NBA Western Conference Finals - Postmortem

Well, that was easy. The San Antonio Spurs obliterated the fine line of being considered an “old” team and being considered a “veteran” team, staking an overwhelming claim for the latter in their systematic disposal of the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals.

Memphis came into this series winners of 8 of their last 9 games, carrying momentum on the court and favor in the media. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol seemed unstoppable on the glass and in the paint. Mike Conley looked to be a budding star, coming into his own on the national stage. Their defense seemed capable of stifling any offense thrown their way. Lionel Hollins was auditioning to be the top choice for any coaching vacancy this offseason. They had also won 19 of their past 20 games at FedEx Forum, dating back to the regular season.

San Antonio took a chainsaw to everything we thought we knew. 

It all started in Game 1, a 22-point thumping in San Antonio. Glaring statistics for San Antonio, like 14 made 3’s and 53% shooting from the field made the result of this game easy to chalk up as an anomaly. Heck, Matt Bonner even made it rain with 4 triples. San Antonio had to win Game 1 to have a chance against the mighty Grizz – whether it was by 2 points or 22 points... said one internet blogger that will remain nameless.

Game 2 appeared to bring more of the same, with San Antonio simply dominating for two-and-a-half quarters, led by court General Tony Parker who ended up with 15 points and 18 assists. Memphis had its best run of the series over the final quarter-and-a-half, erasing an 18 point deficit and staring a series-shifting comeback win in the face. For the first time it looked like they had woken up and were up to the task of taking down the seasoned Spurs.

And then Tim Duncan continued his emergence from the fountain of youth by taking over overtime with 6 huge points, including an awkward-but-effective runner in the lane that served as a symbol of the first two games of this series.  Everything was falling for the Spurs. Memphis could muster just 4 points in that overtime, and order was restored for San Antonio as they took a commanding lead to Memphis. 

Yea, well a series never really starts until the home team loses a game. Memphis just needs to hold serve at home and bring it back to San Antonio 2-2… said that very same anonymous internet blogger, let's just call him Jon - no 'h'.

Well, I guess you could say the series promptly started after Game 3 – with Memphis blowing a blistering start and coughing up an 18-point lead in their home gym, en route to a completely soul crushing overtime defeat.

Once again it was Tim Duncan leading the way in overtime with Tony Parker and Tiago Splitter, combining for a staggering 18 points during the extra session. Once Quincy Pondexter fouled out of this game the Grizzlies had absolutely zero presence from the perimeter. That being said, how can a team lean so heavily on Quincy Pondexter? Rudy Gay, you are missed.

And then there was the death blow in Game 4. This was really just a formality. The Spurs raced out to a quick 10 point lead after the first quarter, and Memphis held its last lead of the game at 6-4. Tony Parker continued to take advantage of a brilliant offensive scheme, scoring 37 points and finding openings all over the Grizzlies defense to shoot 15-21 from the field - an effort so efficient that his girlfriend couldn’t resist the urge of meeting him at the end of the tunnel and greeting him with a kiss after the win. 

A true championship effort by the Spurs. Gregg Popovich flexed his coaching muscles in this series, dominating every step of the way. In fact, with the exception of the 4^th quarter of Game 2 and the 1^st quarter of Game 3 the San Antonio Spurs embarrassed the Memphis Grizzlies in the other 14 quarters and 2 overtimes, outscoring the Grizz by 72 points.  

The Spurs did what every experienced champion does to an inexperienced upstart – keep them at an arm’s length, and when they inevitably get close crush their souls. San Antonio seemed to be nursing a 10 point lead the whole series, and when the Grizz went on their runs and gave the impression they were shifting the tide of the series, the Spurs showed them – and the basketball world – why they are the ones with 4 rings in the past 15 years.

I have spent a lot of time hating the Spurs over the last 15 seasons. Those emotions have faded as the team has aged, and I have cultivated a nice respect for what they have done, sustaining a presence at the top of the ultra-competitive Western Conference for so long. 3 or 4 years ago it would have been blasphemous for me to say I was rooting for the Spurs, but you can find me in this shirt starting next Thursday.