Patty Mills did a full game’s work in less than half a game in the San Antonio Spurs dismantling of The Memphis Grizzlies in the first game of the playoff series between the teams.
Mills was nearly a point-a-minute man, scoring 15 whilst playing for only 19 minutes. He wasted no time making his defensive presence felt in grabbing four rebounds and two steals. He handed out two assists and nine of his 15 came on three-pointers.
The Spurs made it look like business as usual, showing the same domination that they did throughout the regular season, where they would have been the toast of the league with an outstanding 67 – 15 record had it not been for the Golden State Warriors record-setting 73 – 9 mark.
Another Aussie, Matthew Dellavedova, also played 19 minutes in his Cleveland Cavaliers team 106 – 101 over the Detroit Pistons. His stat line was more modest, seven points, one assist and two rebounds, but he made big shots in the close game. Cleveland is much stronger for the playoffs this go. They again are at full strength thanks to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, both missing in action when the Cavs tried to climb on the back of LeBron James in the finals last year, contributing 59 of the team’s 106 points.
