The idea of a soccer "derby" eluded me when I was younger. Not only because I heard it as a
"dArby", but also because American announcers would always make a point to distance it from our
petty little rivalries in the US. Derbies are a rivalry, but fueled by years of bad blood and
proximity - where immense soccer fervor allowed multiple teams to pop up within a few miles of each
other.
Last year in the playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies shocked the world when they defeated the San
Antonio Spurs in the first round. The Grizzlies were the eighth seed and the Spurs were the first
seed. It was only the fourth time in NBA history that an eighth seed had beaten a first seed.
But so far this season, the Spurs have been able to get their revenge.
Sixteen years after entering the NBA, the Grizzlies finally have a postseason victory. Zach
Randolph had 25 points and 14 rebounds and Marc Gasol tallied 24 points and nine boards, but it was
Shane Battier's 3-pointer with 23.9 seconds left that gave Memphis a 101-98 win over the San
Antonio Spurs on Sunday afternoon.
The San Antonio Spurs were without Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Antonio McDyess on
Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers. All four players missed the game due to injury. To the
surprise of no one, the Blazers were able to send San Antonio to their fourth straight defeat.
The surprise was how close the game was in the fourth quarter.
For most of the season, the San Antonio Spurs had perfect health. Now it appears that all the
injuries are striking at once for San Antonio. In their Monday night game against the Portland
Trail Blazers, the Spurs were without four starters: Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and
Antonio McDyess.
The San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers battled to the final buzzer. That's when
Antonio McDyess tipped in a Tim Duncan miss to down the Lakers. McDyess' tip gave the Spurs an
89-88 win and improved San Antonio's record to 41-8 the best mark in the NBA. The Lakers dropped to
34-16, which has Los Angeles as the third seed in the Western Conference.
In the fourth quarter, the Utah Jazz were charging hard against the San Antonio Spurs. Superstar
point guard Deron Williams had 17 of his 39 points in the final stanza, however it wasn't enough
for the Jazz to overcome the Spurs, who won 112-105. It was San Antonio's 10th win in their last 11
games, while the Jazz lost for the sixth straight time.
