Somehow the Golden State Warriors found a way to finish the Memphis Grizzlies and punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals. After a humiliating Game 5 defeat, the Warriors won the series 4-2, winning 110-96 on their home floor.
The Warriors included Kevin Looney in the starting lineup for Jonathan Cumming, who has played only less in the entire series. While some fans demanded the start of Jordan Pool, head coach Mike Brown opted to go for the size of Looney. Looney played the best performance of his career.
The Dubs jumped to a 16-8 lead, but several unforced turnovers opened the door for Dylan Brooks to shoot the Grizzlies back into the game. That sequence will be repeated from time to time.
The Warriors had a 30-26 lead at the end of the first quarter, but their lead could easily have been extended to double digits. Clay Thompson was already flashing the “Game 6 Clay” Herox who may have punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame, but was stopped by a dubs turnover.
Brooks once again decided to oppose the Warriors and their fans. On the missed shot, Brooks grabbed Curry by the shoulder and pulled him to the ground. Thompson immediately appeared on Brooks’ face, and although Brooks walked away from Thompson, each of them was assessed for technical defects. The referee decided to review the play and properly evaluated Brooks.
The Warriors should have had at least a double-digit lead at half time. They played exceptionally well in the first half and hit 40.7% shots from behind the bow, but on two-point shots (25-7-7) and their continued turnover problems (11 in the first half) opened the door for Memphis. . Golden State took a 53-51 lead.
The third quarter was the same. Thompson thought he was going to be early nuclear, hitting three shots in a row, including a fiercely contested midrange jumper, but the Warriors focused Memphis’ defensive focus and were unable to lean towards Clay as the dubbed Nation got used to. Instead of pulling away, Golden State maintained a one-digit lead. After that there was more turnover.
Golden State had a funny sequence halfway through the quarter, with three of the four properties being thrown wrong passes. In addition to their top scorers, the Grizzlies needed dubs to put together several empty items to stay in the lead. They were getting. They took a brief lead before the third, but the Warriors entered the final quarter with a 78-77 lead.
The Warriors slowed things down in the final 12 minutes of regulation and made a comeback in their turnover. But asking the Grizzlies to stay with them for only a quarter of an offense was much easier than it would have been for 48 minutes. Golden State seemed to miss their chance to pull off, and Brooks – who would haunt Dub Nation for many years to come – found his shot once again, nudging three step-back corners on Andrew Wiggins to make it a one-possession game. Desmond then added another triple to give Memphis an 89-87 lead with 6:55 left.
No response was received from Thompson, Curry or Drymond Green. He was Andrew Wiggins. He was the only Warrior player to be consistently considered a bust. Friday was the only Warriors starter who did not win the NBA Championship.
The shot clock was ticking, and Wiggins knocked down the pull-up three. He stole the ball from Brooks in the lower possession and easily converted it into a dunk. After that, Brooks’ second miss transitioned to Golden State, where Curry was left alone on the right wing.
Warriors Paradox is a combination of such amazing and ugly basketball. Each possession has the ability to have a beautiful display of the movement of the ball that ends in a three-point swish. Every possessor thinks that someone has the ability to taste the wrong pass in the stand.
Golden State’s offense was ugly outside of Thompson’s three-and-a-half-quarter shoot, but the switch was hit. Wiggins delivered a big basket at the two big stops lost in the Steve Curry Swiss and gave the Warriors six runs. Six points in this game felt like 16.
Looney completed his impressive performance with several offensive rebounds in the final minutes, setting Thompson up for a final dagger three. Looney played 35 minutes, scored just 4 points, but scored 22 rebounds (11 offensive).
Thompson scored a team-high 30 points on an 11-22-shoot from the field. Curry finished with an inefficient 29 points, mainly due to the Warriors canceling the game at the last minute.
