The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the most impressive teams throughout the NBA playoffs and the team is poised to get back to the NBA finals once again after taking a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals after winning Game 3 in overtime over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
Tony Parker led the team in scoring with 26 points and has been the focal point of the offense for most of the series and now the Grizzlies are on the ropes as they host Game 4 on Sunday. The Spurs are looking like the dominant team they have been for the entire decade and Tim Duncan is playing with a youthful energy that is pushing the team forward. Duncan carried the team in overtime after Mike Conley couldn't make the final shot in regulation and the Spurs took control while outscoring Memphis 18-7. Conley led the way with 20 points while Zach Randolph had 15 rebounds in the tough defeat.
The Spurs proved once again that no deficit is too large to come back from, as the Grizzlies had an 18-point lead before San Antonio eventually forced overtime and won 104-93 to take a 3-0 lead. As good as Memphis has played in stretches, it will be very difficult to overcome the 3-0 deficit and the Spurs are likely into the NBA finals. Memphis has come back from a 2-0 hole earlier in the playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers, but this time the comeback looks daunting. The Spurs were up 2-0 in the playoffs last season against the Thunder before losing four in a row but the team is playing with a high confidence level. The Grizzlies will have to fight history to win the series as no team in the NBA has come back from three games, but Memphis will fight to stay alive.
Duncan has played at an MVP level for the Spurs despite his old age and he played for over 40 minutes and scored 24 points with 10 rebounds and five assists while also blocking two shots. The Grizzlies gave away too many turnovers and could hang onto a 16-point lead after the first quarter. He now has 94 games in the playoffs with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, which is fourth on the all-time list in the NBA, tied with Wilt Chamberlain. The Spurs are likely to get to the finals and might face off against the Miami Heat and LeBron James, who they swept for their last championship when he played with Cleveland.
The Miami Heat are now up 2-1 in the Eastern Conference finals after defeating the Pacers 114-96 in Game 3 in Indiana and are in control heading into Game 4. Miami was down 2-1 to Indiana last year in the playoffs and the team outscored the Pacers in every quarter, including in the fourth at 23-20. LeBron James led the Heat with 22 points, while Dwyane Wade has eight assists. Chris Andersen had nine rebounds in the game to lead Miami and he has been a valuable piece throughout the series, giving the team size and toughness on the onside. David West has 21 points and Rob Hibbert led the team with 17 rebounds, while Paul George had eight assists in the defeat.