Grizzlies vs. Spurs: Game 1 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs

The San Antonio Spurs have lifted five of the last 17 Larry O'Brien Championship Trophies and took the first step toward another with a 106-74 victory over the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.

The Spurs were 67-15 in the regular season and would have been the better team against even a full-strength Grizzlies squad, but the visitors never had a chance without the injured Mike Conley (Achilles) and Marc Gasol (foot). San Antonio jumped out to an early lead and gradually pulled away before an overpowering 33-14 third quarter left no doubt over who the Game 1 victor would be Sunday:

Kawhi Leonard led the way for San Antonio with 20 points, four steals and three blocks, while LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in with 17 points. Tony Parker directed the offense with 15 points and six assists.

Vince Carter spearheaded Memphis' offensive efforts with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. Considering the Grizzlies shot 31-of-79 against San Antonio's suffocating defense, Carter was one of the few bright spots for the visitors Sunday.

ESPN Stats & Info noted the Spurs joined the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder in the history books:

San Antonio wasted little time setting the tone with a Leonard steal and dunk in the first minute:

From there, the Spurs jumped out to a quick 10-5 lead and had many questioning how competitive Memphis would be without Gasol and Conley. Dan Wolken of USA Today said he was going to "stick with Spurs-Grizzlies until it reaches NSFW status."

Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com asked, "If we had to gamble on it, how many Grizzlies have their vacation flights already booked?"

Memphis hung tough in the early going behind solid defense, but the Spurs built a 22-13 lead in the opening 12 minutes. Carter was 2-of-3 from the field in the first quarter, but the rest of the Grizzlies were a combined 3-of-19.

HBO's Bill Simmons had an idea for the offense:

Perhaps with that model in mind, Carter returned in the second quarter and trimmed the deficit to 26-22. He had 11 of Memphis' first 22 points. Robby Kalland of CBS Sports suggested Carter was going to score 50 but that Memphis would end up with only 78. 

The Grizzlies continued to remain within striking distance, but Leonard flashed his defensive brilliance to help push the lead back up to eight, via NBA on TNT:

The Spurs had an answer every time Memphis made a run, and San Antonio pushed its advantage to 48-37 by halftime. Even with the double-digit lead, San Antonio was not pulling away from the Grizzlies like many expected. Matt Moore of CBS Sports reacted to the physical battle:

However, the Spurs gradually pushed their lead to 61-45 within the first five minutes of the third quarter, and Quixem Ramirez of the San Marcos Daily Record compared the inevitable victory to what the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference does to opponents:

San Antonio may end the opposition's hopes more slowly than the Warriors, but it delivered its haymaker to put the game away in the third quarter. Leonard drilled a three-pointer with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter to put the Spurs up 71-49. CBS Sports NBA took notice: "The Spurs are Spursing, and this game has gone as you would have thought it would, eventually."

ESPN Stats & Info demonstrated how red-hot the Spurs were in the third quarter:

Parker elevated to fifth place on the NBA's all-time playoff assists list with his 1,065th postseason dime, per ESPN Stats & Info. Parker passed Larry Bird and Steve Nash in the process and was behind only Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Jason Kidd and LeBron James, per Ramirez. 

The Spurs continued to control the pace and took an 81-51 lead into the fourth quarter. Raphielle Johnson of NBC Sports reacted to their domination:

The Spurs extended their lead to 94-59 with nearly six minutes left in the game and most of the regulars on the bench. SB Nation's Pounding the Rock realized history could be in play if things continue to unfold like they did Sunday:

Even though the game was in hand, the home fans enjoyed seeing Boban Marjanovic get in on the action:

Chris Faulkner of SB Nation's Grizzly Bear Blues summarized the fourth quarter: "This isn't the playoffs. This is more like a postseason exhibition game."

From there, the Spurs went on cruise control and finished the 106-74 victory. 

What's Next?

Game 2 will take place Tuesday night in San Antonio, and there is little reason to expect a different result.

For one, the Grizzlies will still be without Gasol and Conley. Keeping up with the 67-15 Spurs is difficult enough when opponents are at full strength, and Memphis likely doesn't have the firepower to win the series.

The Spurs were also 40-1 at home this season and are unlikely to lose in San Antonio against a team that was overly reliant on a 39-year-old Carter on Sunday.

The Spurs' ultimate goal is not just to beat Memphis but also to overthrow the defending champion Warriors on the way to winning the title. Every contest in the first round will be important, because beating the Grizzlies in as few games as possible would help the Spurs and some of their veteran pieces pick up critical rest before the second round and a potential Western Conference Finals clash.

Postgame Reaction

It may have seemed like an easy victory for the Spurs, but Boris Diaw suggested otherwise when he was thanking the fans after the win:

Part of the reason San Antonio won with such ease was the overall brilliance of Leonard. Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News noted Leonard “said he was all about ‘bringing as much energy’ as he could in Game 1,” and the defensive ace certainly delivered.

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said, “He sets the tone for us defensively,” when talking about Leonard, per Paul Garcia of Project Spurs.

As for the Grizzlies, Matt Barnes and Zach Randolph combined to shoot 4-of-20 from the field. Barnes talked with Randolph after the contest and said, “We’ve got to play better,” per Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal.

Memphis coach Dave Joerger blamed his team's offensive woes for some of the defensive issues as well, per Tillery: “Our lack of offensive execution hurt our defense. We get mixed up, jumbled up and don't get back very well in transition.”

The Grizzlies are facing an uphill battle as it is in this series. They cannot afford to struggle from an execution standpoint if they plan on avoiding a sweep against the dominant Spurs.