Season 50, Game 71
San Antonio 97, Memphis 90
55-16, 2nd in the West
It’s only March, and I’m already tired of this (eventual first-round) match-up.
I’m not sure what scheduling quirk created two divisional teams playing all four of their games in the final 2 months of the season (and 3 in the final 15 games), but here we are. And it’s not like these two teams are new to each other; these are the two most stable and continuous squads in the league.
Coaches change, sure; Hall of Famers retire. But the Grizzlies and the Spurs are the two teams where you know exactly what you’re getting when you play them. Call it what you want–Grit ‘n’ grind, machine-like execution–but the more things change, the more they stay the same in Memphis and San Antonio.
This will be my 3rd write-up of this match-up this season. Another one is coming soon. If seedings hold (and they likely will), 4-7 more are coming in a month. The teams met in the playoffs last year. And the Conference Finals a few years before that. And that fateful 2011 first round. On and on it goes, Memphis vs. San Antonio.
I’m already dreading that first-round series. Not because I worry we will lose (though we can), but because I already know this story. It’s one of my favorites, but I don’t need to read it again. (And I definitely don’t need to write 6 more book reports about it.)
I am happy we won Thursday night. After owning the Grizzlies for the better part of 3 seasons, it was a bit disconcerting to lose 2 straight to them. To Coach Fizdale’s credit, their offense has opened up and is definitely less predictable, if not always more potent. They take and make more 3s, and they’re less reliant on bullying down low (though they can still do that). You can’t always rely on a defensive struggle, and if your offense isn’t all the way there, the Grizzlies can now actually punish you.
The Spurs offense finally looked right Thursday night. The ball was moving, players were cutting, and things were humming. The Grizzlies basically dare you to go one-on-one against them, and that’s death. As great as Kawhi (and to a lesser extent, LaMarcus) is in isolation, this is one team where the ball needs to keep moving. The Spurs were the Spurs on Thursday night, and controlled the game, despite some tightening late.
Kawhi still looks a little tired to me. I’m not sure if that’s confirmation bias when his shots are short or if he is actually tired. Whatever the case, he looks slightly less aggressive and dominant than he did a few weeks ago.
LaMarcus, on the other hand, looks better than he’s ever looked in the last few games. All of the disparate flashes of brilliance we’ve seen over the two seasons seem to finally be coalescing into the player we were hoping for. That midrange jumper is splashing; he’s playing smart, rim-protecting defense; he looks spry; he’s doing dirty work in the paint on both ends of the court, refusing to settle for the path of least resistance. He’s still at best a #2-player, but a damn good one he can be.
We just need to make sure our #1 is firing on all cylinders in mid-April.
The Knicks come to town Saturday night. They are owed one. I expect a focused Spurs squad.
After that, the schedule gets turned up to 10, as the team plays the Cavs, Warriors, Thunder, Jazz, and Grizzlies (again) all in a row. That 5-game stretch will likely determine if the 1-seed is still possible.
Go Spurs Go.
