2013 NBA Playoffs - Western Conference Finals Preview

The Western Conference playoffs have had their fill of surprises, in large part due to injury. That's not to diminish what the two finalists have done to get here, but if all of the major players were healthy, who knows who would still be alive. Nonetheless, we end up with San Antonio and Memphis. The Spurs are making their second consecutive trip to the Western Conference Finals. They breezed through the Lakers in the Quarters, and grinded out a 6-game victory over the Warriors in the Semis. The Grizzlies are making their first Conference Finals appearance in team history. They have gotten to this point by playing their brand of basketball, and punishing to teams seeded better than them. This is a compelling battle of old versus new. Here is how I see it shaking out, with a breakdown of who holds the advantage in some positional matchups.

      
2 San Antonio (-130) vs. 5 Memphis (+110)

PG - Tony Parker vs. Mike Conley Jr.
SG - Danny Green vs. Tony Allen   
SF - Kawhi Leonard vs. Tayshaun Prince
PF - Tim Duncan vs. Zach Randolph
C - Tiago Splitter vs. Marc Gasol
Bench - San Antonio vs. Memphis
Coach - Gregg Popovich vs. Lionel Hollins

The Spurs have had their share of ups and downs in the playoffs, but this isn't their first postseason. They find themselves playing deep into May yet again. They have a fantastic blend of youth and experience that knows how to get the job done. They are now tasked with beating the bruising Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis is currently playing better ball than perhaps anyone. Though Tim Duncan can still play with the best of them, San Antonio is now a Guard-oriented team. Whereas the Grizzlies want to pound you in the paint. This is an interesting contrast of styles, and whichever team is able to dictate the style of basketball being played will advance to the NBA Finals. In the end, I like the Spurs experience to allow them to make Memphis wait their turn.

Prediction - San Antonio over Memphis 4-2