Spurs-Grizzlies Summary

As the 2013 playoff series unfold, the old box score stats may not tell the whole story. These summaries will look at each series from the perspective of plus/minus. With an adjustment for minutes played, Oden's Knee will identify the players that stood out in each series, for good and bad reasons alike.

My Prediction Was: Grizzlies in 6.

Best Overall Plus Minus: Tim Duncan (+46 in 137 minutes). I was more than a little concerned about how Duncan would fare in this series, given how it went last time. Look at these two lines:

Which one is the one where he was outmatched and too old against the 2011 Grizzlies, and which one is the one where he still had championship fuel in the tank? I know because I looked them up. I remain somewhat shocked by what transpired in this series, even days later. What I do know is, a few weeks ago, Duncan was benched during the closing minutes of Game 6 against the Warriors, and today, he's the linchpin of the Spurs' run for a fifth title.

Worst Overall Plus Minus: Zach Randolph (-54 in 154 minutes). Is Randolph's performance a reflection on the ability of the Spurs to exploit flaws in offensive schemes? Our collective overestimation of the Thunder's interior defenders relative to San Antonio's? An indictment of Memphis' spacing issues due to a lack of competent wing shooters? I'd lean toward option C, based on...

Most Valuable Player: Quincy Pondexter (Net +33 in 128 minutes). Consider: In the 119 minutes Tayshaun Prince was off the court, the Grizzlies were outscored by seven points. In the 74 minutes Pondexter was off the court, the Grizzlies were outscored by 33 points. This either means that outside shooting mattered in this series (Jerryd Bayless also posted an impressive net plus/minus), or the 2nd unit for Memphis played better than the starters in much more limited minutes. Looking at Pondexter's postseason shooting from deep relative to his prior seasons, it's hard to say if this was a sign of things to come for him, or a Trevor Ariza-like abberation. Given the Grizzlies' cap situation, I bet management rolls the dice that it's the latter. (For grumbling Memphis fans, know that O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay never brought that kind of shooting to the playoffs).

Least Valuable Player: Tiago Splitter (Net -30 In 105 minutes). The narrative is that the two-headed inside duo of Duncan and Splitter laid waste to the Memphis ground and pound duo. But Splitter played barely half the minutes in this series, and did most of his plus/minus damage in the only blowout of the series, Game 1. The good news is, he could the most pivotal or least useful big on the roster depending on the Spurs' next opponent.

Reverse Jerome James Award: Patient Organizations. Looking at the Spurs-Grizzlies series from two years ago, the core of Duncan, Ginobli, and Parker seemed to have faded into the sunset for at least the 2nd time to that point. Instead of punting on that trio like everyone outside of San Antonio thought they should, they tinkered around the edges. They remained patient with Splitter. They paid a good price to get a good asset that fit better, And, in the two years since, they've been to the conference finals, winning this time.

Memphis has some tough choices to make, but doesn't their style of play merit a year or two of tweaking, instead of whispering about letting Randolph go? I say yes. Do they need to find better ways to space the floor for Gasol and Z-Bo? Of course. But there's something to be said for giving players and teams time to develop as a group. Every time in the conference finals owes some of their success to that kind of player development this season (Mike Conley, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Lebron James). Take a lesson from the Western Conference champs, Memphis, and don't over-correct here.