Round 1 is run and done now and Round 2 is here, as we narrow the field to 4 teams per conference trying to reach the ultimate goal!

Out West, we see the 2^nd seeded Spurs having moved on via a sweep of the 7^th seeded Rockets, to now come face to face with the 3^rd seeded Grizzlies in a battle that has been anticipated for a long while now with the deep talented teams at the top of the West. The Grizzlies needed 6 games to distance themselves from the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they got the job done and now they face one of the big two in the West, hoping to officially be recognised alongside them.

 

The Spurs
Record: 69-13

The Spurs have been one of the two teams to beat all year, narrowly missing out on the #1 record in the land this year with 69 wins, 1 behind the Blazers� 70 wins. For that reason, it is always considered that there is Portland and SA, and daylight to the rest, and the record reflects that with 9 more wins than their 2^nd round opponent.

 

 

The Spurs had a storied season, on the back of what was hopefully a once in a lifetime GM cock up last year which saw them enter the playoffs with only 10 active players and then a playoff forfeit when they could only muster 7 healthy guys and not field a team. Yep, that happened. But true to form, they managed the trade of the century landing Giannis for what will end up being a Clippers dynasty before putting together a roster to once again put them at the top of the league and competing directly with the reigning champs. It�s been a masterful season again from Nels and the Spurs and just about anywhere else, we�d probably be talking about them as the pinnacle of the league. They�re that good. Also true to form, Nels hasn�t just sat on his laurels. All year he�s been shuffling to finally end up with the roster we see that took apart the Rockets. They�re big, talented, hungry and want redemption.

The Spurs this year are fighting fit for the playoffs and Giannis was his monstrous self in Round 1 averaging 26 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists. Interestingly enough, no other player averaged more than 16 points, or double figure rebounds in that series, and yet they were a +18 in points, +5 in rebounds, +8 in assists and an astounding +6 in blocked shots, shooting in 51% from the field. They�re simply put, a powerhouse unit led by one of the most unstoppable players in the league and they are primed to take on any team and compete with them.

 

The Grizzlies
Record: 60-22

The Grizzlies are of course underdogs here. They claimed the illustrious title of �Best of the rest� in the West this year, which when you�re talking about teams as dominant as the Blazers and Spurs, is actually a genuine compliment. 60 wins put them only 2 wins behind the top seed in the East and gave them the 4^th best record in the league�but still 3^rd in the West. They�re the type of team you normally speak of as the team to beat with as roster I would suggest is much deeper on the whole than the two teams above them, and they are earning every bit of that massive luxury tax bill.

 

 

The Grizzlies are an immaculately run franchise pulling the trigger when needed and working hard to keep the band together and tool up around the guys he truly believes in. This year was no exception. He had a contender on his hands anyway, but did have 6 of his 22 losses in the first 4 weeks prompting a big deal to be accepted for the week 9 FA unlocking where we saw Bradley Beal make his way to town, with Mike Conley, Caris LeVert and picks exit. Beal created the tandem with Jaylen Brown that Rootsey envisioned and the team went on a roll through the middle of the year and kept strong through some niggles down the stretch to claim the 3^rd seed after their shaky start. The team is as deep and talented as any in the land, and they�re locked in for the haul too which is starting to look like a blessing and a curse.

Round 1 saw the Grizzlies get up over the Thunder, but not the way many, including their GM, expected. Twice in the series they were behind, 1-0 and 2-1 to the Thunder who had the most hardy team of the year. Line up change leading into game 4 appeared to be the straw that broke the Thunder�s back though as they rode their depth through 3 straight wins to a 4-2 victory. The team is healthy and super talented, with many line up options to choose from to try and force the Spurs out of their comfort zone.

 

The Match-Ups:

C Projected: JaVale McGee  Vs  Jaren Jackson Jnr.

 

 

For this version of 2k, the big man battle is where the game is won and lost on so many occasions, and both of these teams have a strong big man stable to choose from and we�re sure to see a few guys rotate through these spots.

JaVale ended up being the big man of choice for the Spurs in the offseason after they opted to do a backdoor deal to not sign the MVP contender in Andre Drummond�can you imagine? McGee is a solid consolation prize but not a difference maker on the whole. He started every game in Round 1 averaging 11 points and 9 rebounds with nearly 2 blocks, and anchors this team with his speed and athleticism from the big man spot.

Jaren Jackson Jnr I expect will get the 1^st run back at the starting C spot in this series after being shifted to the bench to win the previous series. McGee is a good match up for JJJ as he�s not a down right beast like DeAndre Jordan, and he can utilise his speed and shot blocking ability while also spacing the floor and dragging JaVale from the paint.

-          I give the advantage to the Grizzlies here because of the JJJ versatility, but I don�t expect there to be only 1 player starting here all series for either team.

 

PF Projected: Willie Cauley-Stein  Vs  Bam Adebayo

 

 

The PF spot has been the forgotten position in 2k this year as everyone opts to just chuck size there as the engine demands it, rather than see small ball and skilled and quick guys making this spot their own like in the past. For this reason we see guys here that either impact the boards heavily, and or guys that are simple role players.

You wouldn�t believe it, but WCS who was a mid season signing and a last week of the year �rest of season� signing is featuring as a starter in a lead playoff team again. I believe the Spurs will stick with WCS starting here, which is what they shifted to halfway through the Rockets series, as the man plays a role, is big and long and doesn�t demand the ball on O. In his two starts last series he averaged 7 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks, and that�s all this team needs from a PF when Giannis is running around out there, to play a role and try and limit a Grizzlies star. Vuc was a beast off the bench, too.

Bam was a big in for the Grizz in the offseason despite Rootsey wishing he hadn�t traded Steven Adams at times. That said, Adams missed the year after week 13 and wouldn�t be playing now! Bam has been huge for them in the big man spots with his versatility. It�s a luxury having a guy like this play the PF spot. He averaged 15/13/2/1/1 in Round 1 from here and will undoubtedly have a greater direct impact on the series here than the WCS match up.

-          You have to give advantage to the Grizz here, at least on straight paper. For the structure of the line ups, it�s a lot closer than that though and like the C spot, I wouldn�t be surprised to see multiple guys move through this position for both teams down the stretch.

 

SF Projected: Giannis Antetokounmpo  Vs  Jaylen Brown

 

 

A lot of the time SF this year has been a position filled by a sturdy defender allowing the guards to run rampant and the bigs to clean up the guards duties. But both of these teams have not treated it that way, instead being able to play guys that are key to the offence.

Giannis is Giannis. He needs no introduction and everyone knows what he can do. In Round 1 the man averaged 26/14/7 and 3 blocks and he�s going to be a menace where ever he plays and whoever he plays against. I think he starts at SF because it creates the most headaches for the Grizzlies initially but he can and will float.

Don�t get me wrong, the obvious match up for Giannis is of course JJJ, but Jaylen is no slouch on the defensive end and let�s be honest, no one is going to stop or probably even limit Giannis, so why not go back at him a bit? Brown I project switches to SF mainly because Beal is just too small to play on Giannis for both ends sake, and I think if you try and run the same big man line up to match the Spurs then maybe you just get beaten by the team that has perfected it.

-          Spurs clearly gets the advantage here and wherever Giannis plays. You don�t stop Giannis and you don�t really contain Giannis. Maybe if you can get the ball out of his hands and force trigger happy guys like Brooks to shoot too much instead. This position too, will shift.

 

SG Projected: Dillon Brooks  Vs  Bradley Beal

 

 

The SG position is where the firepower starts to kick in 2k, and it�s where we see the bigger wings get moved down a spot to utilise their size and impact the game even more. We see a mixed spread from these teams in this regard to the position and it�ll be an interesting one to follow.

Brooks was a starting PG here for much of the year but the less you see him with the ball and shooting is often the better, so he�ll be the 2 guard of the series I believe. I don�t expect too much variation to that either as he�s very well suited to the spot hounding Beal or Brown or Herro on the defensive side while scoring in spurts on his own on the other side. He averaged 16 a night in Round 1 as the #2 scorer.

Beal I think gets moved back to his traditional spot in this series after playing up a spot last series and leading all scorers with 22 a night. Here, I think the Brooks match up is as good as it�s going to get for him/them as he�s far too small to play the 3 on Giannis and he can open up his game at the 2 and be damaging. There could be slight shifts here, but I think he�s likely pretty locked in.

-          The Grizzlies again probably get the nod as I think Beal will lead their scoring, but Brooks is not to be underestimated. He can get hot quick and he gets a lot of space. Beal also isn�t the best defender.

 

PG Projected: James Harden  Vs  Tyler Herro

 

 

The PG position is still god in 2k, well, mostly, and being able to put a big 2 guard down there with handles as PG skills is a god send after the position down thing got far too crazy and the limitations saw the end of a lot of the even bigger guys moving down here. This one shows the traditional PG V the hybrid and it�s a cracker.

Harden is as Harden does. He�s an NSL title winning HOF guard and he is a 2k star. He�s a legit bigger guard that plays the PG spot, so there�s no qualms here as he�s in his place. He averaged 16 points, 7 assists in Round 1 and will have an impact on this one too, likely matched up with a Grizzlies 2 guard or if the Grizz go for caution to the wind, Jaylen Brown (with JJJ at the 3 and Mitch at the 5).

I think Tyler Herro gets the nod here to start the series. He�s got some size and nice handles, and won�t have to worry much about be stopped by Harden. He of course will need to play some D which also is not his strong suit, but the ball will be in the hands of Giannis a lot more than a normal Harden led team.

-          Harden obviously gets the edge here. He�s the type of guy that you might like to try and focus on and stop, hence the Jaylen Brown to PG move, but then in this engine he�s probably not the world beater he has been in the past and maybe you can get away with ignoring gaming for him specifically? But, he�s still going to be the most impactful.

 

Bench Projections:

Nikola Vucevic, Thomas Bryant, Reggie Jackson, Lamar Stevens, James Johnson
Vs
Mitchell Robinson, Kyle Anderson, Udoka Azubuike, Ziaire Williams

How much of a luxury is it to have the likes of Nikola Vucevic and or Mitchell Robinson coming off the bench? I think the Spurs will roll with this because Vuc was HUGE off the bench once moving there in the Rockets series, and it saw the balance in the starting line up look the best. The Grizz, I wouldn�t be surprised to see them start Mitch/Bam/JJJ/Beal/Brown, maybe even right out the gate�negating all that I have written about above�but if this is their bench, then they�re going big, clearly.

 

Keys to Victory:

 

Spurs
- Don�t force things. If there�s one place the Grizz can really assert some dominance, it�s the shot blocking. They�re masters of it. Take smart shots and don�t force things into their tall, long limbed shot blockers.
- Run through the stars. Giannis and Harden are efficient, powerful players. Don�t go away from them and have the chance that a guy like Brooks shoots you out of the game.
- Keep the ball moving. The Spurs despite having the 2 big stars are a high assist team and they should continue to be. Don�t be selfish, dish to open man. This plays into the 1^st key, too.
- Rebound, Rebound, Rebound. Seems weird suggesting that a team that has Giannis, McGee and Vuc need to focus here, but the Grizz are actually bigger than them and the inside battle is key.

Grizzlies
- Protect the ball. The Grizz were other worldly against the Thunder in this regard and they need to continue that. The Spurs length will cause more issues in passing lanes and dribbling, but if they can have less turnovers while also controlling the paint?
- Don�t bog down. You can get hell bent of stopping star players, but I think the Grizz can play this series on their terms in many ways rather than going all out matching up line ups. Giannis is going to Giannis, accept it and play your way.
- Assert Interior Dominance. The Grizz are actually the bigger team down low and their defence is leagues above the Spurs after Giannis. This is where they strike, rebounding, altering shots and locking down that paint.

 

 

 

Head to Head Prediction:

Oh man, this is a per-conference finals clash�not a conference final. A series after this could be even better and closer than this one looks on paper? I for one am going to be tuning into this heavily as ai think the games could see line up changes in every game, match up battles, push and pull and eventually a victor of course. But it�s going to be a ride, in my opinion.

Spurs to move on, 4-3.