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Warriors vs. Grizzlies Game 1 Takeaways: Rusty Win and More Takeaways

By Greg Chin

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Heading into last night’s Game One of the second-round matchup, the main thing on people’s minds were whether the Golden State Warriors would be rusty after having an entire week off. In the end, it was their well-rested legs that gave them the edge over the Grizzlies, as they won out by 15 points.

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The team showed moments of rust, but their fast tempo was simply too much for the Grizzlies to handle. The Grizz are notorious for their slowed-down style of play, and were uncomfortable dealing with the Warriors when they broke out in transition. The Warriors were able to convert 15 Grizzlies’ turnovers into 21 fast-break points, while the Grizzlies only had 13 of their own from the Warriors’ 15 turnovers.

But perhaps the most important thing was how Draymond Green gave the Grizzlies’ defense fits as to how they should defend him. They assigned Zach Randolph to cover him on the defensive end, but Green’s floor-spacing ability made it difficult for the slow-footed Randolph to defend him. Green punished him to the tune of 16 points, shooting 4-of-8 from behind the arc. Moving forward, the Grizzlies will have to find a better way to keep Green in check, or he will continue to be a nightmare matchup for them.

The two teams will meet again on Tuesday night, and “rust” can no longer be used as an excuse.

Some other takeaways:

  • It was good to see the Warriors’ bench close out the game for the win. Coach Kerr was able to limit his starters’ minutes (Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green all played less than 27 minutes). The bench was an asset during the regular season, and were a force in helping the Warriors win games.
  • One of the biggest criticisms surrounding Barnes’ game is that he can be too passive at times. Last night, he was aggressive when playing as the Warriors’ small-ball power forward, and drove to the rim against his slower matchups. Hopefully, we will get to see more of this from him in the series.
  • With Mike Conley out, the Grizzlies’ starting unit lacks real firepower. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol are a constant source of points, but Nick Calathes and Tony Allen are very poor shooters. Allen had 15 points last night, but that seems more of an aberration than a regular occurrence.
  • In a post-game interview, Conley complained about the noise in Oracle Arena. He claimed that the noise in Oracle aggravated his injury, as he is currently sensitive to lights and noises. His left eye was bloodshot when they interviewed him during the game, and he doesn’t look like he’s going to be back anytime soon.
  • Tony Allen just casually walking through a kids’ half-time performance….

Next: Will Conley Have an Impact on the Series?

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