Mike Conley is going into Game 6 with confidence. Conley has talked numerous times about how all their games are treated like its their last. This confidence is great, and history is on their side for now. Through 9 meetings this season, the home team is undefeated. Memphis hosts San Antonio Thursday night. Can history continue?
Game 5 review
A couple of huge keys from Game 5 came from the San Antonio bench. Heading into Game 5 Manu Ginobli wasn't hitting anything. He came up big in the game with 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting. Patty Mills was huge as well, scoring 20 points with a +/- of 22, the highest in the game.
These two guys are big for the bench and they take a lot of pressure off of Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard. When Leonard doesn't have to be the workhorse all the time it is a good sign for San Antonio.
Stopping Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard has been outstanding throughout the first round. In fact, he's been outstanding all season no matter the opponent. The Memphis Grizzlies have to get the ball out of Kawhi's enormous hands. This is way easier said than done. The Grizzlies are one of the better defensive teams and even they cannot contain Kawhi.
Memphis takes after Fizdale
One thing that is interesting about this Memphis team is that they do not back down. This is a vibe that comes directly from their coach.
It was evident from his "They're not going to rook us" rant to the media that Fizdale does not back down from a challenge. This series may or may not end after Game 6, but one thing is for sure: Memphis is coming to play.
Offensively for Memphis
It's a make or miss league and the Grizzlies have to hit shots to hang with the Spurs.
The Spurs aren't as lethal as they were a few years ago from deep but they are good at finding the right shot. In order for Memphis to match up with this, Mike Conley will need to step up even more than he has. He's been a huge problem for San Antonio, averaging 27 points and 7 assists throughout this series. He'll need that Thursday night. Two key players outside of Mike Conley are Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Both of these bigs will need to contribute.
