NBA -- Spurs sweep Grizzlies, punch NBA Finals ticket
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 28 May 2013
CHICAGO -- The San Antonio Spurs are back in the NBA Finals for the fifth time since 1999, when they won their first-ever NBA championship. This will be the Spurs' first Finals return trip since 2007.
The milestone came at the expense of the Memphis Grizzlies, who were swept in the Western Conference Finals after the Spurs took Game 4, 93-86, Monday night at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. Game 1 of this year's Finals will begin on June 6, giving the Spurs a 9-day layoff as they await the winner of the Miami Heat-Indiana Pacers showdown in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tony Parker led San Antonio with 37 points and six assists. The Frenchman from Belgium made 15 of 21 shots and sank all six of his free throws. When the Grizzlies crawled back from a 12-point deficit and got to within 76-73 early in the fourth quarter, Parker drilled a 3 to extend the lead back to six and the Spurs weren't seriously threatened again.
"He's been amazing. Every year he (Parker) gets better and better. He's been carrying us. You can see tonight he carried us the entire game," Spurs center Tim Duncan told the Associated Press.
Although Parker clearly was the night's star, the victory was another typical team effort for the Spurs as Duncan finished with 15 points and eight rebounds while Kawhi Leonard added 11. Tiago Splitter chipped in nine points and four blocks. Although the Spurs sank only three of 13 threes, they made 39-of-76 field goals and they dominated the points in the paint, 52-32.
Quincy Poindexter paced Memphis with 22 points. Big men Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol combined for 27 points and 13 rebounds, but shot just nine of 25 field goals. Mike Conley had nine points and seven assists for Memphis, which converted only 32 of 86 field goals for a scant 37.2 percent clip.
"We learned that winning isn't easy and winning championships is one of the hardest things you can possibly do. San Antonio is a tremendous team. We're going to take a couple of pages out of their playbook," Poindexter said.
Although their season has abruptly ended, the Grizzlies had a season to remember. They won 56 regular season games, led the NBA in most points allowed (89.3 per game) and they entered their first Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. (Homer D. Sayson)
Photo: Tony Parker challenges the heart of the Memphis defense, scoring 37 points in Game 4 as the San Antonio Spurs swept the Memphis Grizzlies to earn a spot in the 2013 NBA Finals.
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