Instant Coffee: Lebron Comes to the Rescue and the Spurs Take 2-0 Lead

Indiana Pacers 102 Miami Heat 103

This game was a thriller at the end. Paul George hit a deep game tying three at the end of regulation to force overtime. Then, he was able to draw a foul on a three point shot in overtime on Dwayne Wade and his all 3 free throws to give the Pacers a lead with 2.2 seconds left. More impressively, George was able to come through both times on broken plays. However, those seconds were too much time for Lebron James as he was able to blow by Paul George for a buzzer beating layup.

Although the Pacers lost, they had a lot of positives. First, Paul George played like a superstar and more than held his own against Lebron James. Moreover, the Pacers front line gave the Heat a lot of trouble as Roy Hibbert had 27 and David West had 26 points. In addition, it took Lebron James putting up 30 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and a buzzer beater for the Heat to squeeze out a 1 point win at home.

On the negative, the Pacers continued to turn the ball over with 20 turnovers. Most of the responsibility has to fall on George Hill who had 5 turnovers and had an overall terrible game also shooting 2-9 from the field. In addition, the Pacers allowed Chris Anderson to go 7-7 from the field for 16 points.

Regardless, the Pacers strengths are definitely the Heat’s weaknesses. If Paul George can play like he did in Game 1 the rest of the series, the Pacers definitely have a chance. However, it is important to remember that the Heat lost to a depleted Bulls team at home after a long layoff and then went on to win the next 4 games. Although the Heat were coming off another long layoff, they still won the game. As such, Game 2 will be a great indicator of where this series is heading.

At the end of the day, the Heat still have Lebron James. As we saw tonight, that fact still counts for a whole lot.

 

Memphis Grizzlies 89 San Antonio Spurs 93

The Spurs completely dominated Game 1 and the Grizzlies were completely off. Those type of games happen once in awhile. For awhile, the Spurs looked to be dominating Game 2 in a similar fashion. At one point, they were up 18 but the Grizzlies decided to show up for the series and were able to catch all the way up to force overtime before ultimately losing. Although the Grizzlies are down 2-0 in the series, it is far from over as the Spurs were in the same position last year before the Thunder won the next four games. The Grizzlies are also not strangers to coming back as they were able to beat the Clippers 4 straights games after losing the first 2 games in the first round.

The Grizzlies were able to force overtime on the road despite shooting only 34% from the field. Although Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol shot 6-18 and 4-12 respectively, they were able to start imposing their physicality down low in Game 2 with 18 and 14 rebounds each. Overall, the Grizzlies outrebounded the Spurs 60-46 and shot 14 more times from the field. Obviously, both of them will have to start to score efficiently but their rebounding in the second game is a good sign. Mike Conley was also able to make some big plays down the stretch of Game 2 and the development in his game has made him a reliable option late in close games. It appeared to take the Grizzlies most of the first two games to get comfortable and into this series but they appear to have finally started to play well. In addition, they are heading back home where they have yet to lose a playoff game.

The Spurs have won the first two games because of the brilliance of Tony Parker and the great play of their role players, especially Kawhi Leonard. Parker had 18 assists in Game 2 but only shot 6-20. It is a microcosm of his postseason as he has been consistency flashing great play and duds. Overall, he has been great in the first 2 games and the biggest reason the Spurs are up in the series. However, based on this postseason, he can also put up a couple of bad games. While the role players have been great in the first two games, role players generally do not play as well on the road.

For the above reasons, the Grizzlies should still have confidence they can win this series. Ideally, they do not want to be down 2-0 against a top team like the Spurs but they cannot panic. They are still able to win this series and are tough. They will come out ready to go in Game 3. The next two games will be pivotal in this series. If the Spurs take one of the games in Memphis, you will have to believe they can squeeze out one more win to return to the Finals. If the Grizzlies win the next 2 games, I believe they will find a way to win the series as their physicality will wear down the Spurs.

 

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