A San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies clashed four times within the 2012-13 regular season and faced off inside of a memorable playoff series inside 2011. But what's strange for the upcoming Western Conference Finals can be that Marc Gasol along with Co. still haven't had time to prepare for this version within the Spurs.
Memphis—along with each alternate team in the league—is perfectly aware of the Spurs' signature trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili together with Tony Parker.
The Grizzlies have run facing them plenty of instances, and even knocked them out from the postseason two years before, but a quick look back with the recent matchups between these teams demonstrates that the past won't become particularly helpful in predicting one's destiny.
That 2011 series involving the Spurs and Grizzlies happened at a time when Danny Green was practically the final guy off the standard and Kawhi Leonard we hadn't yet entered the NBA in any way. And on the additional side, Memphis was giving heavy minutes to U. J. Mayo, Sam Youthful and Shane Battier.
Using more recent history being guide doesn't help much, either. Three of the four meetings regarding the Spurs and Grizzlies the year of 2010 took place before Memphis exchanged Rudy Gay. And inside the lone meeting after of which deal, the Spurs experienced without Leonard, who sat which includes a bum knee.
So, with the fact why these teams are oddly unfamiliar with one another, it's worth looking in the potential challenges the Grizzlies will face with the latest incarnation of a Spurs.
Here's annoyingly, many people: You don't really game-plan to fix Green or Leonard. Both players do most the offensive damage in transition, on spot-up opportunities or in scattered, offensive-rebound-type scenarios. Leonard, in particular, has made a habit of finding points regarding his athleticism and hustle by itself.
This poses a fun question for the Grizzlies, whose strengths include a set of wing defenders in A2z tony Allen and Tayshaun Prince who master making life difficult meant for scoring swing men.
With Leonard and Green very likely to serve as floor-spacers and additionally little else, is it really value using Allen or Prince's major defensive talents on a few players who really aren't ever visiting attack in one-on-one instances?
In actuality, it seems most likely that Allen will pillow off with Parker, largely as a result of keep Mike Conley because of foul trouble. But and ofcourse that what Green together with Leonard do on offense effectively nullifies amongst Memphis' greatest assets: a staunch one-on-one perimeter protection.
Green spent the bulk of San Antonio's semifinal series with the Golden State Warriors hounding Stephen Curry all over the floor. Fans everywhere took notice of how phenomenal Earth-friendly was at defending the hottest shooter on the globe.
And recently, folks also are coming around to Leonard's excellent defensive versatility. As Physical activities Illustrated's Rob Mahoney taken into account, Leonard's ability to cover huge swaths of the court and defend everyone from point guards to power forwards has provided the Spurs a terrifying new small-ball option.
For proof of that, we need only looking at the final minutes with San Antonio's series-clinching win about the Warriors, in which Gregg Popovich really benched Duncan and slid Leonard for the 4.
Sorry, Memphis. This year's Spurs have a pair of defenders in Green and Leonard that are every bit practically Allen and Prince. But San Antonio's duo at the same time poses a much bigger threat relating to the offensive end. Remember, Green shot nearly 43 percent from long range in the regular season, while Leonard hit a compelling 37 percent of his triples.
If any team is capable of making adjustments on the fly—especially on defense—it's this Grizzlies. They've still got the top defensive player in that league in Gasol in addition to a regular-season resume that features the NBA's second-best defensive rating.
As we head into what's sure as being a very competitive series, it's critical to remember that these aren't the same kind of Spurs. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili are still the focal points for the team, but now there are a pair of dynamic small additions whom the Grizzlies cannot afford to overlook.
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