Point guard Mike Conley would not let Zach Randolph take the blame for the <a href="gopher://topicL3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL1N1YmplY3RzL05CQQ==" inlink="topic::L3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL1N1YmplY3RzL05CQQ==">Memphis Grizzlies</a>' blowout loss in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference finals. No one on either team expects him to play so poorly for the rest of the series. As the <a href="gopher://topicL3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL1N1YmplY3RzL05CQQ==" inlink="topic::L3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL1N1YmplY3RzL05CQQ==">Spurs</a> beat the Grizzlies <a href="http://www.thenational.ae/sport/north-american-sport/nba-san-antonio-spurs-thump-memphis-grizzlies-in-series-opener">105-83 at San Antonio</a>, Randolph had just two points - less than in any game this year, regular-season or play-offs - after playing brilliantly to lead Memphis past defending West champions Oklahoma City Thunder in the last round. "It's not just him. It is all of us," Conley said. "He was telling us that he is going to do better, but we all have to do better defensively. Offensively, we have to move the ball and get guys open." The NBA's stingiest defence was not up to its usual standards, allowing the Spurs to hit 53 per cent of their shots and a franchise post-season-record 14 three-pointers. The Spurs are expecting their rivals to improve for Game 2 (5am, tomorrow, UAE). "We know they're going to play better," said Spurs cornerstone Tim Duncan. "They're going to change some things. We know we're not going to shoot the ball as well as we did. "We have to be prepared for that. For tonight, right now, that's as well as it could have gone." The Grizzlies will surely be trying to tinker and get back to the formula that got them to the conference finals for the first time: a combination of a suffocating defence and Randolph rumbling for points and rebounds inside. He had a play-off-best 28 points and 14 rebounds when Memphis eliminated the Thunder in Game 5 on Wednesday night. "Obviously, he's their best scorer. He's a beast inside," said San Antonio's Tony Parker. "We know he's not going to play like that every game. "It's just, sometimes, it happens." Randolph, who missed his first seven shots before a tip-in for his only bucket, said: "A lot of my shots were just off. I didn't get the good looks I wanted to." The four regular-season meetings were all won by the team with more points in the paint, but perimeter shooting proved to be a bigger factor in the play-off opener. Memphis, who were second in the NBA by holding opponents to 33.8 shooting on three-pointers, let San Antonio make 13 of their first 24 points from behind the arc and finish 14-of-29. "It was just one of those nights. Pretty much, everyone was shooting well," Matt Bonner of the Spurs said. "We won't expect that to continue every game." The Grizzlies had not allowed 14 three-pointers in a game all season. Memphis also lost their opener in each round in this year's play-offs, recovering from an 0-2 hole in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers and an 0-1 deficit against Oklahoma City in the West semi-finals. Two years ago in the first round, Memphis won Game 1 in San Antonio and went on to knock the top-seeded Spurs out of the play-offs. San Antonio had a 2-0 lead on Oklahoma City in last year's West finals before losing four in a row. "I can promise you this: Nobody's happy in our locker room, because we were up 2-0 [in the West finals] last year and we lost," Parker said. "It's just one game. It means nothing. We still have a long way to go." Follow us
