Western Conference Playoffs
#1 San Antonio Spurs vs. #8 Memphis Grizzlies
Team sites: Pounding The Rock (Spurs) & Straight Outta Vancouver (Grizzlies)
Essential reading on this series: Kevin Pelton in Basketball Prospectus, Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated,
Pick: Spurs in 5. San Antonio should win this one. The Grizz are an intriguing squad, and they have a lot of upset potential brewing in them, but they don't have enough options down the stretch to be trusted as a team that can move on to the conference semifinals. With Rudy Gay, Memphis probably has a decent shot at pulling it out, but without him (even with no Manu Ginobili), they don't have a shot to get to the second round.
Schedule
Game 1: Sun., April 17 in San Antonio, 1 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2: Wed., April 20 in San Antonio, 8:30 p.m., NBA TV
Game 3: Sat., April 23 in Memphis, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 4: Mon., April 25 in Memphis, TBD
Game 5: Wed., April 27 in San Antonio, TBD
Game 6: Fri., April 29 in Memphis, TBD
Game 7: Sun., May 1 in San Antonio, TBD