Kurtenbach: The no-rival Warriors have finally found their match in Memphis
Golden State Warriors 2022: Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies really
dislike Steph Curry and the Warriors. That should bring a spectacular
second-round series.
>SAN FRANCISCO, CA – DECEMBER 23: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry
(30) is fouled by Memphis Grizzlies’ Kyle Anderson (1) after making a
shot in the fourth quarter of their NBA game at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News
Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CA – DECEMBER 23: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry
(30) is fouled by Memphis Grizzlies’ Kyle Anderson (1) after making a
shot in the fourth quarter of their NBA game at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News
Group)
By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
Group
PUBLISHED: April 30, 2022 at 2:02 p.m. | UPDATED: April 30, 2022 at 8:47
p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/04/30/kurtenbach-the-no-rival-warriors-have-finally-found-their-match-in-memphis/

The Warriors’ first-round series against the Denver Nuggets was
punctuated by respect.

Respect for the NBA’s MVP, Denver’s Nikola Jokic. Respect for the
Warriors’ dynastic core. Respect for the increased levels of physicality
that comes with the playoffs.

“Thank you for making me better,” Warriors forward Draymond Green told
Jokic after the Warriors won the series on Wednesday.

Yes, the competition might have been fierce on the floor, but the first
round was generally a feel-good affair.

But there will be no such respect or positive vibes in the second round,
which starts Sunday at 12:30 p.m. PT.

The Warriors’ next opponents won’t have it.

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Warriors’ win

The Memphis Grizzlies are young, talented and brash.
Dance-on-the-opponents-logo-after-a-win brash.

And, boy, they really don’t like the Warriors. Their dislike for the
Dubs is almost as strong as their love for themselves. (Grizzlies
forward Dillion Brooks did call the Grizzlies a “dynasty” before the
start of these playoffs, after all.)

But while they are in no way dynastic, the Grizzlies’ confidence is not
terribly misplaced, either. Make no mistake about it: Memphis is fully
capable of beating the Warriors in this best-of-seven-game series.

For now, this rivalry is one-sided.

In fact, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Saturday that he doesn’t think
the Warriors have a rival right now.

But that could change over the course of the next two weeks. In fact, it
should change.

The playoffs create that kind of animosity.

And this series — which already has some hate in the system — has a
chance to become nasty, quick.

Yes, the style of basketball improves in the postseason — better
defense, a more methodical offensive attack, increased physicality — one
of the reasons the playoffs is so much better than the regular season is
the animosity that long series can create.

This, my friends, is going to be the good stuff.

How did we get here? Truth be told, this rivalry is single-issue: The
Grizzlies really don’t like Warriors forward Andre Iguodala.

It all stems from when Iguodala was traded to the Grizzlies after the
2019 season in a salary-clearing move by the Warriors. The only issue
for the Grizzlies was that Iguodala didn’t want to play for a
then-rebuilding Memphis team.

Iguodala claims that he never said he didn’t want to play for Memphis —
that it was a “mutual decision” for him to never join the team. You can
buy that if you want. I don’t.

Memphis eventually traded Iguodala to Miami in Feb. 2020, and since
then, he has been public enemy No. 1 in the Grindhouse.

That vitriol felt by players and fans in Memphis will almost certainly
spillover. Even if Iguodala doesn’t play. He’s battling a neck injury.

Draymond Green won’t shy away from such angst. Neither will Jordan
Poole, who enjoys a good verbal scrap, too.

Steph Curry and Klay Thompson will float above it. At most, they’ll do
something passive-aggressive.

This series won’t turn into another Warriors-Rockets battle. Those felt
existential.

But the Grizzlies are also rock-chuckers. They want to play a physical
brand of basketball — their goal is to beat other teams up. It proved
highly effective in their first-round series win over the Timberwolves.

This series looks poised to go at least six games, perhaps even seven.
That’s roughly 300 minutes of playoff basketball to develop some bumps,
bruises, and hard feelings.

It’s a goldmine for a columnist and sports talk radio host. It’s a blast
for fans — it’s better when you genuinely don’t like your team’s
opponent, and you better believe Grizzlies fans haven’t forgotten that
Curry, Thompson, Green and Iguodala knocked out the Grit ‘N’ Grind team
in 2015. And while I’m sure the Warriors would prefer an easy
second-round series, this will be good for them, too.

This series with the Grizzlies will be the unvarnished, unrelenting
version of the NBA Playoffs. And after three years of waiting, I can’t
wait for it to be truly back.