Series Preview: Warriors vs Grizzlies
With last night’s victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Memphis Grizzlies have officially advanced into the Western Conference Semi-Finals. This was the matchup everyone was expecting to see, and one the Golden State Warriors should be amped up for after last season’s play-in loss in Memphis. Steph Curry vs Ja Morant is going to be must-see television as it usually is.
The Grizzlies seem to have Golden State’s number, owning the season series 3-1. Each of those matchups has come with a caveat, however: No Klay Thompson in the first loss, no Draymond Green in the second, and no Klay, Dray, or Steph Curry in the third. Jordan Poole’s late-season explosion also didn’t happen prior to the first few matchups, and in the third, he was essentially playing with a skeleton crew.
The Dubs do have a few secret weapons up their sleeve for this matchup, their first at full-strength with Memphis even dating back to last season when Klay was out for the play-in game. The Grizzlies have size and athleticism, playing with the energy and competitive fire of a younger team who looks hungry to officially prove themselves. This is somewhat contrasted to a Warriors team that, despite having young guys who will be playing key parts in the rotation, is older and experienced at its core.
The first of these secret weapons? Jordan Poole, if he can even be considered a secret at this point. He gives the Warriors a secondary shot-creator and playmaker behind Steph, someone who can electrify his team with explosive scoring and passing. The two-pronged attack of Poole and Curry will be key to breaking down the Grizzlies defense. Combined with Green’s playmaking aptitude and Thompson’s shooting and spacing, the Warriors offense should be humming, especially with the Grizzlies lacking a key perimeter defender who doesn’t have a tendency of getting torched by 30.
The second is Jonathan Kuminga. The rookie didn’t see much time in the Nuggets series mostly because struggled when on the floor against Nikola Jokic despite his defensive aptitude. For a wing-heavy team like Memphis, however, Kuminga should see plenty of minutes and possibly even some time covering Ja Morant. He was a little shaky in his minutes against the Nuggets, but that circles back to Jokic targeting him as a smaller defender, something the Grizz can’t do.
Aside from their rotation guys, the Grizzlies have a history of being completely incapable of guarding Steph Curry. Averaging 28 points per game in the first round, Steph’s known to elevate his performance in the playoffs, and he averages about 37 per game when guarded by Memphis’ primary perimeter point-of-attack defender, Dillon Brooks. Brooks tends to get a little too much credit for his perimeter skills, more often fouling than playing much actual defense, and Steph makes it look like a cone drill when he’s got Brooks on him. Most teams would try to blitz Curry, but Poole and Thompson being on the floor will force Memphis to either leave Brooks on an island - something which statistically, they don’t want - or risk being punished by Golden State’s robust offensive system.
The biggest question the Warriors have is how they can battle with the Grizzlies’ size and athleticism. There’s also the question of how they will endeavor to contain Morant. The Timberwolves actually did an excellent job doing so for most parts of the series, but their late-game collapses cost them a possible semi-finals berth. The keys will be the usual suspects with the Warriors: limiting fouls, making their free throws, and reducing turnovers. So long as they can keep those three things in line, this series could end very shortly in Golden State’s favor. Regardless, this series looks to be an entertaining one for basketball fans of all varieties.
(Photo credit: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)