A key for the Warriors against the Grizzlies: Beat them at their own game
Western Conference semifinals: Memphis entered the series as a
rebounding machine. The Warriors found a way to out-rebound them.
>MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – MAY 1: Golden State Warriors’ Kevon Looney (5)
grabs a rebound against Memphis Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane (22) in the
second quarter of Game 1 of the team’s NBA basketball second-round
playoff series at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday, May 1,
2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
>MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – MAY 1: Golden State Warriors’ Kevon Looney (5)
grabs a rebound against Memphis Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane (22) in the
second quarter of Game 1 of the team’s NBA basketball second-round
playoff series at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday, May 1,
2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: May 3, 2022 at 5:00 a.m. | UPDATED: May 3, 2022 at 7:27 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/05/03/a-key-for-the-warriors-against-memphis-beat-them-at-their-own-game/

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Rebounding and turnovers have been the Warriors’
biggest areas of concern these playoffs. Their second-round opponents,
the Memphis Grizzlies, get their offensive superpowers by generating
turnovers and gathering rebounds.

“Their game starts when the ball goes up,” coach Steve Kerr told the
team, as told by Draymond Green during the TNT broadcast.

On paper, this was a recipe for disaster for Golden State; its own
weakness feeds directly into the opponents’ strengths. In their slim
Game 1 win in Memphis on Sunday, the Warriors beat the Grizzlies at
their own game. To win the series, they’ll have to keep that up.

Golden State out-rebounded the Grizzlies 51-47, collecting four more
defensive rebounds than them and matching their offensive rebounds with
16. They also forced one more turnover (17) than Memphis, with both
teams scoring 24 points off turnovers.

“We figured out that if we’re going to win not only this game but this
series, you have to rebound the ball against this team,” Green said
after practice on Monday. “It can’t be on the second or third
opportunity. To our guys’ credit we cleaned that up, especially in the
second half. We really cleaned that up and that’s a big part of their
offense. If we can take that away, it allows us to get the ball out and
run and not let them get into a set defense.”

The Warriors won the rebounding game with Green, one of their best
rebounders, out for the entire second half due to a Flagrant 2 ejection.
Green’s assertiveness on the boards and defensively would be crucial for
a Warriors team deemed undersized competing against Jaren Jackson Jr.
and Brandon Clarke. But everyone stepped up in his absence.

Kevon Looney checked in at the five and became a box-out machine — his
six total rebounds weren’t indicative of the space he created under the
rim to give his teammates room to gather the ball.

“He’s a rebounder who is a box-out guy, too,” Kerr said. “A lot of time
he doesn’t get credit for the rebound, but he’s the one getting the
rebounder coming in and that allows someone else to get the board. Loon
is crucial for us.”

The onus didn’t fall entirely on Looney, the Warriors’ only true center,
to vacuum up rebounds. Otto Porter Jr., Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins
finished with eight rebounds. Gary Payton II and rookie Jonathan Kuminga
collected six each, too.

Memphis’ 12.5 offensive rebounds per game in the first round ranked
second only to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Warriors ranked
second-to-last with seven per game. Each team outdid its average with 16
offensive boards in Game 1. Neutralizing the Grizzlies’ offensive
rebounding advantage keyed a slim second-chance point advantage to the
Warriors’ side.

Payton — who started his first playoff game and played 23 minutes after
early foul trouble — wrangled four offensive rebounds while Wiggins and
Poole got three each.

Memphis entered the series tabbed as a team that can win with its
athleticism and physicality and without overwhelming size. A more
undersized Golden State team proved they can match physicality with a
little physicality of their own. Or as Payton put it, “hit them before
they hit us.”

“We know they’re the No. 1 offensive rebounding team and a lot of their
guys crash,” Payton added. “We have to take it to heart. One-on-one box
out against bigs.”

Part of the Warriors’ dynamic three-guard lineup pushes Wiggins to the
four — a responsibility that sees him up against guys a little bigger
than him. Kerr and some of his teammates publicly urged Wiggins in the
regular season to play a more assertive game that matches his elite
athleticism. He kicked that aggression into high gear in a combative
fourth quarter on Sunday night.

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Wiggins was diving for loose balls, boxing out and seeking contact to
get rebounds. Leading the team with an average of seven rebounds per
game during these playoffs, Wiggins is putting more value in doing the
little things on the bigger stage, according to Steph Curry

“Part of it is a commitment to what you’re being asked to do,” Curry
said. “He’s gotten us a few offensive possessions in big moments with
the will of — who is going to be the guy to get to the ball first? Once
you point out how important those opportunities are in a playoff game,
how important those possessions are, Wiggs understood that makes a
difference. You can develop a sense of pride around that and get
celebrated for it. It’s not just, put the ball in the basket, it’s
everything else.”

Over a long series, the Warriors may not be able to consistently stop Ja
Morant and the Grizzlies from putting the ball in the basket. The
Grizzlies may not be able to stop the Warriors from getting theirs, too.
This series might come down to a battle of the little things, making the
approach to rebounding all the more important.

--
Shayna Rubin | Oakland Athletics reporter