The Morning Tip-Off is where we scour the internet, to bring you all the San Antonio Spurs news from different outlets, all on one page. It’s game day folks! Here are your links for May 21st:

Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies, Game 2 – Pounding the Rock

But, unfortunately, this won’t be the norm for this series. The Spurs will regress back to the mean, and the Grizzlies will grit and grind their way back to normal. Meaning, of course, that people like Matt Bonner probably (emphasize “probably”) won’t be on fire from deep again, and there will be no more blowouts of this nature again in this series.

Both Lionel Hollins and Mike Conley suggested that their defense was over-rotating throughout the game. Their poor defensive effort led to Parker penetrating the lane seemingly at will, and once he was there it was only a matter of time before he found an open shooter for a three-point attempt. For a smart defensive team like the Grizzlies, it’s fairly certain that they will work on not making that same mistake again.

 How Duncan would look like in a Celtics uniform – Project Spurs

Hard to imagine it has been 16 years since the San Antonio Spurs won the 1997 NBA Draft Lottery and drafted Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest. Duncan not only changed the future of the Spurs, it also changed the path for the Boston Celtics who had the best odds to get the No. 1 pick in 1997. The Spurs drafted Duncan and the Celtics drafted Chancey Billups and Ron Mercer.

For the Spurs, Duncan has led the franchise to four NBA titles while Boston went on to win one in this decade of the NBA with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

But what if fortunes were flipped? What if Boston won the 1997 NBA Draft and selected Duncan?  OrlandoMagic.com showed exactly how TD would look in a Boston uniform had he signed with the guys in green. Needless to say, Duncan in a Boston uniform doesn’t look that bad but a black and silver jersey is more his speed.

5 things to watch: Spurs vs. Grizzlies Game 2 – Project Spurs

Despite losing Game 1 versus the Spurs, San Antonio should not take their early series-lead. Against the Clippers and Thunder, Memphis fell 0-1 to start both series yet rallied to win both series.

And as the Spurs look to win Game 2, here are five things to watch for during tonight’s game:

• The Spurs are 5-1 against the Grizzlies in postseason games played in San Antonio.

• Memphis is the only NBA team with three players ranked in the top 20 in scoring during the playoffs (Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley).

• Memphis is only allowing 93.4 points during the postseason.

• The Spurs are 4-0 in the postseason at home when leading after the first quarter.

• The Spurs are 4-0 in the postseason at home when scoring 100 points or more.

2013 NBA playoffs: Memphis Grizzlies-San Antonio Spurs Game 2 – ESPN

3. Fact or Fiction: Tony Parker is the best player in this series.

Adande: Fact. His best can have the biggest impact. When he’s on, the Spurs look elite. Marc Gasol has the most capability of affecting the game on both ends; he just doesn’t do domination.

Crawford: Fiction. I love Parker’s game, and even with all he has accomplished, I feel he’s underrated. But Mike Conley is really making a name for himself in these playoffs, and I think they will cancel each other out for the most part. At the end of the day, I think this series will come down to the bigs on both sides.

Spurs/Grizzlies preview: Game 2 will be closer, but will that be enough for Memphis? - Pro Basketball Talk

On offense, the Grizzlies need more Zach Randolph, but to make that work he may need to start the game as a decoy — other guys will have to hit shots.

The Spurs fronted and denied passing lanes to Randolph, then brought help off of the corners to double him — Memphis never swung the ball quickly to the open men to make them pay. Memphis hesitated and the Spurs defense reset.

They need better ball movement this time and some guys are going to have to knock down outside shots —Tayshaun Prince, we’re looking at you — to space out the floor. Do that, slow the help and Randolph will have room to operate and do damage.

What that all boils down to is you can expect a tougher, grittier, grindier (sure, that’s a word) Memphis team on Tuesday night.

But you can also expect the Spurs to execute like the well-oiled machine they are. They will still share the ball and guys will get looks. And that may still be too much for Memphis (expect Tim Duncan to have more than 6 points this time).

May 19, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (50) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in game one of the Western Conference finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at AT

Game 1 was to put it lightly, a nightmare for one Zach Randolph. His 1 of 8 shooting for 2 points and 7 rebounds was not the start the Memphis Grizzlies were hoping out of their All Star power forward, and during the game the frustration grew more and more evident not only on his face, but the faces of Lionel Hollins and the other players. The immediate reaction after the game by pundits, players, and opponents alike has been, he won’t have that type of game again. Now, I agree with that, Zach Randolph wont average 2 points a game for this series and not go to the free throw line. However, those expecting him to dial back the clock to 2011, and say, ” All they need to do is reestablish Zach and he’ll get his numbers and things flow from there”. While the Grizzlies will look to get him more shots and more points, those points won’t come easy, and all one has to do is point to the regular season 4 games series. However, One man can’t win and  makeup all of those points in the playoffs. The playoffs are about who steps up outside of your own big time players. The loss yesterday was definitely a group effort from Memphis, and just pointing at the  beleaguered  Randolph, is just lazy and unjust.

People continue to have the idea that the Spurs and Memphis have immediately picked up from 2011. “The Spurs will struggle to guard Randolph, they don’t have a big man that can guard him!!!”.  The numbers show quite a different story than one wants to remember, when the Spurs matched up in the regular season. Randolph averaged 36% shooting and averaged 14.6 points. Now one may say again, 14.6 points is respectable and good. Whats the problem? Heres where it kills them. In the other four games Mike Conley averaged 15.5 points during the regular season, while Marc Gasol averaged 14.5. All together those three come to almost 45points. Here is where it REALLY kills Memphis. Who else scores for Memphis? Where else do they get their offense from? Darrell Arthur? Tayshaun Prince? Tony Allen? For Memphis to beat the Spurs, they will have to completely shut down everyone outside the big three, and for their big three to average at least 25 points a piece.  There is no Shane Battier, there is no Greivis Vazquez or a pre achilles injury Darrell Arthur walking through that door.

Quincy Pondexter was able to in game 1 show he is a threat from the outside making threes and dropping 17 points. However in the regular season, he was non existent scoring 1 lowly point in the one game that he was available for. However Pondexter is not the salvation the Grizzlies need. If they believe so, well, start printing up the Western Champion shirts for the Spurs right now. The Grizzlies salvation is their defense and holding everyone down on the perimeter and keeping Parker out of the paint. Period. That is why exactly this is a good matchup for the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs if they’re slowed will score in the 90s, the Grizzlies scored over 92 TWICE against OKC. A team that was thought of before Westbrook’s injury, to be the favorite to exit the Western Conference. That said, OKC was shut down and quite a bit of it was OKC’s lack of a second consistent scorer outside of Kevin Durant. The San Antonio Spurs present a team with 3 superstars, Duncan Parker, Ginobili. However, if Duncan or Ginobili are off their game, the Spurs can look to a Kawhi Leonard, a Danny Green. Memphis will struggle to score, and if their defense works the Spurs will too. However, the Spurs version of struggling will be 94, 92 points. If Memphis struggles its low 80′s. It was said before the series started, and it held true so far through game 1. The defensive mindset was played out, take out one of their big three, force the perimeter players of Prince, Allen, and Bayless to beat them. If the Spurs keep one or two of their big three from getting loose, this series will end, and end quick.After game 1, one must think, the defense for the Spurs works, they’ll just rinse repeat for game 2. If the Spurs bring the same consistent defensive effort inside and out, The Grizzlies will be lucky to get past 88 points. So Lawler’s law says first to 100 wins? In this series, first to 92 may be the victor.