Memphis Sounds fall to San Antonio Spurs
Last night the Memphis Sounds took on the San Antonio Spurs in the Grindhouse in the second Hardwood Classics night of the season. What appeared in the beginning to be a competitive game quickly turned to a heavily San Antonio driven effort. The Sounds (from here on out I’m going back to calling the team the Grizzlies for ease) fell 103-83 to a Spurs team that just never, ever let up.
It looked like the Memphis came to play in the first quarter. The energy level was high. The effort was astounding. They spread the floor, Jeff Green got some good looks. He scored 5 points within the first two minutes of play. Everything was going right. Zach Randolph was getting good looks and the Grizzlies were running away with the game, leading by 7 points. The Spurs weren’t making their shots, the Grizzlies were. It looked like the Grizzlies were going to impose their will on this game and never let up. They were playing phenomenal defense. With 4:50 left in the first quarter Mike Conley came up with a huge block against Tony Parker that led to a gorgeous dunk by Randolph. A Randolph dunk isn’t something us Grizzlies fans get to see a whole lot and it is a thing of beauty. In case you want to feast your eyes: here it is.
Mike Conley stops Parker; Z-Bo dunks!!!! https://t.co/rtpPHqKBOA
— All Heart (@AllHeartInHoopC) December 4, 2015
Despite the Grizzlies’ hot start the Spurs would start to make their comeback. The 7 points Grizzly lead was reduced to only one point at the end of the first quarter. Tony Parker would score 12 points in the second quarter, giving him 16 for the first half. The Spurs locked down on defense and the Grizzlies shot 31.6% in the second quarter. At the end of the first half the Spurs were up by nine points. The rest of the game followed suit behind the second quarter.
The Grizzlies continued to try and get into the game but teamwork and ball movement from the Spurs would continue to overtake any defensive stand Memphis could put together. For every shot the Grizzlies could muster, the Spurs had an answer. Postgame Marc Gasol said that it’s not going to work if you try to outsmart the Spurs, “you have to actually got to beat them physically”. Frankly, I think he summed up the game perfectly. The Spurs adjusted at a rapid pace and with shots not falling the Grizzlies just could not beat the Spurs physically.
I try to not make it a habit to judge this team based on their play against the Spurs. It’s the fact that we haven’t won against an elite team yet that has me a tad concerned. It has a lot of folks out there concerned. Again, Marc Gasol summed it up for us when he said that while we are a good team, we aren’t an elite team yet. That said, let’s all remember it’s only the beginning of December and it’s still obvious the Grizzlies are going through some style of play growing pains. Mike Conley touched on that in his postgame interview. The Grizzlies have to get into a consistent rhythm.
Just a couple quick game notes and takeaways:
– The Grizzlies continue to struggle against zone defense. Which is why Popovich plays it. It’s also why any team who can effectively play it plays it against the Grizzlies. When the zone collapses to the inside the Grizzlies are consistently turning the ball over. Tonight we saw Mike Conley dribble the ball off his foot, Marc Gasol lose his handle on the ball and Tony Allen double clutch in traffic. This contributed largely to the 11 total turnovers the Grizzlies had, 5 of them coming from Gasol. The Grizzlies desperately need to find a way to communicate and move the ball. They have to start making the extra pass and finding the best shot on the court.
– The Grizzlies cannot allow themselves to get flustered. By the time the third quarter was rolling the Grizzlies were visibly frustrated with the calls. Seeing the reactions from Mike Conley and Marc Gasol was a little discouraging. They can’t afford to not get back on defense, no matter how biased the whistle seems.
– Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points, shooting 7/9 from three. Leonard consistently made shots over defenders. He is easily becoming one of the premier players in the league.
– Marc Gasol, Mario Chalmers and Mike Conley each scored 15 points and were the Grizzlies leading scorers.
– San Antonio shot 55.6% from beyond the arc.
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- Grizzlies Out Hustle Rockets and Head to Dallas - October 24, 2017
- The Grizzlies are Backed Into A Corner: Spurs Win Game 5 - April 26, 2017
- Memphis at San Antonio: Grizzlies Did Not Layeth the Smacketh Down - March 25, 2017
