team during the regular season, they're even better in the postseason because they are perfectly built for the NBA Playoffs. First and foremost, they are a physically tough and strong defensive team. This is of even more importance in the postseason due to the inherently more physical style of play that occurs this time of year. To put their defensive prowess into perspective, they had three of their players named to an NBA All-Defensive team this year, including the newly crowned Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol. Secondly, they have Conley at point guard who is as good as anyone in the league at getting opposing players out of their rhythm. This becomes even more valuable during the playoffs when executing offensively is more difficult and therefore more important. Since teams rely on their point guards to run their offenses, having a guy like Conley is crucial. Lastly, they have great size down low. With Gasol at the center position and Zach Randolph at power forward, they have a great combination of rebounding, scoring, passing, and defense. Not many teams in the league have big men that can keep up with these two for an entire seven game series, making them very difficult to beat. While the Spurs' Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward of all time, at this point in his career he is going to have trouble dealing with the huge front line of the Grizzlies. With all these factors added together, I see Memphis moving on to their first trip to the NBA Finals.
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