Golden State Warriors have only themselves to blame

60… that is the number of turnovers the Golden State Warriors committed over the last three games of the 2020-21 NBA season. Yes, the Dubs quite literally threw their postseason hopes down the drain with careless play.

Their 15 second-half turnovers (and some shotty officiating) cost them against the Los Angeles Lakers. Then, against the Memphis Grizzlies, the referee’s arguably tried to right their wrong by tossing the Dubs a few extra bones — which they then dropped to a more hungry, aggressive, and most importantly disciplined Grizzlies team.

Now, I’ll say this, the Grizzlies didn’t exactly play their best basketball, either. In fact, they squandered numerous opportunities to bury the Warriors throughout the match and nearly collapsed in the fourth quarter.

However, this game proved to be a battle of inches, and the Grizzlies stuck to their game plan and executed it at the right times to advance to the NBA Playoffs. As for the Warriors, they have only themselves to blame for their last two losses.

It is a heartbreaking way to end the season, but the Golden State Warriors can only look themselves in the mirror after this one.

Before we talk about the Dubs’ shortcomings, let’s acknowledge some great performances from the Grizzlies. Aside from the obvious, electric game from Ja Morant, the Grizzlies were able to stun the Warriors behind a relentless defensive effort from Dillon Brooks.

Memphis had a clear game plan: Don’t let Stephen Curry decide the game. Brooks stuck like glue to Curry, rarely helping off or switching. Of course, defending Curry is much more than a one-man job, and these strategic double-teams helped limit Curry’s shot attempts late in the game. Overall, Curry was noticeably less effective with Brooks checking him.

It is time to address exactly why the Grizzlies were able to limit Curry so effectively (this term is used generously as Curry still finished with 39 points). For much of the fourth quarter and overtime, the Grizzlies simply loaded up on Curry and dared someone else to beat them. There is no kind way of saying this.. the Dubs’ supporting cast crumbled under pressure.

Again, I’ll start by giving credit where it is due. Jordan Poole drilled some HUGE shots down the stretch, as did Draymond Green, who converted back-to-back drives after Curry was hounded late in the fourth. Even Juan Toscano-Anderson made some huge plays.

Okay, now back to criticism. It is hard to sleep at night knowing the Warriors were a layup away from winning the game in regulation. Green had a clear lane to the hoop on the final play of the fourth quarter and smoked it.

As for Wiggins, well… we all saw him bonk a 3-pointer off the backboard in overtime. And, Poole’s costly turnover with 30 seconds left ultimately did the Warriors in.

To bring this full circle, the Warriors didn’t completely lose this game on their own. The Grizzlies put them in a position to make tough decisions and it worked. Yet, with so many unforced errors and open-shots they couldn’t finish, it is really hard to blame anyone but the Dubs.