Grizzlies at Spurs
THE STORY:
The San Antonio Spurs cruised through the 2010-11 regular season at
61-21, earning the top seed in the Western Conference and home court
advantage in the playoffs. But the Spurs were exposed in the playoffs by
the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, who used their superior
athleticism and youth to win the series in six games. San Antonio gets
an immediate chance to prove that it is not over-the-hill when it opens
the season by hosting the Grizzlies on Monday. The Spurs still carry the
nucleus of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, just with
everyone a year older. Duncan, who had his worst season as a pro in
2010-11, reportedly hit the gym hard during the lockout in an effort to
prove that his career still has a few miles on it. Memphis remains a
young team on the rise and made a move to secure its future when it
locked up Marc Gasol to a four-year contract as a restricted free agent.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Memphis), FS Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (0-0):
Memphis surprised people by hanging on to the No. 8 spot in the final
weeks and holding off the veteran Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns. Now
the Grizzlies have real expectations with which to contend. Gasol is
back in the frontcourt alongside Zach Randolph, who showed that he could
be a consistent force last season. Rudy Gay, who missed the playoff run
with a shoulder injury, is healthy and will provide some scoring punch
on the wing. The big departure is veteran forward Shane Battier, who
took Gay’s place after a trade last season. Memphis was 46-36 last
season.
ABOUT THE SPURS (0-0): San Antonio still believes
it can make a run at a championship with its core and several younger
pieces that have been brought in recently such as rookie forward Kawhi
Leonard. The Spurs are still waiting on Brazilian big man Tiago Splitter
to develop into an inside compliment for Duncan and someone who play
long stretches, allowing the former MVP some rest. Richard Jefferson,
owed $30 million over the next three years, survived the new amnesty
rule and will return to the starting lineup.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Grizzlies were 0-12 all-time in the
playoffs before beating the Spurs and taking the Oklahoma City Thunder
to seven games.
2. Memphis forward Darrell Arthur tore his Achilles tendon on Dec. 18 and is out for the season.
3. The teams split the regular season meetings in 2010-11, with each team winning both of its home games.