San Antonio Spurs in NBA Finals again after sweeping Grizzlies
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It was a promise made by one future Hall of Famer to another.
The San Antonio Spurs would get back to the NBA Finals, Tony Parker assured Tim Duncan last year amid another season that fell short of the franchise’s championship expectations.
Parker made sure of it Monday night at FedEx Forum, shrugging off a poke to the eye to deliver a game-long smackdown during the Spurs’ sweep-sealing 93-86 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
The veteran point guard continually befuddled the Grizzlies with steely jumpers, smart passes and brazen drives, finishing with 37 points on 15-of-21 shooting to go with six assists and four rebounds. Duncan was a steady sidekick with 15 points and eight rebounds.
“I’m riding coattails right now,” said Duncan, who will be making his fifth trip to the Finals and first since 2007. “T.P. has been unbelievable, he’s been great and he’s the reason we’re here.”
Parker scored 25 points in the second half, shrugging off an inadvertent blow to the eye by Memphis center Marc Gasol midway through the fourth quarter that briefly knocked him out of the game.
He returned to score San Antonio’s final six points on a jumper and four free throws, including a pair with 29 seconds left that extended the Spurs’ lead to 91-86.
“What he did today in our worst moments, key moments, he made the great plays,” San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili said.
Parker’s brilliance has put San Antonio back in the Finals for the first time since it swept LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. It could be a rematch of sorts as James’ Miami Heat holds a 2-1 lead over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.
San Antonio will reach basketball’s biggest stage with considerable momentum. Parker, Duncan and Ginobili are playing as well collectively as they have in their 11 seasons together and up-and-comers Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green are providing consistent contributions.
Leonard had 11 points, six rebounds and five steals for the Spurs, who shot 51.3% after making exactly half of their shots in Game 3. Memphis had allowed opponents to shoot 50% or better on its home court only five previous times all season, including the playoffs.
“They play so well together that any adjustment we’d make, they’d make another one,” Memphis point guard Mike Conley said. “We’d play them well for about 18 seconds on the shot clock and then [Parker would] make a play. You know, that’s why he’s one of the best and they’re headed to the Finals.”
San Antonio also excelled on the defensive end, frustrating Gasol and Zach Randolph into subpar shooting performances. Gasol had 14 points on five-for-12 shooting and Randolph had 13 points on four-for-13 shooting. Memphis was outscored, 52-32, in the paint, where it made just 16 of 43 shots (37.2%).
“It’s just effort. There’s no magic,” Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said of his interior defense. “We didn’t come up with some new defense to guard them. But we were aggressive, we did a lot of denying, a lot of pressure on the passer who was trying to deliver the ball, whether it was high-low or from the wing, and we fronted and three-quartered and showed a lot of looks on the post.”
Parker revealed plenty of heart, keeping his vow to Duncan.
“I think everybody on the team,” Parker said, “we really wanted to do it for him.”
Twitter: @latbbolch
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