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2016 NBA Playoffs: The Deciding Factor In Each First Round Series

By Gerald Bourguet

May 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles the basketball against Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the fourth quarter in game five of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Rockets 104-90 to advance to the NBA Finals. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
May 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles the basketball against Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the fourth quarter in game five of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Rockets 104-90 to advance to the NBA Finals. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA Playoffs
Dec 3, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) drives against San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies

Aldridge’s Finger

With LaMarcus Aldridge‘s finger still being sore as the playoffs approach, this is really the only possible concern a 67-win team like the San Antonio Spurs could have against a Memphis Grizzlies squad currently starting Jordan Farmar, Vince Carter, Matt Barnes, Zach Randolph and Chris Andersen.

This Grizz team is scrappy, and credit should be given to head coach Dave Joerger for squeezing chicken soup out of a chicken s**t roster, but that hasn’t stopped Memphis from limping into the postseason on a 3-14 skid. Even with a healthy Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, we’d still probably be looking at something close to a sweep.

Even without Aldridge at 100 percent, the Spurs have more than enough horses to win this series handily. Lance Stephenson has been (Re)Born Ready in Memphis, but even his rowdiest of antics won’t make much of a difference in the end.

True to grit-n-grind form, this Grizzlies team is going to scrap to the end and who knows? Maybe Stephenson and Z-Bo go off one game down on Beale Street and stun a Spurs team that’s lost three of its last five games (and nearly lost a fourth to the Thunder’s B-squad).

But something tells me Gregg Popovich has already addressed his team’s recent “slippage” in play, and now that the games matter, it’d take a monumental collapse from San Antonio, the most grit we’ve ever seen from Memphis and a completely ineffective Aldridge for this series to go past five games.

Prediction: San Antonio Spurs in 4 games

Next: Raptors vs. Pacers