The most surprising thing in the Western Conference is the Spurs' game against the Grizzlies.

The Spurs are playing very well this season, ranking third in the league behind the Warriors and Bulls.

Without the Warriors, the Spurs would be No. 1 in the Western Conference!

The second-placed Spurs opponent in the Western Conference is the seventh-placed Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies' performance in the first half of this season was average, hovering in the eighth or ninth position.

What's even more terrible is that on February 15, 2011, Grizzlies general Rudy Gay injured his left shoulder in a game against the 76ers. He subsequently had surgery and was reimbursed for the season.

Rudy Gay can attack and defend and is a very important member of the Grizzlies.

For this reason, the Grizzlies made a deal with the Rockets before the mid-term trade deadline, using the 2009 No. 2 pick Thabeet and a first-round pick in exchange for Shane Battier.

Shane Battier started his career with the Grizzlies.

Although Rudy Gay is missing, new aid Shane Battier is very good, and Tony Allen is equally good as his replacement. The Grizzlies' strength has not declined but has increased.

In the end, thanks to the outstanding performance of Randolph and Conley, the Grizzlies advanced to the playoffs and ranked seventh with a small point advantage at the last minute.

As one of the youngest teams in the NBA, the Grizzlies have only made it to the playoffs 4 times since joining the NBA in 1995. They were swept out in the first round each time and did not even win a single playoff victory.

Who would have expected to face such a team? The Spurs, playing at home, actually lost!

One reason the Spurs lost was Ginobili's absence.

Ginobili's scoring average in the regular season this season is only 0.1 points less than Parker's. With Duncan aging and lack of internal firepower on the offensive end, Ginobili's absence is very critical.

Originally, the Spurs and Grizzlies found Deng Fang and wanted to treat Ginobili and Rudy Gay, but because Deng Fang's asking price was too high, both teams gave up the idea.

Ginobili's annual salary this year is US$11.85 million, and Deng Fang's asking price is 6 million!

Rudy Gay's annual salary this year is US$13.6 million, and Deng Fang's asking price is 7 million!

This is a principle that Deng Fang has always adhered to.

At least half of the annual salary, no upper limit!

How much depends on your mood!

For small market teams like the Spurs and Grizzlies, this price is very high!

Of course, another reason why the Spurs gave up was that Ginobili's injury was not serious and he would miss this game at most.

Besides, the Spurs are second in the Western Conference and third in the league. No matter how hard they deal with the Grizzlies, who are struggling to squeeze into the playoffs, there will be no problem!

It was precisely because of such blind confidence that the Spurs overturned in the first game.

In hindsight, the defeat of this game determined the trend of the entire series!

For the Grizzlies, they didn't have much hope.

The Spurs are second in the Western Conference and have a strong team. It will not be easy to win against them.

For the Grizzlies management, their goal is just to win one or two games in the playoffs!

Of course, if Deng Fang's asking price is lower, it is not impossible for them to consider it.

That’s $7 million!

Moreover, judging from the results in the last month or so of the regular season, the presence or absence of Rudy Gay has little impact on the Grizzlies.

If you can reach the second round or go further, you can spend this money, but if not, then there is no need.

The Grizzlies' management has no confidence in themselves, while the Spurs are a little careless.

Facts have proved that the Grizzlies are very difficult to play in the playoffs!

The core of the Grizzlies is the black and white Bears plus Mike Conley.

Black Bear Randolph assists, a big fat guy with top strength, excellent touch in the paint, and his style of play is to keep driving to the basket!

Randolph doesn't dunk either. As long as he gets to the basket, he has a hundred ways to put the ball into the basket!

Gasol is the main defender of the White Bears. The tall and tall Gasol has a very good defensive awareness and is the league's top defensive center. He also has a very strong support ability.

Conley can shoot out of the blue and plays great defense.

Coupled with Tony Allen and Battier, two of the league's top perimeter defenders, the Grizzlies will be quite difficult to deal with in the playoffs!

With Gasol, Tony Allen, Battier, and Mike Conley as four defensive heroes, plus Randolph, who is not too bad defensively, no matter which team encounters the Grizzlies, they will have a headache.

In the playoffs, referees' standards for whistleblowing will become looser, more confrontation will be encouraged, and more emphasis will be placed on defense, so teams with good defense will take advantage.

Attack earns box office, defense wins championships, this is the truth.

The Spurs don't pay much attention to the Grizzlies, mainly because the Grizzlies are not too conspicuous during the regular season.

But as soon as the game started against the Spurs, I knew I was wrong.

The Grizzlies kept the pace very slow and did nothing else but grind out the position with the Spurs!

Hugging, blocking, rebounding, all the things that consume energy and energy are indispensable!

With the black and white bears waiting inside, it would be difficult for the Spurs to come in.

Since Duncan got older, the Spurs' offense has begun to shift to the outside, and inside singles are no longer their main offensive method.

Even if they play inside, there are only two or three here and there!

Duncan was asked to keep cutting the inside line, but he couldn't keep up with his physical fitness and couldn't cut it!

The 36-year-old McDyess has no possibility of playing in singles!

I want to start from the outside, but the Grizzlies' Tony Allen, Mike Conley and Battier don't agree!

The three perimeter defenders made the Spurs very painful.

Especially without Ginobili, the Spurs' offense is even more annoying.

In the end, the two teams came to the last minute.

With less than a minute before the end, the Spurs led by two points.

As a result, Parker missed the mid-range shot, and Battier turned around and hit a three-pointer to take the lead!

Then George Hill missed a three-pointer and the Spurs had to foul.

Tony Allen made two free throws, Richard Jefferson missed a three-pointer in a hurry at the last second, and the Spurs regretfully lost.

The victory in this game was the Grizzlies' first playoff victory in franchise history, allowing the Grizzlies to break the team's embarrassing record of no wins in the playoffs.

Although it was just a loss, the Spurs also lost their home court advantage.

This is very important for the Spurs.

When the strength of the two teams is not much different, home field advantage can determine the direction of the series to a large extent.

This is also the reason why many teams work hard in the regular season.

…

The first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs has also ended with the first game.

The Bulls, number one in the Eastern Conference, easily defeated the Pacers, number eight, and there was no suspense in this game.

The most outstanding performer among them was Rose. He made 10 of 23 shots and scored 39 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds.

One of the more terrifying statistics is that Rose made 0 of 9 three-pointers in this game, but got 21 free throws!

Rose scored 19 points just through free throws!

If Curry had such treatment from the referees...

Forget it, let’s not talk anymore. If I talk too much, I will shed tears!

…

Another game without suspense is the third-place Celtics against the Knicks.

Although the Knicks acquired Anthony and Billups through trades in the middle of the season and formed a poor version of the Big Three with Stoudemire, not every Big Three can succeed!

The Knicks' Big Three performed well, especially Stoudemire, who scored 28 points, the highest of the two teams.

However, apart from the Big Three, no one from the Knicks scored in double figures, while the opposite Celtics had five players in double figures.

In the end, the Knicks regretfully lost with a score of 85:87.

…

There is no suspense in the game between the Heat, which is second in the Eastern Conference, and the 76ers, which is seventh.

Spoelstra is a great head coach. He knows that the playoffs are a time of defensive competition.

Although he has the Big Three, Spoelstra has always emphasized the importance of defense.

The 76ers have a group of outstanding role players: Holiday, Brand, Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, and Lou Williams, but they only lack a leading brother.

Such a civilian team may perform well in the regular season, but not in the more intense playoffs.

This is also the first confrontation between Iguodala and James in the playoffs.

In the end, the Heat won the game without any bloodshed 97:89.
To be continued...