POINT GUARD:  Tony Parker just keeps getting better for the Spurs.  He is taking his team to the next level and he will look to do it again in this series.  It won’t be easy as Mike Conley of the Grizzlies is going to challenge him on both ends of the basketball court.  Parker has played in 10 games (all starts) for the Spurs so far in the playoffs and he is averaging 36.0 minutes, 22.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game.  Parker has now played in 162 games (154 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 36.3 minutes, 19.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

Mike Conley has taken his game to the next level in the playoffs for the Grizzlies.  Conley has played in 11 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 38.5 minutes, 17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game.  He has now played in 31 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 39.0 minutes, 15.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

EDGE:  SLIGHT FOR THE SPURS

SHOOTING GUARD:  Danny Green is a solid “glue” player for the Spurs as he does all of the little things that lead to wins.  Green has played in 10 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 30.7 minutes, 10.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  Green has now played in 28 games (22 starts) in his career in the playoffs and he is averaging 21.5 minutes, 7.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

Tony Allen is the Grizzlies’ defensive stopper, and he has also been playing better offensive basketball so far in the playoffs.  He has played in 11 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 28.8 minutes, 11.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game.  Allen has now played in 87 games (34 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 16.6 minutes, 5.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

EDGE:  EVEN

SMALL FORWARD:  Kawhi Leonard is a player on the rise for the Spurs.  He has played in 10 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs and he is averaging 37.7 minutes, 13.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Leonard has now played in 24 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 31.5 minutes, 10.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Tayshaun Prince is an old pro who knows all of the tricks, especially on defense.  He has played in 11 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 33.6 minutes, 7.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.  Prince has now played in 129 games (117 starts) in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 37.1 minutes, 12.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

EDGE:  SPURS

POWER FORWARD:  Tim Duncan is one of the best big men to ever play in the NBA and he has quite a bit left in the gas tank.  Duncan has played in 10 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 34.4 minutes, 18.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 200 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 38.8 minutes, 22.1 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.5 blocked shots per game.

Zach Randolph has been a force in the playoffs for the Grizzlies and he is going to be up for the challenge of dealing with Duncan.  Randolph has played in 11 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs and he is averaging 36.4 minutes, 19.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.  Randolph has now played in 39 games (35 starts) in his playoff career and he is averaging 35.1 minutes, 17.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

EDGE:  VERY, VERY SLIGHT FOR THE SPURS

CENTER:  Tiago Splitter played well for the Spurs during the regular season but it hasn’t translated over into playoff production quite yet.  Splitter has played in 8 games (7 starts) in the playoff so far this year and he is averaging 21.9 minutes, 5.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  He has now played in 24 games (7 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 16.4 minutes, 6.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.

Marc Gasol has turned into one of the best all-around centers in the NBA and he is going to give the Spurs fits in this series.  Gasol has played in 11 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far and he is averaging 40.3 minutes, 18.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 31 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 39.5 minutes, 16.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.1 blocked shots per game.

EDGE:  HUGE FOR THE GRIZZLIES

BENCH:  During the regular season, the Spurs used the bench quite a bit.  But so far in the playoffs, they have been riding the starters for the most part.  The only exception to that has been shooting guard Manu Ginobili.  He still brings instant energy and offense off the bench.  He has played in 10 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 25.6 minutes, 12.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  He has now played in 146 games (49 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 30.6 minutes, 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Power forward/center Matt Bonner is the rare big man that can shoot the hell out of the basketball.  He is hitting 57.1% from three point range in the playoffs this year!  Bonner has played in 10 games (1 start) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 16.0 minutes, 4.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  He has now played in 55 games (6 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 13.7 minutes, 3.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  Boris Diaw missed the first round of the playoffs due to injury, but he’s back now and he can play anywhere on the basketball court.  Diaw has played in 6 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 17.8 minutes, 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  Diaw has now played in 59 games (41 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 30.7 minutes, 11.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.  Shooting guard Gary Neal also brings instant offense off the bench (to a lesser degree than Ginobili does).  Neal has played in 10 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 16.9 minutes, 5.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  Neal has now played in 30 games (0 starts) for the Spurs in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 16.6 minutes, 7.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  Cory Joseph has been Tony Parker’s caddy in the playoffs this year.  He has played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Spurs in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 11.2 minutes, 3.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.  PF/C DeJuan Blair can throw his body around when needed.  He has played in 8 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 6.8 minutes, 3.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  Blair has now played in 32 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 8.5 minutes, 3.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.

The Grizzlies have also been riding their starters hard, as they have not used the bench too much so far in the playoffs.  Jerryd Bayless is the first guard off the bench as he can handle playing either spot.  He has played in 11 games (0 starts) so far in the playoffs and he is averaging 19.1 minutes, 8.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.  Bayless has now played in 19 games (2 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 20.4 minutes, 9.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.  SF/SG Quincy Pondexter is a good long range shooter.  He has played in 11 games (0 starts) so far in the playoffs this year and he is averaging 20.7 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  He has now played in 21 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 16.7 minutes, 5.1 points, 2.0 rebounds an 0.5 assists per game.  Darrell Arthur has been the Grizzlies’ top big man off the bench in the playoffs.  Arthur has played in 11 games (0 starts) so far in the playoffs this year and he is averaging 11.7 minutes, 3.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.  He has now played in 24 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 13.8 minutes, 5.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  Combo guard Keyon Dooling will also likely get some P.T. in this series.  He has played in 10 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 8.5 minutes, 2.2 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  He has now played in 59 games (0 starts) so far in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 13.1 minutes, 4.8 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  Power forward Ed Davis hasn’t gotten to play much in the playoffs so far this year, but he is a talented player.  He has played in 6 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 5.3 minutes, 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.

EDGE:  SPURS

COACHING:  Gregg Popovich is one of the best head coaches on the planet Earth.  He has already won four NBA Championships and he knows how to get the best out of his team.  He has led the Spurs to an 8-2 (80%) record so far this year in the playoffs.  He is now 126-79 (61.5%) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career.

Lionel Hollins has his team purring like a well oiled machine right now.  He has led the Grizzlies to a 8-3 (72.7%) record in the playoffs so far this year.  Hollins is now 18-13 (58.1%) in the playoffs so far in his career as an NBA head coach.

EDGE:  SPURS

PREDICTION:  SPURS IN SIX GAMES

POINT GUARD:  Reggie Jackson has done an outstanding job of filling in for Russell Westbrook (knee surgery) and the Thunder need that to continue against the Grizzlies.  Jackson played in 6 games (4 starts) for the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs and he is averaging 30.0 minutes, 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.  The Thunder really need points from Reggie Jackson to support Kevin Durant in this series.

Mike Conley has been on fire in the playoffs for the Grizzlies so far (at least offensively).  He played in 6 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 36.2 minutes, 17.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  Conley has now played in 26 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 38.5 minutes, 15.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

EDGE:  GRIZZLIES

SHOOTING GUARD:  Thabo Sefolosha is a defensive stopper.  He played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 32.0 minutes, 6.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  He has now played in 58 games (49 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 20.8 minutes, 4.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Tony Allen, like Sefolosha, is a defensive player first.  He played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 29.5 minutes, 12.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game.  Allen has now played in 82 games (29 starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 15.9 minutes, 4.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

EDGE:  SLIGHT FOR GRIZZLIES

SMALL FORWARD:  Kevin Durant might be the best player on the planet Earth right now (sorry LeBron).  He has been carrying his team offensively without Russell Westbrook.  Durant played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 42.7 minutes, 32.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocked shot per game.  He has now played in 49 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 41.8 minutes, 28.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  The Thunder are going to need Durant to be outstanding in this series for them to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Tayshaun Prince’s game is built on defense and he’s going to have his hands full with Kevin Durant.  Prince played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 35.5 minutes, 8.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.  Prince has now played in 124 games (112 starts) in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 37.3 minutes, 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

EDGE:  GIGANTIC FOR THE THUNDER

POWER FORWARD:  Serge Ibaka has really stepped up this year for the Thunder and they need him to keep up the good work in this series.  Ibaka played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 31.3 minutes, 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 3.0 blocked shots per game.  Ibaka has now played in 49 games (43 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 28.6 minutes, 9.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 2.9 blocked shots per game.

Zach Randolph is playing really solid basketball right now and he can take over games down low.  He played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he is averaging 33.7 minutes, 20.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.  Randolph has now played in 34 games (30 starts) in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 34.4 minutes, 17.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

EDGE:  SLIGHT FOR THE GRIZZLIES

CENTER:  The Thunder are going to need Kendrick Perkins to play good defense and rebound in this series.  He played in 6 games (all starts) for the Thunder so far in the playoffs this year and he is averaging 15.5 minutes, 2.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Perkins has now played in 111 games (105 starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 25.5 minutes, 5.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.

Marc Gasol is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the NBA, but he is also a very good player at the other end of the court.  Gasol played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 39.0 minutes, 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game.  Gasol has now played in 26 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 39.0 minutes, 15.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game.

EDGE:  HUGE FOR THE GRIZZLIES

BENCH:  Due to injuries, the Thunder don’t have a very deep bench.  SG Kevin Martin is the guy who brings offensive firepower off the bench for the Thunder.  Martin played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 28.8 minutes, 13.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Martin has now played in 12 games (1 start) so far in his career in the playoffs and he is averaging 30.8 minutes, 13.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  Point guard Derek Fisher is ancient, but battle tested.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he is averaging 21.2 minutes, 8.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He has now played in 235 games (158 starts) in his career in the playoffs and he is averaging 27.3 minutes, 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  PF/C Nick Collison could have a big role off the bench in this series for the Thunder.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 15.0 minutes, 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  Collison has now played in 60 games (0 starts) in the playoffs in his career so far and he is averaging 19.7 minutes, 5.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Shooting guard DeAndre Liggins was also surprisingly busy in the first round of the playoffs.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) in his first taste of the playoffs in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 9.2 minutes, 1.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  Further down the totem pole are center Hasheem Thabeet and SG/SF Ronnie Brewer, who each only played in 1 game in the first round.

The Grizzlies rode their starters hard in the first round of the playoffs.  PG/SG Jerryd Bayless can handle playing either guard slot.  Bayless played in all 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 16.2 minutes, 8.8 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  He has now played in 14 games (2 starts) in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 19.6 minutes, 10.0 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  SG/SF Quincy Pondexter played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 21.2 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  He has now played in 16 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 15.6 minutes, 4.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  PG/SG Keyon Dooling signed with the Grizzlies very late in the season, but he played some in the first round of the playoffs.  Dooling played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 10.8 minutes, 3.0 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Dooling has now played in 54 games (0 starts) in his career in the playoffs and he is averaging 13.8 minutes, 5.1 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  Darrell Arthur and Ed Davis give the Grizzlies a couple of very valuable big men as reserves.  Arthur played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 12.5 minutes, 4.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  Arthur has now played in 19 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 14.5 minutes, 6.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  Ed Davis played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 5.8 minutes, 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.

EDGE:  EVEN

COACHING:  Scott Brooks got the Thunder all the way to the NBA Finals last year before falling a tad short.  He got the Thunder to beat the Rockets 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs and he is now 28-21 (57.1%) in his career in the playoffs as an NBA head coach.

Lionel Hollins is picking up his own game along with his team.  The Grizzlies went 4-2 and knocked out the favored Clippers in the first round of the 2012-13 playoffs.  Hollins is now 14-12 (53.8%) in the playoffs as an NBA head coach so far.

PREDICTON:  GRIZZLIES IN SIX GAMES