Tonight, the San Antonio Spurs take on the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 2 of the NBA’s Western Conference Finals. The Spurs had little trouble with the Grizzlies in Game 1, but will tonight’s game be the same story? Here’s your game preview along with some general schedule information.
Western Conference Finals – Game 2
San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies
May 21, 2013
Time: 9:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Series: San Antonio leads 1-0
Behind a dominant first quarter, the San Antonio Spurs won Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals 105-83 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. Even though they’re playing on the road, you can bet that Memphis will want to even the series up before they head home for Game 3.
If Memphis is to win Game 2, they’ll need more production from forwards Zach Randolph and Tayshaun Prince. The two were only 3-13 from the field with a combined eight points and eight rebounds. Randolph’s performance was particularly disappointing as it was one of the worst postseason performances of his career. He has arguably been the team’s leader and it goes without saying that the Grizzlies need more from him.
As a team, the Spurs were just too hot shooting the ball. San Antonio made 52% of their attempts to only 43% by Memphis.
But while the Grizzlies’ offense struggled overall, the defense is what Memphis needs to improve the most. Too often, San Antonio was left to wide open shots and the Grizzlies’ trademark defense was nowhere to be found. That was especially true with the Spurs’ three-point shooting. San Antonio knocked down a franchise playoff record 14 long-range shots and that’s far too many. Matt Bonner, Danny Green, and Kawhi Leonard did the most damage with ten of them.
For the Spurs, that offensive efficiency carried them. Despite a good performance from Tim Duncan on the glass (ten rebounds), San Antonio actually lost the rebounding battle. And despite trailing most of the game, the Grizzlies got to the free throw line a bit more. The Spurs need to make sure they don’t come out sluggish in Game 2 since it’s no guarantee they’ll have a similar shooting performance.
The Grizzlies find themselves in an early hole, but fortunately for Memphis, they’ve thrived this season with adversity.
The Grizzlies trailed 2-0 in their opening series against the Los Angeles Clippers and responded by winning four straight to move on to the semifinals. In the last round, the Grizzlies dropped the first game to the Oklahoma City Thunder. But they recovered there, too, winning four straight contests to knock off the conference’s top seed. Coming back against a veteran San Antonio team won’t be easy, but having done so in each of their first two series should mean the team doesn’t panic.
Another key for Memphis will be getting off to a good start. The Grizzlies outscored the Spurs 43-42 in the second and third quarter and the game could have had a different outcome had they started off a bit better. It will be imperative for them to defend well and keep things close in the first quarter to make sure they have a chance late in the game.
