The first two games of the highly anticipated Western Conference Semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies have not disappointed.
The series, in the first two games, has seemingly had it all: exciting offense, physicality akin to the ‘80s, trash talk, controversy, and most notably, “Ja-dropping” play from the Grizzlies’ starting point guard.
The entire basketball world has had its eyes on Ja Morant, the newly crowned 2022 Most Improved Player since he averaged 40.5 points, 9 assists, and 8.5 rebounds in the first two games of the series. His generational scoring ability, bolstered by his wizardly finishing, along with his elite playmaking skills that have led him to a league leading (yes you read that right) 10.1 assists in the playoffs, has presented the Warriors with a problem unlike any other.
To make the Morant dilemma even worse for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, his primary defender on Morant, Gary Payton II, is out for the rest of the series due to a left elbow fracture suffered in Game 2 after a flagrant II foul from Dillon Brooks.
The foul from Brooks changed the entire game and series for both teams. Without Payton II, Morant played noticeably better and was able to outscore the warriors 15-6 by himself in the last four minutes of the game. For the rest of the series, we will most likely see Andrew Wiggins or Klay Thompson, who had a game-saving stop against him in Game 1, take on the assignment.
The foul has also changed the entire tone of the series. Kerr called the foul a dirty play and said that Brooks “broke the code.” This foul, alongside a few other plays that left Warriors players battered and bruised, has Warriors fans and players alike wishing to add a grizzly bear skin rug to the living room of Chase Center. Don’t be surprised if there’s increased hostility from the Warriors tonight.
If there’s one thing Warriors fans can be happy about from the play, it’s that on Thursday the NBA announced that Dillon Brooks will be suspended from Game 3 as a result of the foul. Brooks has been the Grizzlies primary defender for Stephen Curry the last two years, and without him Curry should have a big game tonight.
Another thing about Brooks’ suspension is that all playoffs he is tied for second on the Grizzlies in FGA per game, but shooting them at a terrible 34.8%, good for second worst on the team. In his absence, the Grizzlies will most certainly see more attempts from the already high-volume Morant as well as other players. It would be hard to say this is a good tradeoff for the defense they’re losing though.
If the Warriors want to win, however, they need to rely on more than just Steph Curry playing better tonight. Thompson and Wiggins have been abysmal offensively this series, averaging 28.9% and 40% from the field, respectively, while Jordan Poole has been picking up their slack. Golden State can not compete offensively with the dynamic Grizzlies if 50% of their offense from the “death lineup” doesn’t show up.
The Grizzlies have similar problems, though, with their primary shooter, Desmond Bane. Bane, who averaged 23.5 points on 50/49/90 shooting splits in the first round of the playoffs, has regressed to an awful 7.0 on 29/22/66 splits through two games against Golden State. Bane breaking this slump is crucial for the Grizzlies, as Morant can’t take every shot.
Memphis fans can’t be too sad about losing Brooks, though, because tonight they see the return of starting center Steven Adams, who was in health and safety protocols for the first two games of the series.
Adams played a grand total of 30 minutes in the first round against the Timberwolves because he matched up poorly against their big bodies, but he won’t have that same issue against the smaller Warriors.
It feels like Adams was built for this matchup. He can dominate the offensive rebound column against smaller teams as shown by his league-leading OREB. Whenever Kevon Looney isn’t on the floor, the Warriors lose a lot of rebounding power. The Nuggets exposed Golden State’s weakness to good offensive rebounding in the first round when Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic bullied them on the glass with Looney off the floor.
Adams’ impact goes beyond even that, though; his screens and floor spacing have gone unnoticed around the league but are crucial parts of his game. He is tied for second in the NBA regular season for screen assists and first in total screens. These screens all season have helped the Grizzlies score inside.
Adams has a direct impact on Morant, too. Morant’s scoring and field goal percentage is noticeably higher, especially in the paint, when Adams is on the floor compared to off.
The Grizzlies and the Warriors both have solid arguments for being the deepest teams in the league, but the recipe for winning tonight’s game looks very starter-reliant.
All the pieces appear to be put together for Morant and Curry to explode tonight; don’t be surprised if one or both of them goes for 50 points. With all of the drama of the first two games, and the offensive firepower expected tonight, Game 3 should be something every NBA fan should tune in to and try to stay awake for.
Story by Carson Fife
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