Kurtenbach: Warriors-Grizzlies has become soft, petty and embarrassing
Warriors-Grizzlies: Ja Morant's knee injury is the latest drama in a
series that has stopped being about basketball.
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 7: Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant
battles for the ball while defended by Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
Poole and Andrew Wiggins in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of a
second-round NBA basketball playoff series at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News
Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 7: Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant
battles for the ball while defended by Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
Poole and Andrew Wiggins in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of a
second-round NBA basketball playoff series at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News
Group)
By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
Group
PUBLISHED: May 7, 2022 at 9:46 p.m. | UPDATED: May 7, 2022 at 9:53 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/05/07/kurtenbach-warriors-grizzlies-has-become-soft-petty-and-embarrassing/

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors and Grizzlies’ second-round playoff series
is no longer about basketball.

No. Now it’s all about The Code.

It’s embarrassing for the Grizzlies, the Warriors and the NBA on the whole.

There is a universe where this is an epic playoff series between two
outstanding teams. It’s physical, yes, but physicality has always been a
key aspect of great playoff series.

But when Dillon Brooks turned playoff physicality into something
sinister in Game 2, this series went off the rails.

And as hard-fought as it is on the court, it’s become equally soft off it.

Brooks’ hack of Gary Payton II that broke the Warriors’ guard’s elbow in
Game 2 “broke the code” according to Warriors coach Steve Kerr. The NBA
agreed and suspended Brooks for Saturday’s Game 3.

But in a post-Brooks series, every bump, box out, and dive is subject to
debate: Does it live up to The Code?

And at the end of Game 3, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant thought he found a
violation. With the Warriors winning big, Warriors guard Jordan Poole
and Memphis’ Ja Morant were battling for a loose ball. In the tussle,
Poole grabbed Morant’s knee and, according to Memphis coach Taylor
Jenkins “yanked it.”

That play chased the Grizzlies’ All-Star from the game, as he limped off
the court and out of the arena.

“I’m going to be very curious to see what happens,” Jenkins said of Poole.

Presumably on his way to the hospital, Morant tweeted to his 1.9 million
followers “broke the code” with a video of the play.

And while he deleted the tweet not long after, the narrative had been
set, yet again.

[A screenshot of Ja Morant's since-deleted tweet after Saturday night's
Warriors-Grizzlies game.]

By the way, the Warriors were wildly impressive on Saturday, winning
Game 3 142-112 to take a 2-1 series lead. Poole had 27 points off the
bench and the Dubs scored 62 points in the paint.

But who cares about that? Let’s get back to what is apparently the more
important issue, at least to Memphis: The Code.

The first two games of this series told a story about the Grizzlies.
They couldn’t beat the Warriors straight up, so they had to muck up the
game and drag Golden State down into the mud. It’s not a unique game
plan, but the Grizzlies felt particularly capable of executing it.

But Game 3 told a different tale.

The Grizzlies weren’t able to muck up the game — the Warriors’ path of
least resistance led right to Memphis’ basket — so instead they tried to
dirty the Warriors’ reputation.

It’s petty, amateur-hour stuff from a team that is clearly in its first
postseason series that really matters.

This isn’t to exonerate the Warriors, either. While Brooks’ hack was
unquestionably dirty — the crowd in Memphis knew it the second the play
was first replayed on the video board — Kerr is the guy who brought The
Code into the lexicon.

After the game, the Warriors were dismissive of any possibility that
Poole’s play could be seen as dirty.

“That’s just playoff talk,” Klay Thompson said. “I don’t even think
[Poole’s] strong enough to affect somebody’s knee.”

This is too emotional, too unprofessional for a series of this kind of
statute; for two teams of this stature.

The Warriors have been in too many playoff battles to bark this much at
puppies — to be this reactionary.

And the Grizzlies need to stop showing their inexperience at every turn.

The only thing this series is missing is a memo to the NBA claiming
deliberate officiating sabotage. Where’s Daryl Morey when you need him?

I don’t hold out much hope that these two teams can find mutual respect
in the coming games, either. Morant’s knee injury is another pall on
this series. Even if he can play in Game 4, if he’s in any way hindered,
the Grizzlies’ chances of winning are erased like his “broke the code”
tweet. Yes, Memphis went 20-5 without him in the regular season, but
this is the playoffs.

It’s a different ballgame. It’s a higher level of basketball.

I wish these two teams would treat it that way.

Allen wrote:
> Kurtenbach: Warriors-Grizzlies has become soft, petty and embarrassing
> Warriors-Grizzlies: Ja Morant's knee injury is the latest drama in a
> series that has stopped being about basketball.
> >SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA –  MAY 7: Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant
> battles for the ball while defended by Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
> Poole and Andrew Wiggins in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of a
> second-round NBA basketball playoff series at Chase Center in San
> Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News
> Group)
> >SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 7: Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant
> battles for the ball while defended by Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
> Poole and Andrew Wiggins in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of a
> second-round NBA basketball playoff series at Chase Center in San
> Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News
> Group)
> By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
> Group
> PUBLISHED: May 7, 2022 at 9:46 p.m. | UPDATED: May 7, 2022 at 9:53 p.m.
> https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/05/07/kurtenbach-warriors-grizzlies-has-become-soft-petty-and-embarrassing/
>
>
>
> SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors and Grizzlies’ second-round playoff series
> is no longer about basketball.
>
> No. Now it’s all about The Code.
>
> It’s embarrassing for the Grizzlies, the Warriors and the NBA on the whole.
>
> There is a universe where this is an epic playoff series between two
> outstanding teams. It’s physical, yes, but physicality has always been a
> key aspect of great playoff series.
>
> But when Dillon Brooks turned playoff physicality into something
> sinister in Game 2, this series went off the rails.
>
> And as hard-fought as it is on the court, it’s become equally soft off it.
>
> Brooks’ hack of Gary Payton II that broke the Warriors’ guard’s elbow in
> Game 2 “broke the code” according to Warriors coach Steve Kerr. The NBA
> agreed and suspended Brooks for Saturday’s Game 3.
>
> But in a post-Brooks series, every bump, box out, and dive is subject to
> debate: Does it live up to The Code?
>
> And at the end of Game 3, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant thought he found a
> violation. With the Warriors winning big, Warriors guard Jordan Poole
> and Memphis’ Ja Morant were battling for a loose ball. In the tussle,
> Poole grabbed Morant’s knee and, according to Memphis coach Taylor
> Jenkins “yanked it.”
>
> That play chased the Grizzlies’ All-Star from the game, as he limped off
> the court and out of the arena.
>
> “I’m going to be very curious to see what happens,” Jenkins said of Poole.
>
> Presumably on his way to the hospital, Morant tweeted to his 1.9 million
> followers “broke the code” with a video of the play.
>
> And while he deleted the tweet not long after, the narrative had been
> set, yet again.
>

Here's a video by a young doctor about the "yank":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BegbbyqgKA

--Robin