There’s still a lot of time left in the 2017 NBA postseason, but it’s hard to imagine that we’ll see a better game than the absolute war that Memphis and San Antonio played on Saturday night. In the end, the Grizzlies came out on top in overtime, 110-108, thanks to a dagger by Marc Gasol.
MARC GASOL FTW pic.twitter.com/tjjJsuGKXS
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 23, 2017
With the win, the Grizzlies tied the series at two games a piece. This was also a somewhat historic moment for the franchise, as it was the first made go-ahead shot in Memphis’ postseason history.
Marc Gasol's game-winner was the first go-ahead FG in the final 10 seconds in Grizz playoff history. They were 0-for-10 on such shots prior
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 23, 2017
The fourth quarter and overtime were as good as basketball can get – Mike Conley and Kawhi Leonard played completely out of their minds down the stretch. But when Memphis needed the win, they went to Gasol, who dribbled to his right and hit an off balanced jumper. There were 0.7 seconds on the clock after, but it wasn’t enough for San Antonio to do anything.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t discuss Conley and Leonard’s nights, though. For Leonard, he had a career playoff high 43 points with eight rebounds and six steals. He shot 14-for-30 from the field and 7-for-10(!!!) from three. And of course, he played absolutely soul crushing defense at times. Dude hit big shot after big shot and damn near dragged the Spurs to a win, but it just wasn’t enough in the end. It’s a shame, because he absolutely deserved to walk off the court with a win.
If there was any player who deserved a win more than him, though, it’s Conley, who was spectacular. He put on a master class of playing point guard, going for a career playoff high 35 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Every time the Grizzlies needed someone to make a shot, he was given the ball and came through. It’s always a joy to watch when a guy is so obviously locked in that every time he has the ball in his hands you think something is going to happen. Conley was at that point sometime in the fourth quarter and just never relented.
With the win, Memphis made this a 2-2 series. The Grizzlies and the Spurs will now head back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Tuesday evening.
