Grizzlies’ Battier on losing game two, Ginobili

Though it won’t rank that high on San Antonio Spurs fans list of killer shots made in the clutch against the Spurs in the playoffs (see Derek Fisher’s .4 shot), Memphis Grizzlies’ Shane Battier did nail a crucial shot in the waning moments of Memphis’ game one victory in San Antonio.

Now as the scene shifts to Memphis tomorrow for game three, Battier had this to say about losing to the Spurs in game two and how Manu Ginobili is one of the toughest players to guard in the NBA.

Losing game two:

“The Spurs are the Spurs and we weren’t expecting anything less than a fiercer effort on their part. Frankly, we didn’t play very good. … We still had a two-point deficit with 20 seconds to go, that’s pretty good in San Antonio. We knew we had a shot but we feel good about coming home to Memphis.”

On where Ginobili ranks as a tough player to defend:

“Oh yeah, easily [top 10]. … He’s in a five, six, seven category. … It’s the same cast of characters. You’ve got Kobe, LeBron, Durant, Ginobili, I put Joe Johnson in that category, Paul Pierce, the usual suspects.”