Defending the Los Angeles Clippers and the Russell Westbrook-less Oklahoma City Thunder required strong defensive execution, to be sure, but Memphis only needed to prod and neutralize a few potent threats rather than many. They did so effectively, limiting both top shelf offenses to 99.9 points per 100 possessions.

Ask any San Antonio Spurs fan and they’ll tell you that the bad taste is still firmly planted in their mouths. It’s the recurring nightmare that simply won’t go away.

After the Spurs finished the season with the #1 seed in the Western Conference and went 61-21 on the season, they faced an underrated Grizzlies team that immediately stole home court in Game 1 with Manu Ginobili still out and finished off the Spurs in six games.

When previewing this series, many writers and broadcasters are making the mistake of using the 2011 series as a gauge of what to expect this time around, but both teams are very different, and this Spurs squad is undeniably better than the team the Spurs trotted out in 2011. The Spurs were set at point guard with George Hill, but had an injured Ginobili backed up by Neal at shooting guard, an underperforming Richard Jefferson and Steve Novak at the three. Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess, DeJuan Blair and Matt Bonner were left to contend with the likes of Marc Gasol, Zack Randolph and Darrel Arthur.

AT&T Center – Coming into Game 1 of the San Antonio Spurs’ Western Conference playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis big men Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol were averaging a combined 38 points, 17.2 rebounds, 13 Free throw attempts, shooting 49% from the field, and drawing 12.8 fouls per game.

After 48 minutes of Game 1 and the Grizzlies falling by 22 points, Gasol and Randolph finished with a combined 17 points, 14 rebounds, 2 free throw attempts, and shot 29% from the field.

“We tried to play aggressive especially on Marc and Zach,” said Spurs forward Tiago Splitter after the game. “Just try to deny them. Whenever they got the ball, everybody was closing a little bit too. The smalls help us a lot too.”

AT&T CENTER--Two years ago, when these two teams last met in the playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs were in the midst of an identity crises, transitioning from a style of play Tim Duncan's body could no longer sustain and finding themselves again through Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and a bevy of shooters. 

In 2011 the defensive foundations that have held the franchise up for over a decade were sacrificed in the name of offensive brilliance. The offense took quickly, earning the Spurs the top seed, but implementing a new system on the run also meant that execution was far from second nature. Hit the Spurs hard enough and those offensive principles--not quite yet a part of players' muscle memories--were quickly abandoned. 

These Spurs are different. If 2011 marked the beginning of the rebuild, these Spurs are at last complete and comfortable in their own skin. The system has been installed and hardwired into the DNA of the team, while the hardware has been upgraded to provide the same defensive excellence once expected of a team coached by Gregg Popovich. This rematch, set in the Western Conference Finals, would be the perfect opportunity to see how far the team has come. 

The San Antonio Spurs (8-2) and Memphis Grizzlies (8-3) will kick off the Western Conference Finals today in San Antonio in a clash of West powerhouses. The last time these two teams faced off in the postseason, the Grizzlies upset the No. 1 seeded Spurs in the 2011 NBA Playoffs first-round. 

The Spurs are coming off a 94-82 win over the Warriors in Game 6 in Oakland to win the semifinals series. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 19 points while Kawhi Leonard finished with 10 rebounds.

The Grizzlies are coming off an 88-84 win over the Thunder to close out their semifinals series in five games. Zach Randolph led Memphis with 28 points and 14 rebounds in the win.

And as the Spurs and Grizzlies get set to clash this afternoon, here are five things to watch for during today's game:

• Grizzlies' Mike Conley is averaging a career-best 17.6 points and 7.6 assists a game in the postseason.

• The Spurs are 4-0 at home in the postseason when leading at halftime.

With 21 combined games in the 2013 playoff data bag between the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies, it’s now time to look at what the data is saying as the Western Conference Finals approach Sunday.

Remember, this is all quantitative data and like the last series between the Spurs and Golden State Warriors, the numbers were predicting a sweep or five game series. However, when you look at qualitative evidence, you might or the Spurs might not have known Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were going to explode in games one and two. Quantitative data didn’t predict Harrison Barnes would be in the company of Tim Duncan and Magic Johnson in Game 5.

So here are the numbers on the eve of the Western Conference Finals. Look, analyze, and dissect them, but do not rely on them because as the Warriors proved, numbers will change once the ball is tipped.

Offense and Defense

The San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference Finals to earn the opportunity to play the Memphis Grizzlies this Sunday for Game 1.

The Spurs and Grizzlies are no strangers to each other as the teams faced off in the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs in the first round. The Grizzlies triumphed over the Spurs in 6 games and San Antonio hasn't been shy in saying they haven't forgotten that experience.

This season the teams meet each other with the winner heading to the NBA Finals against whoever comes out of the Eastern Conference. The Grizzlies have looked dominant lately and the Spurs will need to top these two categories to have the edge in this series.

1) Rebounds

The San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies will meet in the 2013 Western Conference Finals for a shot at going to the NBA Finals which kicks off tomorrow in San Antonio.

On this episode of the Project Spurs-News 4 San Antonio, Spurs Roundtable, Jeff Garcia, Project Spurs' Quixem Ramirez and special guest Jason Minnix of 1250 ESPN The Blitz, break down the Spurs-Grizzlies WCF series.

From whether the Spurs should be concerned about facing the Grizzlies, the play of Mike Conley in the postseason to predictions, the panel looks at every angle of this Western Conference clash. 

It’s 2013. The San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies are about to face off in another playoff series after the Grizzlies defeated the Spurs two years ago in the first round.

Unlike 2011, Manu Ginobili is healthy, Tiago Splitter is a key player, Kawhi Leonard is a Spur, Boris Diaw is a Spur, and Richard Jefferson is already on vacation. The Grizzlies too have new faces with Tayshaun Prince, Jerryd Bayless, and Quincy Pondexter. For them, Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, and Greivis Vasquez are now gone.

“(We) make no comparisons to anybody we’ve played in the past,” said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich Saturday, the eve before the Conference Finals begin at the teams practice facility.

With eight wins in their last nine games, some NBA pundits believe the Memphis Grizzlies are the favorites in the Western Conference to advance to the NBA Finals. The teams split the season-series this year, indicating the margin between the two is rather slim. The difference -- as in most series -- will come down to small adjustments and key performances from the supporting cast. Here's some story lines that may be important to monitor.