The San Antonio Spurs shook the playoff standings after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in blowout fashion. The final score read 105-83 as the Spurs took Game 1 of this best of seven series in the Western Conference Finals.
You can give credit to the Spurs defense or simply praise them for their amazing three-point shooting, but the point is that the Spurs were super dominant in Game 1. As a team, the Spurs hit 14-29 threes led by Matt Bonner and Kawhi Leonard who both had four from beyond the arc. Daniel Green added three threes and the Spurs received big shots from these guys right when the Grizzlies were about to make a run.
The Spurs had a 20-point lead in the second quarter, but as the Grizzlies have shown in the playoffs, they are not afraid of playing from behind. The Grizzlies rallied, trimmed the lead to 14 at the end of the first half. Then they proceeded to trim the Spurs deficit to just six points as Quincy Pondexter took charge leading Memphis on a 10-0 run.
San Antonio didn't panic however, which is what you love about a veteran team. The Spurs proceeded to turn this from a tight game to a blowout. With the score 62-56, the Spurs finished the game on a 43-27 run and once again, the Grizzlies are down 0-1 in a series. They aren't afraid to play from behind, but they won't be able to win if the Spurs continue stopping Zach Randolph the way they did Sunday.
The Spurs held Randolph to just two points as he went 1-8 from the floor. Randolph averaged almost 20 per game in the playoffs, but he was a non-factor in Game 1. On offense, the Spurs finished with five guys in double figures, led by Tony Parker who had 20 points.
Game 2 will be in San Antonio and the Spurs will have a chance to once again lead the Western Conference Finals 2-0.
