Golden State Warriors Aim to Keep Home Court Advantage

Despite not playing to their best, the Golden State Warriors were still able to comfortably defeat the Memphis Grizzlies in Game One of their second-round series. Having a week off gave the Warriors plenty of rest, but it also affected their play on the court.

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Fortunately, the Grizzlies were unable to take advantage of it, and lost their chance to steal home court advantage away from the Warriors. They were without Mike Conley, who is still recovering from facial surgery after taking an elbow to the face in Game Three of their first round series.

Oracle Arena will be even louder tonight after Stephen Curry was named as the league’s MVP. He received his award yesterday, making him the second Warrior in franchise history to ever win the award. And because of that, you can be sure that the fans will be out in force to celebrate such a crowning achievement.

But the perfect celebration would be winning Game Two at home and maintaining home court advantage, bringing them one step closer to the coveted NBA title.

Keys to the Game

Getting Off to A Good Start

Oracle Arena is notorious for being one of the loudest arenas in the NBA. New Orleans Pelicans’ coach Monty Williams complained about the noise level in the previous round, and just two days ago, Conley stated that the noise was extra harsh on his post-surgery pain. The crowd will already be rocking after Curry’s MVP win, but if the Warriors get off to a great start, Oracle might reach an all-time noise-level high, which might just power the Warriors to a win.

Making Those Shots

The Grizzlies had the fourth-best defense in the league in the regular season, and are known for their defensive tenacity. With two defensive big men in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, they have the interior defense on lockdown. If the Warriors are able to make their long-range shots, it will draw the Grizzlies defense out, and create some space for their slashers to attack the basket.

Key Matchups

Klay Thompson vs Tony Allen

Tony Allen surprised many in the previous game with 15 points, four rebounds, three steals and three assists. He shot 6-of-11 from the floor, and was the third-highest scorer for the Grizzlies. Allen’s offensive deficiencies are well-known by now, which makes his scoring even more surprising. Thompson will have to do a better job on him, especially since Allen averaged 8.6 points per game during the regular season.

Andrew Bogut vs Marc Gasol

Taking just ten shots in their Game One loss, Marc Gasol’s ten field goal attempts were his lowest in playoff game since May 3, 2013. He found it difficult going up against the frontcourt tandem of Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green, and never seemed to be in a rhythm. He was, however, successful at the line, knocking down 11 of his 12 attempts. Bogut was the more impactful one of the two, but was hampered by foul trouble.

Draymond Green vs Zach Randolph

The two Tom Izzo disciples went at each other in Game One, with neither one willing to give an inch. Green battled hard in the low post on the defensive end despite having a size disadvantage, but utilised his shooting on the other end to his advantage, raining down eight three-point attempts and making four. Randolph seemed to be caught in two minds when defending him in the pick-and-roll set, seemingly unsure of whether to stick to Green or to contain the ball-handler. After Green’s 16 points from Game One, we might just see Z-Bo respect Dray’s shooting a bit more tonight.

Next: Stephen Curry is the People's MVP

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