NBA

Game 6 Preview: Warriors vs Grizzlies

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#1 โ€“ Golden State Warriors

Questions swirled about their ability to handle the grimy game Memphis wanted to steer toward last week, but the last couple games for the Warriors have proven that theyโ€™re ready to punch back with authority.

Itโ€™s easy to get caught up in their latest offensive explosion, but Golden Stateโ€™s defense played its best collective game of the postseason thus far in Game 5. Andrew Bogut was only needed for 23 minutes. Backย on Zach Randolph with Tony Allen missing the game, Bogutย shut down the Grizzliesโ€™ post attack almost completely while on the floor. Draymond Green held his own in mostly no-help situations against Marc Gasol and was a large part of the big Spaniard shootingย just 8-22 on the night.

Things are clicking on the other end as well, and this team looks completely unbeatable on these occasions. Stephen Curry hit six three pointers, but they were actually his only makes of the game. It was Klay Thompson, free from the shackles of Allen, along with contributions from Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes, who really led the charge. The Warriors shot 50 percent even on uncontested shots for the game.

If they continue to get the kinds of bench contributions they saw Wednesday, their status as big title favorites should never waver again. Iguodala was fantastic on both ends, and both Shaun Livingston and David Lee, resurrected in the last couple games of this series, were great two-way fill-ins as well. The Warriorsย are erasing doubts about their ability to cope with adversity, adjusting seamlessly the last couple of games and flashing variety and confidence in their scheme.

#5 โ€“ Memphis Grizzlies

Allen was absent with an aggravated hamstring, but itโ€™s tough to see how his presence would have altered the final result Wednesday more than just a little. Memphis is better off without him offensively, and no individual defender, even one of the best in the league, was going to stop the onslaught Golden State put forth.

Memphis will need more from Randolph and Marc Gasol, but itโ€™s clear they have limited amounts left in the tank. Both are becoming more erratic with their jumpers as the series has worn on, and the teamโ€™s front-court advantage โ€“ one the Grizzlies badly need to dominate to have a chance in the series given Golden Stateโ€™s back-court prowess โ€“ was mostly played to a wash in Game 5. The Warriors actually rebounded the higher percentage of their own misses among the two teams, and despite a brief early issue for Green, they werenโ€™t able to bully Golden Stateโ€™s starters into foul trouble. Even Lee, typically a sub-par defender, held his own in one-on-one match-ups in the post.

When one considers that a hot shooting start in the first quarter Wednesday night actually made the final result closer than the game may have been in reality, itโ€™s hard to see how Memphis takes two consecutive games. Theyโ€™ll never be able to sustain that kind of run over a full game with the Warriors locked in defensively like this, and theyโ€™ll need some gargantuan performances from Randolph or Gasol to have a shot.

Who Wins Game 6?

The Warriors are rolling, and they close out the series in Memphis to move to the Western Conference Finals.

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Jeff Hawkins
Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.

All posts by Jeff Hawkins
Author photo
Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.

All posts by Jeff Hawkins