NBA SIMS LEAGUE
NSL Insider - PP: San Antonio Vs Memphisby Toby, updated on Tuesday, June 15 2021, 06:27 am EST
San Antonio Spurs Vs Memphis Grizzlies We are all
well aware of the season Nelson and the Spurs have had, their 71 wins is
obviously impressive, and they are not too far behind the possible untouchable
78 win of the Trailblazers. Going into
the season most would have assumed the Spurs would have been amongst it come
this time, but Nelsons squad is very different than that original team. He has
continuously made trades which most of the time seems to come out on top. Now
with his core of Lillard, Butler, Holiday and Drummond he looks to make a push
in the post season. The Memphis
Grizzlies were not a powerhouse like the Spurs but then again not many teams
are. Rootsey has
his strategy of �defence defence defence�, which he has been solidified behind
Jaylen Brown, Smart, OG and Jackson Jnr. Memphis have
more of a spread amongst their scoring contributors, with many different names
making an appearance as their player of the game. Conley and Herro�s names make
regular appearances. The
Grizzlies record sits at 46 wins which got them the 7th seed in
the west. We need to remember that they haven�t had many games played together
by their best two players, being JJJ and Brown. JJJ missed more than the first
half of the season, then not long after his return Brown went down, ruling him
out for the season. Even up against the said adversity, they managed
to go on some good runs, winning 10 out of 11 of the final games of the season,
so they are coming in HOT. Key to
getting the �W� -
The obvious
key for the Spurs is Damien Lillard, who in almost every game since he was
traded to the spurs has been the best player for the game. There are other
bodies on the team that have the capability to put up numbers, but Lillard has
been the big chef in the kitchen, so it will be up to him keep the frying pan
sizzling. We know what
Lillard is capable of and what he will no doubt do, after all in the Spurs
uniform for the regular season he is averaging 38 points per game. So, it goes
without saying Lillards offensive output will be a big factor to getting the
Spurs over the line. However,
there are a couple of guys who I think can really control this game on both
ends of the court. The Spurs
have two very nice defensive specialists in Jimmy Butler and Jrue Holiday, yes
they are both much much more than just defensive specialists but due to the
potential play of the Memphis guards, the defensive prowess of Butler and
Holiday will be heavily leaned upon in order to keep the Memphis guards in
check. Jrue who is
an oversized point guard seems perfect to block out all of Mike Conley�s
sunlight. Without Brown, Conley is the Grizzlies leading scorer, who averaged
just under 22 points per game for the season. Next is
Butler, who could definitely be a franchise player on a less �stacked� roster.
Butler has the scoring potential to lead the team on any given night, but his
presence on the other end of the floor is what will make him a key to the game.
He will most likely end up guarding the Grizzlies third leading scorer
(including Brown), Tyler Herro. Herro has averaged 17 points per game and we
all know he is capable of getting extremely hot. The calibre
of defence from these two will make the task of Conley and Herro leading the
Grizzlies to a victory a tough uphill battle. With the possibility of these two
having a tough night, more responsibility falls on Jaren Jackson Jnr, who is
capable and willing, but is a tall order for the young big man. Memphis
Grizzlies The key to
the game for Memphis is to hope that the defensive identity the team is built
around can stem the tide of the tsunami offense from the Spurs. I would say
the best matchup for guarding Lillard is Marcus Smart, the junkyard dog who has
made a name for himself in these exact situations. I was thinking OG
could try to smother him with size, but then who would try to contain butler.
This is where Brown would truly come in handy. Derrick
White, who is also a very solid defender can throw his hat in the ring and get
to work on one of the spurs many talents. Yes, defence
can win games, but the grizzlies obviously have to score as well. This is where
the multiple scoring output may come in handy. Whether is be JJJ, Herro or
Conley. That�s why the key to the game is JJJ Jaren
Jackson Jnr Jackson Jnr
only returned from his long injury absence in week 15, which I am sure was
warmly welcomed by GM, Rootsey. JJJ has an
incredibly high ceiling and is already producing at his young age. He came into
he league as a defensive specialist but I think how quickly his offense and
long range shooting as come along only raises the potential of what he could
become. As mentioned
above the two (healthy) leading scorers for Memphis will have some tough
matchups to go against, and yes they can definitely still produce, but with
seeing as their battles could go either way, more responsibility of scoring
falls to Jaren Jackson Jnr. Since
returning, JJJ has an average playing time of 32 minutes per game, and in those
minutes is averaging just under 17 points, shooting under 50% from the field. For the
Grizzlies to give it a real shake, he needs to up his percentages and scoring
output. His defensive numbers are solid which is no surprise. In the 25 games
JJJ has played he isn�t even averaging one three per game, is just under with
0.8. Like I mentioned before, for the Grizzlies to have a real shot at it,
Jackson Jnr needs to let it fly from deep and start to connect with a few more.
Which I don�t think is beyond the realms of possibility.
San Antonio
Spurs � win in four I will be
predicting that the clear favourite, The San Antonio Spurs will get the better
of the Memphis Grizzlies in this first round matchup. Spurs have
had a tremendous season, only trailing the Trailblazers in the wins totals.
Nelsons squad has been a powerhouse all year long. You have to
give Nelson some credit, he is more than willing to pull trigger and move stars
around, so kudos to him for that. There is some other GMs that have moved stars
or big names and basically just watered down their cordial, where as nelson
always seemed to increase value or increase value for his team and plan. If Grizzlies
had Brown I would go out on a limb and say the at the Grizzlies may take one
game, but with the current situation the way it is, I am predicting that Spurs
win in a sweep. There big names, chemistry and momentum will be too much and
will bring the admirable Memphis Grizzlies season to an end. |
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