On a weekend that is already stocked with great NBA Playoffs action, the Grizzlies and Spurs may have authored the finest game of all.
After Matt Bonner led the Spurs back late in the fourth quarter, Shane Battier hit a go-ahead three in the middle of a 7-0 run for Memphis in the game's final minute to secure a 101-98 win. It is the first NBA Playoffs victory in Grizzlies franchise history.
Memphis got it by leaning on Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, and Mike Conley. Randolph had 26 points to lead all scores and added 14 rebounds for a double-double; Gasol had 24 points and nine boards; Conley scored 15 points and dished 10 assists.
That was enough to top a San Antonio team whose supporting cast couldn't make up for the disappearance of Tim Duncan late. Duncan went scoreless in the fourth quarter, and while Bonner gave the Spurs their late edge, Tony Parker, George Hill, and Richard Jefferson all missed shots that could have swung the outcome in the last minute.
Memphis' late heroics also made up for their own efforts to sabotage their first playoff victory. The Grizzlies nearly gave away a fourth quarter lead by missing 12 of their 33 free throws.
Incredibly, one game into this series — one pitting the team that led the Western Conference throughout the regular season against a team that had zero playoff success in franchise history — it's the Grizzlies that have a 1-0 series lead, and the Grizzlies that have snatched home-court advantage.
For more on this series, check out our Spurs vs. Grizzlies hub. For Spurs analysis, visit Pounding The Rock. For more on the Grizzlies, visit Straight Outta Vancouver.
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