Rocksolid Light

Welcome to novaBBS (click a section below)

mail  files  register  newsreader  groups  login

Message-ID:  

Every creature has within him the wild, uncontrollable urge to punt. -- Snoopy


sport / alt.sports.basketball.nba.gs-warriors / Rubin: Quick Warriors-Grizzlies preview: Golden State to face young, confident group that goes beyond Morant

SubjectAuthor
o Rubin: Quick Warriors-Grizzlies preview: Golden State to face young,Allen

1
Rubin: Quick Warriors-Grizzlies preview: Golden State to face young, confident group that goes beyond Morant

<t4l0u8$e9f$1@dont-email.me>

 copy mid

https://www.novabbs.com/sport/article-flat.php?id=3786&group=alt.sports.basketball.nba.gs-warriors#3786

 copy link   Newsgroups: alt.sports.basketball.nba.gs-warriors
Path: i2pn2.org!i2pn.org!eternal-september.org!reader02.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: ala...@yahoo.com (Allen)
Newsgroups: alt.sports.basketball.nba.gs-warriors
Subject: Rubin: Quick Warriors-Grizzlies preview: Golden State to face young,
confident group that goes beyond Morant
Date: Sat, 30 Apr 2022 21:05:29 -0700
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
Lines: 138
Message-ID: <t4l0u8$e9f$1@dont-email.me>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Injection-Date: Sun, 1 May 2022 04:05:28 -0000 (UTC)
Injection-Info: reader02.eternal-september.org; posting-host="acb3f1069e3ec4d7dcb26b606389dab2";
logging-data="14639"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX18hwJaUevqXjei0N3UfinIV"
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:91.0) Gecko/20100101
Thunderbird/91.8.1
Cancel-Lock: sha1:dYCkcF9kLUUP9SljHWL9G0BiW54=
Content-Language: en-US
 by: Allen - Sun, 1 May 2022 04:05 UTC

Quick Warriors-Grizzlies preview: Golden State to face young, confident
group that goes beyond Morant
Golden State Warriors will have their hands full with Memphis Grizzlies
in Western Conference semifinals
>Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) handles the ball
against Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) in the first half of an
NBA basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP
Photo/Brandon Dill)
>Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) handles the ball
against Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) in the first half of an
NBA basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP
Photo/Brandon Dill)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: April 29, 2022 at 8:52 p.m. | UPDATED: April 30, 2022 at 1:40
p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/04/29/warriors-grizzlies-preview-in-morant-co-golden-state-faces-toughest-challenge-yet/

SAN FRANCISCO — For all those concerning losing streaks symptomatic of
costly injuries, the Warriors weren’t dominated by many teams this
regular season.

They had losing regular-season records against three teams total, all
Western Conference contenders: They went 1-3 against the Nuggets, who
they eliminated from the playoffs in five games, and 1-3 against the
Dallas Mavericks, who are still alive.

Last but not least, they went 1-3 against the Memphis Grizzlies, their
next challenge in the second round of the playoffs. A team that’s proven
to be a thorn in their side since Ja Morant stuck a dagger in the
Warriors’ playoff hopes in the play-in game last season.

But of all the Warriors’ past and potential opponents, the Grizzlies
could be the biggest obstacle in their title hopes yet. Why? In Memphis,
the Warriors will be playing a younger version of themselves in some
respects.

Like Golden State in the mid-2010s, Memphis is the young team with
small-ball rotations that run opposing teams out of their shoes. They
may not have the prolific 3-point shooting the Warriors possess — though
Desmond Bane has been one of the most efficient 3-point shooters in the
playoffs — but their most lethal attacks come in transition with
athletic stars like Morant, Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. who can get by
nearly any defender and stretch the floor. They may just shock the
world, too.

After three brutal losses to Memphis this year, Golden State has been
confronted with this reality. But they’ve maintained perspective. Klay
Thompson rebuffed the idea that the Grizzlies were reminiscent of the
young, early-dynasty Warriors who tore down the old guard while
popularizing a new style of basketball that’s become normal today. Their
title teams walked so the Grizzlies could run.

“Umm. They’re a good team,” Thompson said after a January loss in
Memphis. “Their record reflects that. But I don’t know, man, our team is
pretty unique. We’ve kind of — especially in those early championship
years — kind of changed the way the game was played. Yeah, they’re a
good team, a tough one in the West, a possible playoff matchup down the
road. We need to not take them lightly.”

But now Steph Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green are in their 30s,
facing younger foes doing their best Strength in Numbers impression. Who
will get the edge? Here are a few things to watch.

- Who will guard Morant?

Draymond Green’s defense against Nikola Jokic was crucial in the
Warriors’ first-round series. Against a smaller Memphis team, Green
should move back into more of a free safety, anchor role that will be
key in helping contain a lighting-quick, powerful guard like Morant who
can get his way with ease inside the paint.

“He’s maybe the best rogue defender I’ve ever seen,” coach Steve Kerr
said. “Sometimes it’s schemed, sometimes it’s not, but he has incredible
instincts and feel. Draymond has the green light to do basically
anything he wants out there. And that’s a powerful tool for us to have
because he sees things and disrupts offensive actions and talks to other
guys on our team and gets them going. He’s an incredible center fielder.”

Expect to see Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II primarily one-on-one
against Morant. While Wiggins had some trouble guarding him in previous
match-ups, Payton II is one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA and
could be the perfect foil against Morant.

“Gary is important to us regardless of our opponent,” Kerr said. “He’s
just such a dynamic defender and very unique scorer, just the way he
scores around the rim, to be the pick and roll dive man. To also step
out and shoot 3s like he did against Denver in the clinching game.”

- Who starts for Golden State?

The Grizzlies are a hyper-athletic bunch, which could allow the Warriors
to lean more heavily into their small-ball lineups. That may mean Kevon
Looney and Nemanja Bjelica will see very limited time on the court.

>RELATED ARTICLES
With rest but no rust, Warriors welcome quick turnaround for
Grizzlies series
Kurtenbach: The no-rival Warriors have finally found their match in
Memphis
How have rookies fared for Warriors during the playoffs?
Warriors notebook: Why some believe Steph Curry plays better after an
injury
Watch: Steph Curry and daughter Ryan do secret handshake to celebrate
Warriors’ win

It also could mean more starts for the new three-guard lineup: Steph
Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green at
center. With Payton proving to be enough of a threat on offense to keep
defenses honest, look for the 29-year-old in his first playoffs to see
an increased amount of playing time. The 6-foot-3 guard is built for
this matchup.

Health permitting, Andre Iguodala could be used frequently in small-ball
lineups as a point forward while Green sits, too.

- When does the series begin?

The Grizzlies finished in the No. 2 seed, the Warriors the No. 3 seed,
which means the series starts in Memphis on Sunday, May 1, for the first
two games and moves to Chase Center in San Francisco for Games 3 and 4.

But these teams know that home-court advantage doesn’t guarantee much:
The Grizzlies’ win to eliminate the Warriors from the play-in tournament
last season was in San Francisco, and both teams won road playoff games
in their opening series this season.

Here is the full schedule (home games in bold):

Game 1: Sunday, May 1 – 12:30 p.m. (ABC)Game 2: Tuesday, May 3 – 6:30
p.m. (TNT)Game 3: Saturday, May 7 – 5:30 p.m. (ABC)Game 4: Monday, May 9
– 7 p.m. (TNT)Game 5: Wednesday, May 11 – Time TBD (TNT)*Game 6: Friday,
May 13 – Time TBD (ESPN)*Game 7: Monday, May 16 – Time TBD (TNT)*

*if necessary

--
Shayna Rubin | Oakland Athletics reporter

1
server_pubkey.txt

rocksolid light 0.9.7
clearnet tor