Spurs Sweep Grizzlies, Advance To NBA Finals

The San Antonio Spurs pulled out the broomsticks Monday night as they finished off a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum. Their 93-86 win gives the Spurs their first NBA finals appearance since winning it all over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2006-07.

On Monday night, the Spurs jumped all over the Grizzlies in the first quarter, quieting the crowd early as Tony Parker took control of the game from the point. Parker finished with 37 points on the night off 15-of-21 shooting, his best performance of the playoffs.

Tim Duncan is currently going through a divorce, but it’s been put on hold for the playoffs, and the 37-year-old big man was a force in the paint once again for the Spurs. Duncan pitched in 15 points and eight rebounds in the contest.

The Grizzlies trailed by 10 points going into the second quarter, and Marc Gasol began threatening on offense to cut into the Spurs lead. Gasol did all he could, but his 14 points just weren’t enough as the Spurs now advance to the NBA finals.

The Grizzlies cut the Spurs lead to six at the half and it became the Quincy Poindexter show in the third quarter. The 25-year-old came off the bench and hit one three-pointer after another to get the Grizzlies’ crowd back in it.

Memphis looked to slowly be cutting the Spurs lead until Tony Parker stepped up and starting knocking down shots. In 34 minutes on the floor, Poindexter pitched in 22 points and three rebounds after finishing three-for-six from behind the arc, but Parker’s performance made all the difference.

The Grizzlies made things interesting in the fourth quarter, and Gasol hit a runner in the final minute to make it 89-86 Spurs. Memphis would never score again over the final 45 seconds as the Spurs stepped up their defense and Parker hit a few free throws to seal the sweep.

“It’s a great feeling,” Parker said after the game, with the Western Conference finals trophy by his side. Do you believe the San Antonio Spurs have all the tools to win another NBA finals?

[Image via Creative Commons]