Spurs Vs. Grizzlies, Game 1: Memphis Shocks San Antonio On Clutch Shane Battier Three

Spurs blog Pounding The Rock has a theory. And that theory posits that the Spurs losing Game One to 8-seed Memphis was a good thing. I’ll let them explain.

Quite simply, when the Spurs lose the first game of the NBA Playoffs, they win titles. Case closed.

Battier’s back, and so are the playoffs for Memphis. And Shane came up huge for the Grizzlies, nailing the game-winning three-pointer over the San Antonio Spurs with 10 seconds left in Game 1.

Game 2 of Spurs vs. Grizzlies is Wednesday in San Antonio.

On a weekend that is already stocked with great NBA Playoffs action, the Grizzlies and Spurs may have authored the finest game of all.

After Matt Bonner led the Spurs back late in the fourth quarter, Shane Battier hit a go-ahead three in the middle of a 7-0 run for Memphis in the game’s final minute to secure a 101-98 win. It is the first NBA Playoffs victory in Grizzlies franchise history.

In Game 1 of their Western Conference Quarterfinals match-up, the Grizzlies had kept a first quarter lead for much of the second period. Then the Spurs decided to get hot and erase almost all of the good work the underdogs had done.

San Antonio closed the second quarter on a 7-2 run in the final 1:59, and shaved Memphis’ halftime lead to two points, at 45-43.

In San Antonio, it appears the Spurs are going to have a scrap on their hands against the upstart Grizzlies. Memphis leads in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals after O.J. Mayo hit a buzzer-beating three to push the Grizzlies’ lead to 27-22 after the first period.

The Grizzlies got balanced scoring from Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Zach Randolph — who combined for 21 of the Grizzlies’ points — in the quarter, and shot a sizzling 58.8% from the field.