The Conference semi-finals matchup between the Warriors and the Grizzlies has been nothing short of entertaining. It was projected from the start that there would be some good basketball being played, and there has been to a certain extent, but the physicality and voracity of the series was something nobody could have predicted.

The Grizzlies, as a young team, have a lot of confidence right now. They finished 2nd in the NBA in terms of record during the regular season, and had a few comebacks in their first-round series against the Timberwolves due to poor late-game execution on Minnesota’s part. They’re tenacious, eager to prove they belong in the postseason with an established veteran team like the Warriors, and the trash-talking they’ve started to do shows it.

Ja Morant is the clear leader of this team both on and off the court. He’s certainly setting the tone for the team’s attitude with jawing like this.

When asked about his exchange with Steph Curry depicted above, Morant mentioned that after the Warriors Game 1 victory, Steph approached both him and Jaren Jackson Jr. and talked a bit about how it was going to be a fun series. According to Ja, this was in response to the initial talk from the other team, and for somebody as confident as Morant is right about now, it makes sense that he’s talking his talk.

Ja had 47 points in the Game 2 win, although it was overshadowed by Dillon Brooks getting ejected for fracturing Gary Payton II’s elbow in an obviously intentional and dirty play. His phenomenal game from Ja is the first he’s had so far in this playoffs, mostly because the Wolves did a solid job of making other guys beat them. As the offensive engine in Memphis, when Ja gets humming, the team gets humming.

Some pundits have said that Morant’s celebrations, dancing, and trash talk have all been distracting from his team’s mediocrity. A lot of people want him to just shut up and not be so cocky, but while the sentiment is understandable, basketball is more fun this way. Not to mention, it gives the Golden State a chip on their shoulder to go out and make him work for his wins every night.

It’s nice to see that Steph Curry has been talking a bit as well. He’s played relatively well, but his efficiency is a little lower than normal; there’s an expectation that he’s going to have a dominant game either tomorrow or in Game 4. Klay Thompson has also been lackluster compared to his usual play, shooting abysmally and just not being able to get much going. The good news is that the Warriors have a win and a tight loss under their belt, which means a Splash Brothers bounceback game could crack the whole thing wide open.

The Warriors will seek to get a Game 3 victory tomorrow night in order to retain the homecourt advantage they’ve now stolen from the Grizz. If Golden State can go back to Memphis up 3-1, it’ll be a tough hole for the younger squad to climb out of.

(Photo credit: Joe Murphy / Getty Images)