Somehow the Golden State Warriors found a way to finish the Memphis Grizzlies and break their ticket to the Western Conference Finals. After an embarrassing 5 game loss, the Warriors responded with a 110-96 victory on their home floor to win a 4-2 series.
The Warriors have included Kevan Looney in the starting lineup for Jonathan Cumming, who played moderately in this series. While some fans were urging Jordan Poole to start, current head coach Mike Brown chose to choose Luni’s size. Luni performed perhaps the best performance of her career.
The Dubbs jumped to a 16-8 lead, but a few unforced turns opened the door for Dylan Brooks to shoot the Grizzlies back into the game. This sequence will be repeated again and again.
The Warriors led 30-26 at the end of the first quarter, but their lead could easily have been doubled. Clay Thompson was already flashing the Game 6 Klay heroine, which was probably breaking his ticket to the Hall of Fame, but the Dubs’ turnaround was holding them back.
Brooks again decided to oppose the Warriors and their fans. After a missed shot, Brooks grabbed Curry by the shoulders and pulled him to the ground. Thompson immediately came in Brooks’s face and each received technical fouls, although Brooks moved away from Thompson. The referees decided to review the game and correctly assessed Brooks with a striking 1.
The Warriors had to have at least a double-digit lead at halftime. They played exceptional defense in the first half and shot 40.7% behind the arc, but the terrible efficiency of two-point shots (7-for-25) and their continuing problems with the turn (11 in the first half) left the door open for Memphis. Golden State led only 53-51.
The third quarter was pretty much the same. Thompson appears to have started sailing early, scoring three consecutive shots, including a highly contested mid-range jumper, but the Warriors backed away from Memphis’ defensive focus and failed to lean on Clay the way Dub Nation is used to. Instead of retreating, Golden State retained only a single-digit lead. Then came even more revs.
Golden State had a comic sequence in the middle of the quarter, throwing wrong passes to three of four possessions. Without their best goal scorer, the Grizzlies needed Dubs to line up a few vacant lots to snatch the lead. They were getting it. They led shortly before the end of the third quarter, but the Warriors led 78-77 at the beginning of the last quarter.
The Warriors finally slowed things down in the last 12 minutes of the regulation and slowed down. But asking the Grizzlies to keep up with them in attack for just a quarter was a far easier task than requiring it in 48 minutes. Golden State seemed to miss out on a chance to pull away, and Brooks – who will likely pursue Dub Nation for years to come – found his shot once again, taking a corner three-pointer over Andrew Wiggins to make the game one-handed. Desmond Bain then added another three-pointer to give Memphis a 89-87 lead of 6:55 until the end of the regulation.
The answer did not come from Thompson, Curry or Draymond Green. It was Andrew Wiggins. He was the only Warrior player ever considered a bust. He was the only Warriors holder on Friday who did not win an NBA championship.
The clock struck and Wiggins knocked down a three-pointer. He stole the ball from Brooks in the next possession and turned it into an easy shot. Then another Brooks omission put Golden State in transition, where Curry was left alone on the right wing.
The paradox of the Warriors is the juxtaposition of such amazing and ugly basketball. Each possession has the potential to be a beautiful demonstration of the movement of the ball, which ends with a three-point shot. Every possession also has the feeling that there is a potential for someone to throw an inaccurate pass in the stands.
Golden State’s offense was ugly outside of Thompson’s shooting for three-quarters and a half, but the switch was pressed. Wiggins delivered a large basket, while imposing two huge stops, culminating in a swing of Steph Curry, bringing the Warriors to six. In this match, six points felt like 16.
Looney ended his incredible performance with many offensive fights in the last minutes, including one that made Thompson for the last three. Luni played 35 minutes, scoring only 4 points, but took 22 rebounds (11 offensive).
Thompson scored a high 30 points for the team in shooting 11 against 22 from the field. Curry finished with an ineffective 29 points, which came mostly when the Warriors finally put the game down in the final minutes.
However, it must be said that Wiggins was their most valuable player. He played 41 minutes of hard defense, mostly against Brooks, and recorded 18 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block. Wiggins was criticized for inconsistent efforts and a tendency to disappear throughout his career, but he was everywhere on Friday.
The Warriors now have little time to rest. Nevertheless, they will have more rest from their opponent than the Western Conference finals. They will face the winner of Match 7 between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, which will be held on Sunday, May 15 in Phoenix at 17:00 Pacific. If the Suns win this game, the Warriors will head to Phoenix for Games 1 and 2. If the Mavs win, the Dubs will host the first two games in the series.
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