Spurs @ Grizzlies Preview San Antonio (2-1) @ Memphis (1-1) Monday, 8:00 pm ET Pyramid, Memphis Tennessee TV: NBATV/PAX Previous Game Knicks 74 @ Spurs 86 Grizzlies 79 @ Rockets 71 Head Coaches Gregg Popovich/Hubie Brown Probable Starters Rasho Nesterovic/Stromile Swift Tim Duncan/Pau Gasol Bruce Bowen/Mike Miller Emanuel Ginobili/James Posey Jason Hart/Jason Williams Injury Lists San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker Memphis Grizzlies Dahntay Jones Ryan Humphrey Keys To The Game San Antonio - San Antonio needs to just go out there and play their usual brand of championship basketball. Not having Tony Parker and Anthony Carter sets the Spurs back more than they may realize. Jason Hart has to be prepared to have a great game. The Grizzlies have one of the strongest backcourts in the league. Jason Williams, James Posey, Wesley Person, Mike Miller, and Shane Battier should have their way with the mediocre Spurs backcourt. Eventually, it all boils down to the play downlow though which we all know is sparked by MVP Tim Duncan. If they just get him the ball a lot then they should do fine. Memphis - Memphis needs to remain focussed. They were celebrating their first win like it was the National Championship and I hope that doesn't affect their play against San Antonio. The Grizzlies need better production from beyond the arch where they are now shooting a horrible twenty-three percent. Memphis also needs to work on maintaining leads. Against both Boston and Houston the Grizzlies took a large lead (by eight or more points) early on in the game only to lose it by the third quarter. I partially attribute that to Hubbie Brown playing the Grizzlie's second line for a good amount of time. The Grizzlies also need to get more production out of Pau. This year has been branded his breakout year. All of the NBA's General Managers said that Pau would have an All-Star year, but so far he has done nothing above average. He needs to toughen up and draw some fouls, especially against a San Antonio team which houses Tim Duncan. Key Matchup - Tim Duncan/Pau Gasol This shall be an exciting matchup to watch. These two players are the best that their respective teams have to offer, but they have two entirely different games. Look for Pau to play stellar defense and kill the Spurs quietly with his hookshot while Tim Duncan displays his usual all-around game.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting King James:</div><div class="quote_post">Nice work Wave, looks like my game preview format is looking good here too </div>Thanks for lending it to me. I'll be experimenting with different formats in the weeks to come untill I find the perfect one.
Anthony Carter is injuried as well..Which is why S.A was forced to sign Jason Hart who started against the Knicks last night. Expect Shane Heal and Ron Mercer to help run the point guard spot. Imagine that...both PG's injuried
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting allnet:</div><div class="quote_post">Anthony Carter is injuried as well..Which is why S.A was forced to sign Jason Hart who started against the Knicks last night. Expect Shane Heal and Ron Mercer to help run the point guard spot. Imagine that...both PG's injuried </div>Thanks for the heads up. That changes a lot. I'll update.
Jason Williams should have a nice game, becuase Tony Parker is not playing. The Spurs have a 3rd string point guard startring.
Grizzlies will keep the game tight, but I think that Duncan will be too much for the Grizzlies. BTW, nice preview Wave.
This was a great win for the Grizzlies. Jason Williams had 13 points and 6 assists. Grizz - 88 Spurs - 80
Very impressive win for the Grizz. The Spurs are really banged up but they are the defending champions.
With no Duncan,Parker and Carter there is no reason why you shouldn't win the game...TD was dominating before he got injuried and the Spurs were well in control..but without them you can't expect to keep the big lead.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting allnet:</div><div class="quote_post">With no Duncan,Parker and Carter there is no reason why you shouldn't win the game...TD was dominating before he got injuried and the Spurs were well in control..but without them you can't expect to keep the big lead.</div>That's a rather arrogant statement. The Spurs play a solid team game and this season they have more weapons. Rasho Nesterovic, Ron Mercer, Hedo Turkoglu, and Emanuel Ginobili really played solid games. However, I will admitt it would have been a lot more difficult if Duncan had played. Also, don't think the Grizzlies should have beaten them by more than they did. Eight points is a nice lead, especially when you consider the lack of minutes that Pau Gasol, Jason Williams, and James Posey got. It was a case of bad minute distribution again by Hubie Brown.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Spurs' Injuries Too Much to Bear MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 3 (Ticker) -- Stromile Swift scored the go-ahead basket with 1:56 left as the Memphis Grizzlies rallied for an 88-80 win over the San Antonio Spurs, who lost star Tim Duncan to injury midway through the opening quarter. With Duncan scoring 10 points and grabbing three rebounds, the Spurs jumped out to an 20-10 lead with 5:08 left in the first. But the two-time NBA MVP suffered a mildly sprained left ankle six seconds later, rolling his foot while attempting a basket in the lane. The team said Duncan would have an MRI on Tuesday. Duncan came in averaging 18.7 points and 16 rebounds per game this season. The Grizzlies overcame an 11-point deficit in the first quarter and limited San Antonio to just one field goal in the final 8:35. San Antonio's Malik Rose snapped a 76-76 tie with a pair of free throws with 2:41 remaining, but Swift's leaner put Memphis ahead for good. Jason Williams had 13 points and seven assists and Wesley Person and Earl Watson each chipped in 12 points for Memphis, which improved to just 5-27 all-time against the defending champion Spurs. The Grizzlies are just 2-15 at home against San Antonio. </div> Recap
Nothing arrogant about it...As good as the Spurs team is Duncan and Parker are the center pieces of the team.Lets not forget Manu who left the game in the 4th.Sorry if you got offended by my statement or it disrespected your team but thats the way it is.The whole team changes without Duncan....You need a PG out there to be a success..and a big man to win games...As good as I think Malik Rose,Hedo,Rasho,Mercer,Horry are they need Duncan and Parker out there to be a success...Grizzles have a good young team so to me as soon as Duncan went out I knew Grizzles would win the game.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting allnet:</div><div class="quote_post">With no Duncan,Parker and Carter there is no reason why you shouldn't win the game...TD was dominating before he got injuried and the Spurs were well in control..but without them you can't expect to keep the big lead.</div> Maybe I did get the wrong impression, but this statement does sound rather arrogant. Almost like you were subtly saying that the Grizzlies could not beat the Grizzlies if they had Tim Duncan. You're defending your team, that's okay, but there is no need to exaggerate those player's importances. Teams win basketball games, not players.
No I was simply saying the Spurs were in control of the game up by double fiqures...so without Duncan the lead would bound to gf course the Grizzles can beat the Spurs....They have a good young team....and Spurs are beatable.. True Teams win games and not players..but when you are without the two best players on your team..The chances to win the game on the road is VERY slim.
There is no denying the fact that Duncan and Parker are the heart and soul of that team. Parker runs the offense, Duncan does pretty much everything. Yes, they win as a team but there is no denying the fact that without Duncan and Parker that is a different Spurs team. There is a reason why TD was the back to back MVP, he IS that valuable to the Spurs.
