Spurs' biggest bully must go down in tonight's Memphis Grizzlies clash

San Antonio is standing across the street from the bully who's been stealing their lunch money and tripping them every day at recess in front of the cool kids for the past several years. The Memphis Grizzlies have had the Spurs' number going back to the 2020-21 season, and although SA won their last matchup, it doesn't really count toward this dynamic they've forced down our throats recently.

Memphis has dominated the Spurs for long enough

The last time the Silver and Black played Memphis was on April 9 last season. They came out of that game with a 15-point victory (102-87), but again, that doesn't count. There were so many players injured that night it read like a shopping list.

The Spurs players who missed that game are as follows: Dominick Barlow, Charles Bassey, Keldon Johnson, Cedi Osman, Jeremy Sochan, and Devin Vassell.

The injury report for the Grizzlies was even longer: Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., John Konchar, Jake LaRavia, Ja Morant, Derrick Rose, Marcus Smart, Yuta Watanabe, and Vince Williams Jr.

Memphis was forced to play Zavier Simpson, Timmy Allen, and Jack White 25-30 minutes apiece. If you're wondering who those guys are, so was everyone else at the time. None of those players are currently on NBA rosters.

It's hard to boast over that win when both teams were so severely compromised. Prior to that, Memphis had won 13 straight games over San Antonio. Ja Morant was drafted in 2019. The Spurs beat him twice in his rookie season, splitting the series. He's only lost one other game to SA since, and it was the first time they saw each other his sophomore year.

Morant has been a thorn in the Spurs' side for years, and it's time to fix that. Now that Victor Wembanyama is here, the guys have a star of their own to combat Ja's explosive impact.

He gets their team going by competing hard on every possession and making electrifying plays with his superior athleticism. It continuously energizes their team, giving them an edge they use to win games.

Wembanyama is going to have to match that with some help from Devin Vassell. If the guys don't show up early, the Grizzlies could take the crowd out of the game, forcing San Antonio into an eerie slugfest they don't want to be in.

Jaren Jackson Jr. is having a special season this year. If Wemby didn't exist, he'd be the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year, but his offense must also be respected. Winning this game will require another team effort, but the stars will have to be stars. If they can do that, they'll start a new norm with Memphis. One that sends the Grizz back to the drawing board with nothing but questions.