To Be Or Not To Be (Asleep For Each First Round Playoff Series)

San Antonio Spurs (2) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (7) – Is There Anything Else On? 

Gregg Poppovich probably won’t win the NBA’s Coach of the Year award he deserves for the same reason Kawhi Leonard won’t get the NBA MVP consideration he deserves: it’s easy to take the Spurs’ 60+ win seasons for granted. The Spurs are perfectly capable of late game heroics, such as Kawhi’s MVP-resume bullet pointed shot and block to defeat the Rockets, but the Spurs usually don’t put themselves in dire positions where they need this kind of effort.

That makes them a generally less watchable team. And the still-gritting-still-grinding Grizzlies have never been considered must see basketball, to the best of my knowledge.

Even though these teams have a 2-2 head-to-head record this season, this will not be a competitive playoff series. Leonard didn’t play in the first game – a Memphis 89-74 win – while Aldridge shot 4-19 from the field. It was the Spurs’ lowest point total since 2011.

The Grizzlies have gone 9-15 since the All-Star Break, including three consecutive streaks of three or more losses. San Antonio figures to the win the series comfortably, but even if they don’t, most people won’t hear about until the second round begins.