SB Nation Spurs Vs. Grizzlies, 2011 NBA Playoffs
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It was all about the defense for the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6 of their NBA playoff matchup with the San Antonio Spurs. When the Spurs made a run, Memphis tightened the defense up and sent the Western conference's No. 1 seed, and holders of the second-best record in the NBA, packing. With a 99-91 win in Game 6, the Grizzlies eliminated the Spurs with a 4-2 series victory.
The Spurs were finally able to get close than arms-reach after stay one-step behin, pulling to within one before taking a one-point lead with just under five minutes to go. But the Grizzlies answered with a run of their own after Tony Allen headed to the bench and O.J. Mayo made his return, triggering an offensive outburst keyed by Randolph in the post. Randolph was hitting from everywhere, nailing shots with hands in his face, falling away from the basket and, generally, burying tough shots.
Randolph scored a game-high 31 points while grabbing 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies. Marc Gasol also had a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Greivis Vasquez and Tony Allen were also in double-figures with 11 points apiece.
Tony Parker scored a team-high 23 points for the Spurs in the loss. Manu Ginobili added 16 points, with Tim Duncan had 12 points and Antonio McDyess added 10 points.
The series win was the first in Memphis Grizzlies' team history and only the fourth time a No. 8 seed has defeated a No. 1 seed. Memphis moves on to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
For more on the game, check out this StoryStream. And for more on these teams, check out SB Nation's Grizzlies blog, Straight Outta Vancouver, and our Spurs blog, Pounding the Rock.
Manu Ginobili was in the midst of a slow night during the NBA playoff matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies. But with time winding down in the third quarter and the Memphis holding all the momentum, Ginobili reached into his bag of tricks while throwing up a desperation heave from nearly half-court. The Grizzlies held a seven-point lead at the time, but after O.J. Mayo missed a free throw attempt, Ginobili came out of the scramble, stumbled, bumbled and drained a heave from half-court to cut the Spurs' deficit to four.
Here is the video of his shot, courtesy of BlazersEdge.
If the Spurs come back to tie this or take the lead late, we'll look back on this and know why. Whether it provides the Spurs with a spark or is just another amazing shot for naught remains to be seen, but it was one heck of a highlight.
The Memphis Grizzlies are 12 minutes away from closing-out the San Antonio Spurs. Through the third quarter, the Grizzlies hold a 70-66 lead after an energetic third quarter. Memphis had a chance to take a seven-point lead into the fourth, but Manu Ginobili's desperation heave at the buzzer was right on the mark to bring the Spurs closer and cut into the lead Memphis built over the waning moments of the third.
Zach Randolph has a team-high 14 points for the Grizzlies. He's joined in double-figures by Marc Gasol, who has 12 points, and O.J. Mayo, who has 11 points off the bench. Tony Parker has a team-high 14 points for the Spurs and is joined in double-figures by Ginobili and Tim Duncan, who each have 10 points thus far.
Stay tuned to this StoryStream for score updates. And for more on these teams, check out SB Nation's Grizzlies blog, Straight Outta Vancouver, and our Spurs blog, Pounding the Rock.
On Friday night, the Memphis Grizzlies are showing the same form in Game 7 as they have in the rest of the series against the San Antonio Spurs. After a quarter, the Grizzlies lead the Spurs by a 24-16 score.
Memphis has been led in scoring by rookie Greivis Vasquez, who has come off the bench to score eight points. Zach Randolph has added six points of his own and taken down five rebounds.
The Spurs lost the rebound battle in the first quarter by a 13-to-7 margin. After squeezing out an overtime win in Game 5 to stay alive, Manu Ginobili and company must find a way to come from behind in the Grizzlies' raucous FedExForum to stave off elimination.
Stay tuned to this StoryStream for score updates. And for more on these teams, check out SB Nation's Grizzlies blog, Straight Outta Vancouver, and our Spurs blog, Pounding the Rock.
On Friday night, the Memphis Grizzlies are showing the same form in Game 6 as they have in the rest of the series against the San Antonio Spurs. After a quarter, the Grizzlies lead the Spurs by a 24-16 score.
Memphis has been led in scoring by rookie Greivis Vasquez, who has come off the bench to score eight points. Zach Randolph has added six points of his own and taken down five rebounds.
The Spurs lost the rebound battle in the first quarter by a 13-to-7 margin. After squeezing out an overtime win in Game 5 to stay alive, Manu Ginobili and company must find a way to come from behind in the Grizzlies' raucous FedExForum to stave off elimination.
Stay tuned to this StoryStream for score updates. And for more on these teams, check out SB Nation's Grizzlies blog, Straight Outta Vancouver, and our Spurs blog, Pounding the Rock.
The San Antonio Spurs survived Elimination Game No. 1 on Wednesday, edging the Memphis Grizzlies by the slightest of margin at the AT&T Center to force a Game 6 back at the FedEx Center (9 p.m. ET, ESPN). Manu Ginobili and Gary Neal each hit clutch, difficult jumpers in the final five seconds to send the game in overtime, and San Antonio earned the victory there. But now the Spurs must win in Memphis, which they haven't done in two tries in this series.
Ginobili was something else in Game 5, racking up 33 points on 10-18 shooting and carrying the challenged Spurs offense. The Grizzlies have defended San Antonio beautifully, especially in transition. Tim Duncan continued to struggle in the pivot, needing 13 field goal attempts to score 13 points in Game 5. Duncan is averaging 12.8 points, 10.6 rebounds in the series.
Duncan's scoring numbers significantly lag those of Zach Randolph (19.6 points), and even Marc Gasol (14.6 points) is leading Big Fun. That's highly unusual; we expect to see Duncan score less than, say Dirk Nowitzki or Pau Gasol in a playoff series. But Z-Bo and Marc? Duncan's age is showing.
But there's something positively cucarachian about the Spurs; we've written their eulogy a dozen times, and each time they have laughed in our faces. Could this be the next false alarm? Be sure to check out our Spurs vs. Grizzlies hub for full series coverage. For more on the Spurs, visit Pounding The Rock. For more on the Grizzlies, visit Straight Outta Vancouver.
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Apr 30 8:22a