"Before the chest-bumping, towel-waving, jump-for-joy celebration after the final buzzer sounded on the franchise's first NBA playoff victory, the Grizzlies stared into each other's eyes to see who was scared and ready to fold.

None of them looked the part.

The Griz had just lost a seven-point lead in the game's final four minutes. But it was the poise and courage the eighth-seeded Griz showed Sunday afternoon in the last 66 seconds that earned them a 101-98 victory over the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of their best-of-seven, first-round series.

Memphis ended a 0-for-12 postseason drought by scoring seven unanswered points to win the game. Shane Battier, the only player to experience each of the team's playoff sweeps, put the Griz ahead 99-98 on a 3-pointer with 23.9 seconds left, a long-range dagger that proved to be the game-winner.

Tony Allen tacked on a pair of free throws, and the Griz danced into the locker room with the upset once Spurs forward Richard Jefferson's wide-open, 3-point attempt to force overtime bounced off the rim.

"We believe we can play with anybody," forward Zach Randolph said after leading the Griz with 25 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks."