Round one saw each of these opponents cruising to surprisingly easy victories, but the consensus was that Golden State would have its way with Memphis’ thin backcourt. Then, “Trick or Treat” Tony Allen showed his defensive brilliance in Game 2, and the masked Mike Conley returned ahead of schedule to help Memphis steal Game 2. Now, the series shifts to the Grindhouse one game apiece, and the Warriors finally face a situation with real pressure facing them. Stephen Curry was named MVP earlier this week, but it’s going to take more than just him to beat this Grizzlies team.
Battle of the Backcourts
Prior to Game 1, it appeared that Mike Conley would miss a significant period of time. After seeing what his face looked like, it’s not hard to see why. However, the masked man took a chance and risked further injury by returning for Game 2, and made an immediate impact. Once again, he showed that he is the engine behind this Grizzlies offense, and also helped curtail the offense of Curry and the Warriors. Alongside him was a resurgent Tony Allen, whose defense stymied Curry and Klay Thompson. Allen had four steals and helped keep the Splash Bros to just 32 points combined.
The poor shooting by Curry and Thompson isn’t something that we should expect to continue. However, these bad nights do happen, and they occur more frequently when the Grizzlies have their full stable of horses in the mix. On these nights, however, other players have to step up like Draymond Green did in Game 1. The Grizzlies have the advantage in the frontcourt with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, and for the Warriors to emerge victorious, they have to counter with their backcourt. If they play like they have all season, Golden State should come out of this series to move on.
A Tale of Two Styles
One of the main talking points in this series is the contrasting style with which both teams play. The Grizzlies like to grind out lower scoring, defensive battles, while the Warriors are well known for their high flying offense and turning turnovers into fast break points. When opposing styles face off, they usually lead to great matchups, rather than when two teams with similar styles separated by a talent disparity. Memphis’ interior attack wears out defenses and creates a focal point in the offense that is rarely seen anymore in today’s NBA. This makes them more difficult to defend, especially when the frontcourt players are so adept at passing. The Grit ‘N Grind effect is real, and it proved its effectiveness in Game 2.
On the other hand is the aerial assault from the Warriors, led by Curry and Thompson. The Warriors live and die by the three pointer, and in Game 2 they died by it – shooting only 6 for 26 simply won’t cut it. The offense ultimately comes down to Curry, who handles the ball a lot and takes most of the shots as well. At his MVP best, he is simply unstoppable. Golden State will need more of that as the series progresses. They also can’t have Leandro Barbosa be their second leading scorer, and they absolutely need better minutes from their bigs off the bench. A fascinating aspect of this series is how each team will adjust to the other’s style, and the chess match between the head coaches could very well determine who ends up victorious.
Pass the Rock
Along with lethal shooting from the outside, a cornerstone of this Warriors offense is ball movement. In the regular season, Golden State led the NBA in assists per game. Memphis, on the other hand, was a pedestrian 15th. For Golden State to be successful, they have to operate the same way they did during the regular season. In Game 1, that wasn’t an issue, as they racked up 26 assists to 15 turnovers. However, in Game 2 they had only 16 assists to 20 turnovers. For a team that averaged over 27 assists per game this year, that kind of stagnant offense won’t cut it.
For the Grizzlies, a key will be (not surprisingly) stopping this ball movement. In the regular season, they were fourth best in the league in this category, holding opponents to only 20.1 assists per game while averaging 8.5 steals per game, good for sixth in the league as well. The defense can be stifling at times, and they will rely on it to counter the efficiency at which the Warriors operate. This figures to be yet another fascinating aspect of what could be the best series in the second round.