Spurs Head To The Western Conference Finals To Avenge Their 2011 First Round Embarrassment Against Memphis.
Coming into game 6 last night, San Antonio was planned to return home on Friday morning, but not to host a game 7 against the Warriors; instead planning for a game 1 meeting Sunday afternoon against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Golden State Warriors, have gave us some of the most exciting moments for the playoffs in quite some time led by the jaw dropping shooting from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Since Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, has figured out how to contain their shooting, the two have went on a cold streak. Curry, who’s bee dealing with ankle injuries, was forced him to take a backseat to Klay; who was obviously not ready for this big of a stage in his career. In game 6, Tim Duncan came out making a statement in the first quarter scoring one third of the Spurs total points to set the tone of the game.
David Lee also made some contributions in the first quarter scoring 4 of his 9 points for the game to give the team some relief. Steph Curry would continue into 2nd quarter trying to keep his team in the game scoring 11 of the 21 points before halftime; but San Antonio’s balance of offense at all angels was just too much for Golden State to endure.
Hit the jump for a video recap and more.
Harrison Barnes suffered a concussion right before halftime (landing on his head), which would be the beginning of the end for the team. He would eventually come back but would leave the game again with “headaches.” The second half we would see an emergence of Tony Parker in the 4th quarter scoring 10 points to put the finishing touches on the series. The Warriors jump shots stopped falling, as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson only combined for 5 total FG’s made in the second half. With Barnes out, there was no clear cut third option with the exception Jarrett Jack to provide scoring.
The Warriors now go fishing with a the offseason approaching, as they will look to get healthy and hopefully look to free agency to add a legitimate post person. The Spurs big three (in Parker, Ginobili and Duncan), become the 2nd highest winning trio in playoff history; only behind the 80’s Lakers (Magic, Kareem and Cooper).
San Antonio now heads back home for game 1 western conference finals against the Memphis Grizzlies. Both of these teams play the game for the purist audience like myself in fundamentals and team ball. If you’re looking for an exciting series with highlights, you might want to watch the boys in South Beach next round. In 2011, the Grizzlies won their first playoff series ever upsetting the one seeded Spurs as an eight seed. Rudy Gay was a non-factor that series, which Zach Randolph and Mark Gasol essentially led the way for Memphis.
Last year, Randolph played on a bad leg which they lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Clippers; but returned back healthy back this year send them home in 5. Both teams match-up evenly, with the only thing holding San Antonio back next round is their health. In our opinion, Tiago Splitter will be the X-factor of the series, as he’ll be guarding Zachery to give Duncan rest on the defensive end. With Tony Allen guarding the hot hand at the 1-3, both teams big banging inside; and Lionel Hollins and Mike Conley Jr. proving their elite names in the NBA against proven champions, we should have one of the best conference finals in years.
Win or GO Home!