It’s been a peculiar and intriguing second round playoff series between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies, not least because of the additional storylines and apparent angst between the two teams.
But as we focus on the matchup itself, there’s been an interesting dynamic brewing through the first four games. Golden State holding a 3-1 lead isn’t necessarily a surprise, but how exactly that’s materialized is certainly cause for focus.
The Golden State Warriors-Memphis Grizzlies second round series has thrown some interesting numbers, particularly when focusing on two key factors.
You could easily identify one question mark for each team prior to the series – how will the Warriors limit the Grizzlies’ offensive rebounding, and how will Memphis combat Golden State’s historically great three-point threats?
Let’s take a look at the rebounding, a key emphasis considering the Warriors’ commitment to not start a traditional center and bring Kevon Looney off the bench. The Grizzlies were the leading rebounding team during the regular season, averaging 14.1 offensive rebounds and 49.2 total rebounds per game.
You’d think against a smaller Warriors team that those numbers might actually increase. Yet, somewhat incredibly, Golden State has kept the Grizzlies to 11.5 offensive and 43.5 total rebounds over the first four games. Memphis’ offensive rebounding percentage has decreased from 33.8% to 26.1%, with their overall rebounding percentage decreasing from 52.6% to 46.4%.
Conversely, the Warriors rebounding numbers have taken an upward trajectory. Their total rebound average has gone from 45.5 during the regular season to 49 this series. Golden State was 15th in offensive rebounding percentage this season at 26.9%, while they were 20th in overall offensive rebounds at 9.8. They’re sitting at 11 offensive rebounds per game this series, with a percentage of 30.7.
Then you come to the shooting which presents an even greater contrast from regular season styles. The Warriors were third in three-point attempts in the league at 39.4 per game, while the Grizzlies sat 23rd at 32.7 per game.
Yet, when it comes to this series, the Grizzlies have appeared like the more eager three-point shooting team. They’ve put up an extra eight three-point shots per game compared to the regular season, with their 40.8 attempts from deep over four more than the Warriors’ average of 36.3.
Both teams’ defense can probably take credit for those statistics. The Grizzlies have done a good job of running the Warriors off the three-point line, outside of game three where there was no help defense which has allowed easy lanes to the rim.
For the most part, though, this series has been played on the Warriors’ terms. Memphis’ lack of interior presence would have disappointed them, both in regard to rebounding and paint scoring.
If the Warriors are to advance to the Western Conference Finals, the rebounding component will remain an important focus given a potential meeting with DeAndre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns.