NBA Playoffs: Second Round Preview (Part 1)

With the first round just about finish, we look ahead to the exciting series' ahead in the second round. While it is certainly a shame that either one of the Clippers and the Spurs will be eliminated in the first round, this is playoff basketball. I guess Spurs should have thought of that when they decided to start playing proper basketball after the All-Star Break. "Hey guys why don't we start today instead of tomorrow? One game could be all the difference" said Kawhi Leonard to the vets, unable to hear without their hearing aids on. One game would end up being the difference between the Rockets in the 2nd seed and the Spurs in the 6th seed. I'm not even going to mention the Eastern Conference here and how TWO teams with losing records made the playoffs. What a time to be alive. But that's a post for another time (expect it over the off-season!)

Golden State (1) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (5)

Warriors lead the season series 2-1, including a blowout win on March 27, where they won by 23 points, 107-84. They also beat the Grizzlies in the most recent game in mid-April where Klay Thompson dropped 42 points against them, 26 of them in one quarter.

Truly a clash of styles that will be an interesting series to keep track of. While the Warriors are adept at putting up 3s and making a whole lot of them, the Grizzlies want to bang the ball inside more often than not. And why wouldn't they when you have two powerful backcourt players in Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. On the other hand, you can say the same about the Warriors. Why wouldn't they want to shoot a whole lot of three pointers when you have the Splash Brothers; Steph Curry and Klay Thompson knocking down shots like there's no tomorrow.

The Warrios shoot 40% from three point land as a TEAM. They attempt 27 per game which puts them among the league leaders in 3pt attemts and this is most because of both Steph and Klay. They both shot 44% during the regular season and are a major threat to torch the Grizzlies even with their tenacious defence. Their ability to stretch the floor and push the pace will prove to be key in this matchup.

The Grizzlies meanwhile play a much different game. With All-Star C Marc Gasol and Zach "are your shorts tucked into your shirt?" Randolph, they form a formidable frontline with a much different yet equally effective skillset. They attempt 15 three pointers per game in the regular season with 4 of those coming from PG Mike Conley alone. Expect the Memphis big men to dominate the inside game against the Warriors, despite Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green. While both are great defenders, Z-Bo will be too much for Green due to the size difference and Gasol's ability to stretch the floor with his midrange game AND his passing ability will take Bogut out of the equation.

Verdict: the pace and 3pt shooting will prove to be too much for the Grizzlies. Along with their athleticism and superior bench, Warriors will win the series in 5. Memphis has a great starting lineup but there's too many variables; will Conley be back in time? Is their bench going to play remotely consistently? The Warriors look better in every aspect of the game but don't expect the Griz to roll over for them. There's a reason they're still in the playoffs after all.