Spurs take early control of series with Game 2 at the AT&T Center on Tuesday.
Following their series triumph over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Memphis Grizzlies were touted as being capable of shocking the San Antonio Spurs and reaching their first NBA Finals.
However, Game 1 at the AT&T Center on Sunday showed just how effective the Spurs can be when they are on form, as they rattled off 42 points from the three-point line.
Led by Tony Parker who scored 20 points and had nine assists, San Antonio were able to get contributions across the roster which ultimately allowed them to outplay the Grizzlies.
Kawhi Leonard added 18 points, Danny Green had 16 while Matt Bonner and Gary Neal had 12 and 11 points respectively in a performance that would undoubtedly have pleased coach Gregg Popovich.
Parker was impressive again, as he has now scored double figures in each playoff game this year and has had at least eight assists in five of the games.
The 30-year-old is rightfully considered one of the best point guards in the league, and his ability to not only score but also to facilitate will be key to San Antonio’s hopes.
The veteran guard’s speed in getting to the basket for the lay-up is perhaps unrivalled, but he is equally as effective in opening up the floor for his team-mates to kick the ball out for the open three which makes the whole Spurs unit a dangerous one to face.
Manu Ginobili played his part in the closing stages as he replaced his French team-mate, while the Spurs did a great job of limiting Zach Randolph who scored just two points despite averaging 19.7 points on 51 percent shooting.
Both Randolph and Marc Gasol have been key to the Grizzlies in the post season, as the duo have dominated the paint on the defensive end while excelling in offence.
However, that wasn’t the case on Sunday as San Antonio did a great job of countering their skill-set, with their ball movement to create open shots too much for Memphis to handle.
Game 2 is back in Texas on Tuesday night, and if the Spurs can produce a repeat performance anything close to that in the first meeting, they will be confident of opening up a cushion in this series.
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