Grizzlies at Spurs
The host San Antonio Spurs set a franchise record with 67 victories and begin what they hope is a deep postseason run when they open the playoffs against the seventh-seeded Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. The second-seeded Spurs are expected to cruise past the Grizzlies, who lost 10 of their final 11 regular-season games and also went winless in four games against San Antonio this season.
The Spurs added power forward LaMarcus Aldridge in the offseason to beef up their championship hopes and the All-Star will be playing with a dislocated right pinky finger. Aldridge meshed well with All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard and became a more potent offensive force over the second half of the season. Memphis has been decimated by injuries - most notably the losses of center Marc Gasol (foot) and point guard Mike Conley (Achilles) - and faces long odds in a seven-game series. "If we do what they say, we've got what - a two percent chance of advancing?" shooting guard Tony Allen said of the forecasts to reporters. "We've just got to go out there and play hard and play for each other. Hopefully, we can beat the odds."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, FSN Southeast (Memphis), FSN Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (42-40): Memphis lost its final two games of the regular season by an average of 23.5 points and the players are well aware it will take a supreme effort to win the series. "We know our margin of error is non-existent," Grizzlies small forward Matt Barnes told reporters. "We pretty much have to be perfect every single game but crazier things have happened." Players like Barnes and swingman Lance Stephenson will need to complement power forward Zach Randolph, who returned to the go-to player role after the injuries to Gasol and Conley.
ABOUT THE SPURS (67-15): Aldridge averaged 19.9 points in 25 games after the All-Star break and thrived once he figured out how to fit in with a veteran group fully acclimated to the San Antonio system. "I think it took him longer to adjust to us that it did us to get used to him," veteran Tim Duncan told reporters. "He continued to try to defer to us for a long time while we were trying to push him to take over." Leonard emerged as the club's top option even with Aldridge on board and averaged a career-high 21.2 points and scored 20 or more points in 15 of his last 20 games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Spurs' four victories against the Grizzlies were by an average of 12.5 points.
2. Allen (hamstring) said he expects to play after missing the final three games of the regular season.
3. San Antonio backup F/C Boris Diaw (groin) is close to full strength after missing five straight games earlier this month.