NBA Playoffs 2022 on Wednesday, 04.05.2022
The most exciting game of the playoffs so far was the opening game of the Conference Semifinals between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors!
In Game 1, a lot of things went according to plan for the Californians. However, I don’t think that the physically stronger dark blue team will be outplayed again. Consequently, in my Grizzlies Warriors tip I assume a successful revenge by Morant & Co.
The Warriors have tailed off in the second half of the season, but still managed to qualify for the Conference Semifinals in relatively commanding fashion – a 4-1 win over the Denver Nuggets made that possible!
The Grizzlies proved to be exactly the stubborn opponent the Dubs had expected in the opening game of the series on Sunday. However, at the end of a real nail-biter, the Californians managed to pull off a razor-thin 117-116 victory.
Golden State’s offense is certainly not one of the best in the NBA, but it was surprisingly efficient in Game 1 and not at all dependent on Stephen Curry (24 points), as bench player Jordan Poole even scored 31 points.
It was clear from the opening game that this pairing was likely to be the closest of the four Conference Semifinals. Staying true to that assumption, I expect Memphis to even the Series tonight!
I certainly don’t mean to suggest that the visitors’ opening win was undeserved. However, everything seemed to go in the Warriors’ favour that night – even those things that are not really their speciality.
The best example: dominance in the zone! Actually, the Grizzlies are outstanding at the board and physically far superior to the super-small lineup with Wiggins as centre – yet it was the Dubs who scored 12 points more from that area of the court.
But the rebound duel also went surprisingly to the Warriors with 51:47 – and that despite the Yellow and Blue having significant size disadvantages. Memphis will hardly allow itself to be duped in the zone again.
On top of that, the offensive production of the Warriors, who were average at best in this area, was as good as it has rarely been! In fact, Golden State is the first team since 1987 to have multiple bench players score over 30 points in a playoff game.
The Warriors are usually not used to such an outstanding contribution from the substitutes. I’d also be very surprised if a Jordan Poole can immediately top his best postseason performance to date tonight.
On the other hand, two of the Grizzlies’ players had a night to remember, which is undoubtedly the exception rather than the rule.
Should Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane even reach normal form in Game 2, another defeat should be preventable.
Especially Desmond Bane, who proved to be the rock for the Grizzlies in the six games against the Timberwolves, played one crap game together in the opener – the youngster usually scores nine points per half and not in a whole match!
The current Grizzlies Warriors odds from the leading bookmakers also suggest that this is indeed the closest series of these Conference Semifinals.
Because the respective win odds are also closer to each other in Game 2 than in any other pairing!
A win for the home side is therefore offered at odds of around 2.10, while a repeat triumph for the Californians is currently offered at odds of 1.76.
Summary: Let’s put it this way! Pretty much everything went exactly as Warriors fans had hoped in the opening game. However, the Yellow and Blue are unlikely to benefit from such a favourable run of fixtures twice in a row.
After all, the home side are physically superior to the visitors and should have already asserted themselves in the zone. That things turned out differently in the opening game surprised me personally!
Moreover, the performance of the Californians from the bench – especially that of Jordan Poole – was exceptional, while Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks played far below their capabilities on the opposite side.
My Grizzlies Warriors tip: On a “normal night” Memphis wins Game 2.
