World champion Spurs sizzle beyond the three-point line, go on to meet Lakers or Rockets.With Tony Parker and Robert Horry connecting from the outside and Tim Duncan dominating inside, the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs swept fhe Memphis Grizzles, playoff neophytes, in four.
The Spurs shot a phenomenal 11 or 17 shots from beyond the three-point line, and the Spurs shot nearly 59 percent overall., as they beat the Griz 110-97 before another full house, likely the last in the buildingÕs history, at The Pyramid.
Parker collected 29 points and 13 assists, Duncan scored 26 points and Horry added 14 off the bench for the Spurs, who await the Los Angeles Lakers or Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals.
Pau Gasol scored 22 points and James Posey added 20 and 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who had never so much as had a winning month in their 10-year history until January but finished with 50 wins under Coach of the Year Hubie Brown.
But the Grizzlies dropped their final four regular-season games, then were outclassed in their first playoff series by the Spurs, who have won 15 consecutive games overall. In this one, Parker scored 14 points in the first quarter, which ended with the Spurs ahead, 32-21. The cushion was 57-45 at the break and 87-72 after three quarters, and Memphis got no closer than nine points in the final period.
