Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs will be the No. 2 seed in the NBA’s Western Conference Playoffs. (Getty)
The San Antonio Spurs cruised into the 2016 NBA Playoffs. The Memphis Grizzlies limped in.
The two square off in the first round of the Western Conference postseason in a best-of-7 which begins this weekend. San Antonio is the No. 2 seed, Memphis No. 7.
Game 1 will be in San Antonio on Sunday, April 17. The tip-off is set for 8 p.m. Eastern and it will air on TNT.
They appear to be two teams headed in different directions. But it’s the NBA Playoffs, so you can’t discount anything.
The Spurs enter the playoffs at 67-15 and won the Southwest Division by a whopping 25 games. The Grizzlies took second in the division and finished 42-40.
Here’s all the important information you need for the Spurs-Grizzlies first round matchup:
Spurs vs. Grizzles Schedule & TV Channel
All times Eastern
Game 1 — Sun. April 17, Memphis at San Antonio, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 2 — Tue. April 19, Memphis at San Antonio, 9:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3 — Fri. April 22, San Antonio at Memphis, 9:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 4 — Sun. April 24, San Antonio at Memphis, 1 p.m., ABC
Game 5 * Tue. April 26, Memphis at San Antonio, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Thu. April 28, San Antonio at Memphis, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sat. April 30, Memphis at San Antonio, TBD, TNT
Spurs vs. Grizzlies Series Preview
San Antonio dominated the season series, going 4-0 against Memphis with a margin of victory 12.5 points per game.
And on paper, this postseason series looks to be just as lopsided. The Spurs average 103.5 points per game and allow 92.9 for a +10.6 differential. It’s quite the opposite for Memphis. The Grizz are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league at 99.1 PPG. In fact, they allow more points per game (101.3) than they score. Injuries have ravaged this team.
Neither squad is playing particularly well coming into the postseason. The Spurs are 6-4 in their last 10 games, but their playoff experience is invaluable.
As for the Grizzlies? Well, they don’t look like a playoff team at all right now. They’ve dropped 9 of the past 10 and were just 3-14 over the final 17 games. That’s what happens when you lose your two leading scorers in center Marc Gasol (broken foot) and point guard Mike Conley (Achilles tendinitis). Neither are expected to suit up for the series.
While Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge have led the Spurs’ record-setting season (most wins in franchise history), Gregg Popovich certainly got quality minutes from the Big 3 — Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. The Spurs also have a very deep bench, something the Grizzlies cannot claim.
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