1 San Antonio Spurs (61-21) vs. 8 Memphis Grizzlies (46-36)
Inside the Series
Season Series: Tied (2-2)
Scoring Leaders: Zach Randolph (MEM): 20.1 PPG
Tony Parker (SA): 17. 5 PPG
Assist Leaders: Tony Parker (SA): 6.6 APG
Mike Conley (MEM): 6.5 APG
Rebounding Leaders: Zach Randolph (MEM): 12.2 RPG
Tim Duncan (SA): 8.9 RPG
Key Players
San Antonio: F Richard Jefferson
Everyone in San Antonio is still waiting on RJ to make some kind of an impact. If Jefferson plays like the Jefferson from New Jersey, the Spurs can be even more dangerous than they were in the regular season.
Memphis: C Marc Gasol
In their most revealing game of the season, the Spurs were destroyed by the Lakers back in March. What was the difference in that game? Size.
If Marc Gasol can take notes from brother Pau and Andrew Bynum, he can be very effective in clashing the boards this series.
Key Matchup
Tim Duncan vs. Zach Randolph
This should be a very telling battle between the power fowards. Can Tim Duncan play like the Duncan of old? And can Zach Randolph push his game to the next level?
The Grizz need Randolph to have a shot at this series and the Spurs need a better Tim Duncan to have a shot in the West.
Prediction
Game 1: Memphis 79, San Antonio 84
Game 2: Memphis 90, San Antonio 101
Game 3: San Antonio 81, Memphis 96
Game 4: San Antonio 104, Memphis 100
Game 5: Memphis 87, San Antonio 93
San Antonio wins 4-1
The Spurs will be simply too much for the Grizz to handle. The team with better coaching, better players, and better playoff experience will prevail here. And that's the Spurs.
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