The NBA Finals are set with one team as the San Antonio Spurs swept away the Memphis Grizzlies in the playoffs after winning on Monday night and now the team must wait for the East champ to emerge from the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers series to see who they will battle against.
The Spurs have been playing excellent basketball throughout the playoffs, but they are saving their best for last, as the team has now won six games in a row after being at 2-2 with the Golden State Warriors in the second round and are back in the finals for the first time since 2007. The last time the Spurs made it they played against LeBron James and the Cavs and swept them 4-0 and now they have the chance to face off against LeBron James and the Heat. Miami is up 2-1 on Indiana and the finals appearance could end up pitting the old guard against the new stardom of the league, as the Spurs are a classic champion while the Heat are an assembled new crew of winners.
The Spurs took down the Grizzlies after dominating the second half earlier in the series and holding on in Monday's matchup, as the Grizzlies got close, but they couldn't get ahead, as Tony Parker led the way for the Spurs with 37 points on the night. Both Parker and Tim Duncan have been playing like much younger versions of themselves and the team is now poised to make yet another title run after doing it multiple times in the 2000's.
The Spurs and coach Greg Popvitch have already done it three times, while James and company are looking for their second straight title after winning it last year against the Thunder. Duncan led the way on Monday night with eight rebounds, while the Grizzlies got seven assists from Mike Conley and 22 points from Quincy Pondexter and now their best season in team history is over. The team had a franchise record amount of wins and made it to the West finals for the first time in franchise history, but now they must wait another year to get at it again.
Parker was the MVP and he will be the focal point for the Spurs going forward, while Duncan will be the savvy vet looking for that last title. There hasn't been a sweep since the Nets did it to Detroit back in 2003 and now the Spurs are looking at a long winning streak heading into the finals and after doing so well earlier in the series, Parker was even better in the finale, missing just six shots and making all of his free throws.
"It's a great feeling," Parker said as he sat with the Western Conference trophy perched in front of him.
"Since last year, I promised to him (Duncan) that we will go back, go back to the Finals and get an opportunity to win the whole thing and I'm trying to do my best, try to be aggressive every night. I think everybody on the team, we really want to do it for him. We win the West and now it's one more step. This is the hardest one."
Prediction: San Antonio vs. Miami, Heat wins in six or seven games.